A new residential development by the Affinity Sutton Group in Purley, Surrey is using more than 100 metres of strong pre-formed aluminium Arma protective casings from Encasement to protect external gas pipework from accidental damage and vandalism.
Affinity Sutton is one of the UK’s largest providers of affordable housing and The Swallows development of 40 apartments in two separate buildings on the Godstone Road in Purley is a key project within their ongoing housing construction programme in the region.
One of the most practical and cost effective methods of running a gas supply into multi-floor apartments is to locate it on the outside of the building and then connect it to each individual apartment. However, this approach can allow them to be accidentally damaged or even attract unwanted attention from vandals, which is why Affinity Sutton chose to securely conceal and protect the pipes with Encasement’s Arma casing.
Arma is manufactured from 3mm thick aluminium as a jointless ‘U’ shaped channel, which is available in a range of different sizes and incorporates fixing flanges that enable it to be secured with tamperproof fixings to an exterior wall.
On The Swallows project, the casings are 200mm wide and 100mm deep and they are finished in different PPC coatings for each building of RAL 1014 Dark Ivory and RAL 2001 Red orange to help them blend with the brickwork and ad extra colour to the building exterior.
Martin Taylor, Encasement’s MD, commented: “We originally developed Arma precisely for projects and applications such as this, where external services and pipework might be vulnerable to damage, either by accident or intentionally. However, it is also being used increasingly to conceal and protect copper and even lead pipework, where high metal scrap values have prompted theft in some areas.”
Encasement specialises in the supply of decorative pipe boxing, boiler casing and external protection solutions for social and private housing projects.