Competitive price, top quality and great looks proved to be the winning combination for Marshall-Tufflex’s Twin Plus cable management system, gaining it specification within the award-winning £8m refurbishment of Newcastle University Student Union’s (NUSU) Grade II listed building, located in the heart of the city campus.
While the exterior of the historic 1920s building remains unaltered, the interior has been transformed into a contemporary facility complete with 24hr IT cluster suites, bank, shops and a performance venue. The re-development won the Education Interior Design Awards 2011. The project team included architects Faulkner Brown, lead designer Alistair Stripp, main contractor BAM Construct, engineering consultant Buro Happold and mechanical & electrical engineers, SES (Shepherd Engineering Services Limited).
The success of the project can be traced back to the planning stages when a number of surveys were conducted to produce a ‘most wanted’ list from Newcastle students. Topping the request list was the introduction of social learning facilities and IT access, which are now in plentiful supply.
In order to service the IT equipment within the many student study areas and ‘hot’ desks of the six floor building, SES required a large capacity cable management system with a good sized bend radius to contain extensive power and data cabling. They therefore picked Marshall-Tufflex’s Twin Plus, a robust CAT 7 compliant PVC-U trunking with bend radius up to 50mm and a comprehensive suite of flush accessories and boxes.
However other factors were also important, as Mark Lewins, SES explained: “Although size and cost was important we also required something aesthetically pleasing that would be suitable for the sympathetic refurbishment of a notable building and have the quality, fit and finish that a building of this nature demands. We felt confident in putting it forward for specification approval from a quality, performance and aesthetics perspective.”
Twin Plus was supplied by Newey & Eyre’s Newcastle branch. Kevin Barker of Newey & Eyre said:
“Although it is a price driven market, quality and service remain an important factor, especially in the provision of high performance products for challenging installations such as the NUSU building.”
“Marshall-Tufflex’s Twin Plus was installed by our own electricians,” said Mark Lewins, SES. “It went in very well, it looks good and is a durable product, which is necessary in a building that must withstand considerable wear and tear over the years.”
