Privately owned further education establishment, Newbold College, sits in central Bracknell in Berkshire and boasts a beautiful listed building, situated in acres of landscaped grounds, at its core. Originally built as a house in 1865 for a wealthy tea merchant, the original fabric of the architecturally important building is very much in tact and preserved by the current owners, the Seventh Day Adventist Church.
The college plays host to students from across the world who pay to study and stay at the college. The house offers catering, residential and theological resources in addition to the more modern buildings on site. As part of an upgrade to its facilities the college worked with Saniflo to specify shower cubicles from its Kinedo range and pumps from the Saniflo range for its refurbished bathrooms. At the request of students old cast iron baths have been replaced with Horizon shower cubicles with the waste water pumped through Sanishower pumps. Ian Clark is Site Engineer and was responsible for the choice of shower;
“The combination of Horizon cubicles and the Sanishower pumps has meant we don’t have to touch the fabric of the building.
We can install the cubicles up against the re-decorated walls with no need for tiling and the water is pumped out through the Sanishowers to meet the soil stacks which are situated at an unusual height. Without the pumps we couldn’t have installed showers full stop.”
Five cubicles in total have been specified– an 800x800 for a smaller room – and four of the larger 800 x 1100 which provide a really luxurious space for showering. The integrated valve, rainshower head and handheld shower are supplied in the Horizon package and offer a further contemporary edge for the new bathrooms. Ease of installation was key according to Ian;
“I initially sourced Kinedo cubicles for some off-site houses a few years back following a recommendation by Plumb Center. The criterion was similar – we needed self-contained pod style units - and we’ve not looked back since – they’ve been very good. This time I worked with a Saniflo representative who came and visited the site and recommended the Horizon/Sanishower combination. We fit the cubicles ourselves; the design is very clever and so easy to install. I’ve trained up the guys on-site and they just get on with it. They don’t even need mastic or silicone – which is a real bonus as it keeps the whole area very clean. Long term the cubicles are very low maintenance. The glass panels feature an anti-limescale treatment called Cristal Plus which keeps it looking immaculate. We’re very pleased with our choice”.
