St. Mark’s West Essex Catholic School – Boiler Replacement

Key Facts:

Client Name: St. Mark’s West Essex Catholic School
Location: Harlow, Essex
Type of client: Secondary Academy
Services provided by M+C: ACMF Bid Preparation/Submission | Planning/Building Regulations | Building Services Engineering | Procurement
| Surveying | Project Management
Value: £138,821
Contractor: Essex Mechanical Services

St. Mark’s West Essex Catholic School is a successful secondary academy in the growing town of Harlow. With over 1000 pupils, the school continues to grow within its 12-acre site, having been first established in 1965.

Following a range of failures and issues with the existing mechanical plant (including the atmospheric and HWS boilers as well as the hot water calorifier), the failure of the system following the summer recess, and a range of leaks within the system, a detailed assessment of the boiler plant identified its terminal nature and an immediate need for a boiler replacement.

A detailed value assessment identified that it would be uneconomical to attempt to repair the existing system, with changes to the building regulations putting in to place more challenging requirements from such systems.

The scheme developed therefore incorporated the elements mentioned, as well as the provision of pressurisation units, feed tanks, associated pipework and pumps/valves etc., insulation and all building works including asbestos removal. The replacement would provide a solution that will serve the school for a minimum of 25 years, with a safe, environmentally sustainable system.

The scheme was further developed, including a full tender process, for submission to the EFA as part of ACMF funding. The scheme was approved, with Essex Mechanical Services appointed as the main contractor.

On-site, the works were undertaken during term-time, phased to ensure continued provision of services throughout the works, which were successfully completed in just five weeks.