Forest School, Horsham

The Forest School in Horsham, a boy’s comprehensive, has had its antiquated heating system refurbished with easy-to-fit and test pipe-fittings, Geberit Mapress. The refurbishment was carried out by BSW Building Services, which specified the Geberit solution.

The initial contract involved installing new boiler plant in the main school boiler house and the sports hall, linked in to the existing heating circuits via plate heat exchangers. During the second phase, 200 radiators, 50 fan convectors and five radiant panels were upgraded, utilising Geberit Mapress Carbon Steel pipe and fittings.

Schools present a challenging environment for building services engineers to work in, with downtime not an option for pupils and staff. At the Forest School in Horsham, a boys comprehensive set in 20 acres and teaching over 1000 pupils, the refurbishment of an antiquated heating system by contractor, BSW Building Services, was helped along the way by easy-to-fit and test pipe-fittings from Geberit. Geberit Mapress, the revolutionary press fit pipe system, saves money – according to a BSRIA report in excess of 35% compared with traditional systems - as well as time on site.

“The Geberit Mapress Carbon Steel system is simple to install and connect, offers a very light solution during installation and is extremely strong, being able to withstand pressures up to 16 bar, which was well within our design parameters. Another great benefit is the fact that the pipe and fittings have an external carbon galvanised coating which provides a long lasting corrosion-resistant outer finish for a higher standard and therefore a longer lasting system for the client,” said Alan Wetherfield, BSW’s on-site contract manager.