Johnstone’s commitment to innovative product development has once again been recognised after its high performance Microbarr range was specified for use on the brand new £430 million Southmead Hospital Bristol.
The hospital is now one of the largest in the UK and brings together services from Frenchay Hospital and Southmead. It offers more single rooms than any other NHS hospital in the country, greatly improving privacy, dignity and helping to control the spread of infections.
It is this commitment to infection control that led main contractor Carillion and architects BDP to Johnstone’s and specifically its Microbarr products. The innovative range has been developed to help prevent the spread of harmful bacteria that can lead to the proliferation of ‘superbugs’ like MRSA and E.Coli and was the perfect product for a project of this scale and significance.
More than 32,000 litres of Microbarr Anti-Bacterial Acrylic Matt in Brilliant White were used by decorating contractor Bagnalls over the course of the two-year decorating cycle, covering 230,000 sq m of walls and ceilings.
The involvement of Johnstone’s technical advisory department, PPG Extra, from the outset was pivotal to the success of the decoration work, with detailed specifications and colour consultation undertaken with the North Bristol NHS Trust and architects in the early stages of the project.
Simon Newlyn, section manager for Carillion on the project, said: “I have worked with the team from Johnstone’s since early 2012 and during that time the support they have given Carillion and Bagnalls has been outstanding.
“The perfect combination of product and colour specification has been integral to the success of the project and we look forward to working again with Johnstone’s in the near future.”
Paul Curry, regional director for Bagnalls, added: “Johnstone’s Microbarr completely exceeded our expectations and was a vital reason behind this project being so successful. It is a supreme product, particularly at touching up, and we feel strongly that it is the best of its kind on the market.
“In addition to a perfect product specification, the service provided by Johnstone’s was also outstanding. Despite this being such a large project, Johnstone’s gave it the feel of a much smaller one thanks to efficient planning and a positive approach to problem solving. For example, they overcame the lack of on-site parking by delivering product on a just-in-time basis and also picked up and recycled the empty packs, which helped Carillion to meet its sustainable objectives.”
During the course of the works, Johnstone’s also worked alongside Carillion to transform Wordsworth Community Centre, which is just a stone’s throw away from the hospital development. Johnstone’s donated specialist exterior and metal paints for the comprehensive makeover of the centre and received Carillion’s coveted ‘Pride in Our Workplace’ certificate as a result.
