Signal Box Yard BTR Scheme

• Residential

Signal Box Yard BTR Scheme

Client: Watkin Jones
Location: Bath
Project: MEP Package for 316 Bed BTR Scheme
Project Managers: Paul Davies and Anthony Whittle

The Project

The £4.6m mechanical services contract involved the installation of the bathroom pods in each of the 1, 2 and 3 bed apartments. We also carried out all of the plumbing and ventilation for the kitchens.

The water for the two blocks is heated via a series of centralised air sourced heat pumps and an individual Mechanical Extract Ventilation (MEV) system for each unit, ensuring free clean air at all times – even with such a high level of insulation..

There are also large indoor reception and amenity areas and a suite of management offices that will all be part of our brief.

On the ground floor, four individual commercial units have created over 700m2 of retail or hospitality space too.

The whole site will be protected by a full pumped sprinkler system throughout with a large water tank located on the ground floor. Due to the limited number of openings to the car park, a mechanical hybrid ventilation system is required and we installed an impulse system that allows the air to be changed 10 times per hour in fire mode.

Background

Signal Box yard, which started life as Bath Junction, is the largest purpose-built build-to-rent scheme in Bath, with 316 well designed, high quality and attractive BTR units.

In addition to the residential space, there is also over 7,000 square feet of flexible commercial space.

This BTR provision will meet the much needed demand for affordable housing and commercial spaces in Bath’s rental market. It is made up of 316 high quality build-to-rent units, with a combination of studios, one, two and three-bedroom homes. To increase rent affordability, one in three of these homes is being provided at a discounted rental rate.

It also meets the highest environmental sustainability standards, having achieved Home Quality Mark Level Three. Residents have full access to outdoor space, landscaped communal courtyard gardens, with a frontage of newly planted trees to increase biodiversity and attractiveness. Other key sustainability features include air source heat pumps, electric car charging and car club spaces, water saving devices and energy efficient appliances.

Project Management

Paul Davies, speaking about the completion of the project said “This project played right to our strengths and ran very smoothly from start to finish with no real surprises. It’s a lovely quality project and another great one for our BTR portfolio”