Whitmore High School

Formerly known as Lascelles Secondary Modern School and built in 1949, the now Whitmore High School in Harrow was bursting at the seams, tired and ready for a long overdue upgrade. In 2006 the school was successful in achieving government funding under the DCSF Building Schools for the Future initiative to the tune of £32 million to completely re-build the school from the ground up. Contractors working on the project settled on Geberit’s innovative and flexible piping and draining solutions to ensure it fulfilled the very specific design considerations involved in the new school’s heating and water systems.

One of the key architectural features of the new school is the curvature of the building, with Geberit Mepla being specified for the low temperature hot water and water services for the building. Not only is the Geberit Mepla system flexible and durable enough to follow the line of the building, it is also simple and quick to install. With a weather-proof Geberit HDPE outer layer and an inner PE layer to provide resistance to corrosion, Geberit’s Mepla piping system is lightweight and can be bent, reducing fittings and lowering the overall cost of installation. Paul Williams, Project Manager at NG Bailey, explains: “Because of the curvature of the building which is a key architectural feature, we had to find a suitable piping solution.” This issue led Paul to specify Geberit’s Mepla multi-layer pressfit piping system for the low temperature hot water and water services for the building. Geberit Mapress Stainless Steel was also specified for the hot water system due to its ability to withstand high temperatures and pressure while retaining excellent hygiene standards. A key directive for both the school and its contractors is considering the environment and by specifying Geberit Mapress and Geberit Mepla systems NG Bailey was also able to tick the box for water saving, as this pipework requires around half of the flushing time of either a steel or soldered copper system.

Another major architectural feature of the new Whitmore High School building is its large flat roof, which posed draining challenges easily met by Geberit Pluvia siphonic roof drainage system. Unlike conventional roof drainage methods, Geberit Pluvia’s siphonic action ensures the drainage pipe system fills up completely, generating a negative pressure in the pipeline that draws rainwater by suction from the roof area, while requiring fewer smaller and fewer downpipes and reducing noise.