POLICE HQ LIVERPOOL, MERSEYSIDE

Completed in September 2021, Merseyside Police’s new headquarters is a purpose-built, £48million building on one of the main gateways into the city of Liverpool.

More than 1,100 officers and staff are housed in the new 12,800m four-storey complex, which it is estimated will save £250,000 a year in running costs compared to the force’s previous Canning House headquarters.

When main developer Willmott Dixon appointed Liverpool-based M&E contractor A&B Engineering to design and install services throughout the building, A&B knew which manufacturer to turn to; Geberit and Twyford.

Drawing on a long-standing relationship, A&B used Geberit Mapress copper pipework for hot and cold water services, as well as Twyford ceramics for toilets, basins and cleaners’ sinks.

A&B Engineering used Geberit’s Mapress press fit system throughout the building for potable water, heating systems and chilled water supply, taking advantage of its speedy installation and robust properties.

The Mapress press fit technology is quicker and cheaper to install than traditional jointing methods because it requires no hot works, no soldering and no threading. Installers simply need to cut the pipe to size, debur the inside and outside, mark the socket insertion depth on the pipe, push the pipe into the socket of the fitting, then press the joint and connecting pipe using the pressing tool. Coloured pressing indicators are fitted in the seal rings, which offer easy identification of both the material and any unpressed joints during the installation process.

Elsewhere in the new police headquarters, around 40 Twyford E100 Square Rimfree toilets were installed, together with matching basins and cleaners’ sinks too.

Twyford’s Doc M packs were chosen for accessible toilets in the facility, including a WC, basin, tap, grab rails and all fixtures and fittings required to meet the requirements of accessible bathrooms.

Ryan Bogg, Site Manager for A&B Engineering, said:

“We’ve used Geberit before and we knew the benefits of Mapress so it was an easy decision to use the system on this project. Press fit is quicker to install, it’s cleaner on site and we know it’s robust too.

“Together with the Twyford ceramics and Doc M packs for complete peace of mind over accessible bathroom compliance, we were able to take advantage of a trusted, one-stop solution that helped us to achieve our project goals and deliver the project on time and on budget.”