Stoddart House, Aintree Hospital

Stoddart House at University Hospital Aintree (since renamed Longmoor House) opened following a significant refurbishment of an existing building in 2021. Offering an integrated service for people in North Mersey, the former mental health inpatient unit now offers 120 beds including a 70-bed ward, future-proofed to be an isolation facility in the case of another pandemic. The facility is a joint project between Mersey Care and Liverpool University Hospitals Foundation Trust (LUHFT).

Refurbished during the COVID-19 pandemic, Stoddart House had a very tight programme of works to ensure it was completed on time and available in case the pandemic worsened.

M&E contractor A&B Engineering, working with main contractor BAM Construction, sought a value engineering solution to ceramics throughout the facility that could deliver on specification, cost and delivery through a challenging build schedule. It turned to Twyford, experts in bathrooms, to provide an extensive range of bathroom solutions including surgical products.

Although products were initially specified from an alternative manufacturer, A&B Engineering turned to Twyford Bathrooms for its breadth of products for the hospital environment.

Covering surgical and public facilities, the refurbishment included:

• 59 x Twyford Avalon rimfree 700mm back-to-wall toilet pan
• 72 x Twyford Sola wall-mounted basins with thermostatic fixed spout surgeons’ mixer taps
• 56 x Twyford Sola medical two-tap wash basins with taps
• 60 x Twyford Sola thermostatic showers
• 5 x stainless steel janitorial units with wash basin and waste
• Additional fittings including grab rails and hinge supports

Products were supplied on time, to the correct specification and with after-sales support available from the dedicated Geberit and Twyford sales team, enhanced by the strength of the existing relationship between the contractor and manufacturer.

In addition, the project used Geberit’s Mapress press fit piping system for cold water supply and heating. The Mapress press fit technology is quicker to install than traditional jointing methods because it requires no hot works, no soldering and no threading.

Engineers 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.

Mapress copper and stainless steel pipes and fittings were used at Stoddart House.

Kevin Sykes, Associate Director for A&B Engineering, said: “Geberit and Twyford showed that they have the combination of products, expertise and installation benefits to deliver a complete solution across the whole facility. The sanitaryware from Twyford Bathrooms and Mapress system from Geberit provided a reliable, all-encompassing solution for Stoddart House.”

Neil Kelsall, Senior Site Manager for BAM Construction, said: “The client is really, really happy with the building and the quality of the fit out they are now able to use to treat patients. We would like to thank everyone who has had a hand in this project.”