Construction and engineering: Andrew Scott Ltd
Name of fabricator: Shufflebottom
Galvanized by: Joseph Ash Galvanizing
End client: South Wales Fire and Rescue Service
Size and amount of steel: 16 tonnes
Project goals
In June 2012 the South Wales Fire and Rescue Service submitted plans to demolish the fire station in Hirwaun in the Cynon Valley in Wales, in order to replace it with a new environmentally friendly, state-of-the-art fire station, worth £1 million.
Permission was granted by the Rhondda Cynon Taf council, and the work soon began.
What happened
The new fire station was built by Andrew Scott Ltd, a construction and engineering company, who commissioned Shufflebottom Ltd to make the steel frame.
Outcome
The new fire station opened in 2013.
It is an interesting building because it was designed to not only act as a fire station, but also for use by the whole community. It also had to blend in well with its surroundings, which includes housing, industrial units and mountains. Finally, it needed to be environmentally friendly.
As well as being made of steel, the building – with its integrated training tower – also uses salvaged Welsh slate, timber cladding and two green roofs complete with grass that absorbs pollution in the atmosphere and reduces heating bills. The local wildlife was also considered in the design as the building includes bat boxes and a sparrow terrace.
Shufflebottom is a valued customer of Joseph Ash Galvanizing. We were happy to assist with this project and we were thrilled for both Shufflebottom and Andrew Scott Ltd when they won a RIDBA FAB award for the building in the Spring of 2015.
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