New opening
it cost us quite a lot of delay. Obviously, the roof is fairly key to any building and the internals don’t really get started until the roof is on. There are some things you can do that the elements won’t affect but not a huge amount.”
Of course, such issues were hardly unique to this project. “The whole construction industry was having issues with COVID, materials, supply, and labour, so it wasn’t a unique problem to Maidstone,” adds Richard.
When it came to suppliers, particularly for Fixtures, Fittings, and Equipment (FF&E), continuity was important. “We operate the buildings for years so our maintenance guys need to have some sort of continuity,” says Richard. “So the kitchens we put in, the laundry that we put in, the lifts – they’re probably the three biggest key items here in terms of the equipment. We like to use the same companies because it gives us a bit of continuity in terms of design, in terms of installation, and in terms of maintenance as well. “Technology-wise we use the same company – GHM do all our wireless stuff. We use Courtney Thorne for our nurse call systems. We tend to try and repeat business as long as the business keeps working well and we get the service from those people. To an extent, the more you use people the better service you get out of them because they want you to come back to them.” Building a care home comes with its own unique challenges, and Horizon sought out subcontractors with specific expertise. According to Phil Holding: “To do a building this size for the care sector, there’s not a huge amount of subcontractors out there.
Suppliers list
Contractor: Horizon Construction Architect: ADG Architects Structural engineers: WA Consulting Engineers Project management: Aedifice Partnership Interior design: in-house Wireless tech: GHMCare Nurse call systems: Courtney Thorne
The striking glass-fronted entrance area was something that underwent changes from the original design
There’s probably lots [of subcontractors] telling us they can do it, but there’s not many that have got a pedigree of delivering projects of this nature. There’s not a huge pool that we go to.
“It’s like a big commercial building, but with a residential requirement. If you were to build a four bed house, there’s plumbers that would come in and plumb the house for you. Essentially this is a 72 bedroom home. It’s still the same thing, but [you have to find subcontractors] that specifically have got that residential linked with the commercial. It’s not necessarily the skill set – it’s their experience.”
Sustainability Sustainability is a word on everybody’s lips at the moment, especially when it comes to construction. I asked Richard whether sustainability had been baked into the design and build from the outset. “Oakland have taken a very proactive approach to our ESG credentials over the last 18 months, and we’ve developed a completely new set of policies that now see the group leading the care home sector,” he replies. “Oakland are the first care group to become a carbon neutral business and we’ve also reached Green Mark II accreditation through the work of our operational teams. Alongside these commitments, we’ve embarked on a project to ensure the whole Oakland portfolio obtains a BREEAM [Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method] accreditation by the end of 2022. At Maplewood Court, we have just undertaken our BREEAM In Use assessment and are hopeful of achieving an Excellent rating from the BRE [Building Research Establishment].” Oakland takes a specific approach to
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www.thecarehomeenvironment.com September 2022
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