Wavin drainage solutions are top class at student accommodation

As part of the £15 million redevelopment of the Yell House Building in Reading into student accommodation, Wavin has supplied a comprehensive range of drainage solutions which offered ease of installation, flexibility, low noise and proven performance.

The former home of Yell (Yellow Pages) and located in the city centre, the six storey building on Queen’s Walk is being transformed by contractor Osborne on behalf of Crown Student Living into 284 flats, creating accommodation for 400 students from the University of Reading. Along with a landscaped piazza, a new two storey extension will feature a gym, cinema room and dance studio.

Central to the design of the drainage system are a number of solutions from Wavin which are ideal for the building’s transformation into a multi-occupancy flat development where space is at a premium and noise reduction is an important consideration. Wavin’s design engineers value engineered the system, recommending the space saving Certus Soil and Waste as well as the Wavin Acoustic Soil (AS) solution, an internal drainage system which delivers durability, ease of installation and low noise.

Originally HDPE and cast iron were considered for the specification of soil and waste, however due to the superior acoustic properties and ease of installation of the Wavin AS and Certus soil and waste systems, Wavin became the manufacturer of choice.

With ongoing support from the Wavin Technical Engineers including installation guidance around expansion and bracketing of the Wavin soil and waste system, there was also the challenge of designing a secondary venting system from the Certus soil range for the ground and first floors. The Wavin Engineers recommended the unique Certus manifold which is designed to take all the toilet, sink and shower connections from the bathroom pods to the foul water system on the project.

Made of a minerally reinforced polypropylene called Astolan which has a high specific weight and a special molecular structure, the Wavin AS System absorbs both airborne and structure borne sound. The Wavin AS System also meets the acoustic requirements of the German standard DIN 4109, achieving a sound performance of under 30dB (A) at 2l/s and also holds a Local Authority Building Control (LABC) registered details certificate.

As well as this, unlike other soil and waste system product materials, the Wavin AS system includes a solution with a ring seal that offers flexibility when connected to the Certus soil and waste solution that was part of this design.

The Certus PVC-U Compact Soil and Waste system enables space saving and flexible installations with tighter connections to 32, 40 and 50mm waste pipework for efficient removal of waste water. Reduced installed dimensions minimise duct space required, providing the ideal solution for this student development where space is at a premium.

Marc Davies, Mechanical Project Manager at FP Hurley said: “The drainage systems from Wavin offered us the ideal solution, both in terms of the acoustic properties and competitive pricing. Comprehensive technical support and site visits from Wavin were also welcomed by our team.”

Wavin AS is an acoustic soil system which achieves the best performance of any plastic pipe through an intelligently engineered combination of high mass, wall thickness and special couplings.

For the effective removal of waste water, Certus Soil and Waste system is a compact PVC-U system that enables space saving and flexible installation with optimum flexibility.