The Hawkins Factory | PLASSON UK

About

PLASSON UK recently provided the PLASSON MCP System for installation in a historic Grade II listed property in Northampton town centre. The property was the former Hawkins Shoe Factory, which was built in 1875 and was once one of the UK’s major suppliers of climbing and military boots. The factory closed in 1995 and has stood empty since then.

In March 2022, the property was acquired by a local joint venture between the OEH Group and ACCA Land Limited. The developer’s vision was to regenerate the iconic factory into 89 dwellings, designed as New York loft-style apartments, while preserving the historic features and character of the building.

Requirements

The Hawkins Factory development required a reliable, easy to install and compact solution for the water distribution system, connecting the mains water pipe to the individual apartments with water meter integration.

As this project involved the conversion of an already existing building, the system had to be installed into four separate compartments/utility room locations with specific size requirements and limitations.

Solution

PLASSON UK provided a solution that involved the use of the PLASSON MCP System, made up of the PLASSON Manifold, MCP unit, and Mains Stop Valve:

The PLASSON Manifold is a one-piece unit made bespoke at our fabrication facilities in the UK and allows the connection of between 2 and 16 outlets. For this project, seven PLASSON Manifolds were custom-made at 9 port, 12 port, 14 port and 15 port outlets with 130mm centres and 2” MI ends.
The PLASSON MCP units fit to the Manifold to provide water meter connection. They incorporate a double check value, to protect against any potential backflow, and a drain point, to allow maintenance for individual dwelling water systems. For this project, 25mm MCP units with mechanical fittings were connected to 25mm PE pipe to feed the individual apartments.
The UK Water Reg4 approved PLASSON Mains Stop Valves were installed prior to each Manifold, allowing isolation from the incoming mains water pipe.

All PLASSON fittings supplied comply with The Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999.

Result

The PLASSON MCP System successfully fed the property’s mains water supply into 89 separate apartments within the confines of the available space at four locations within the Hawkins Factory property.

Installation was completed quickly and easily thanks to the short lead time of the PLASSON Manifold from our fabrication facilities in Burgess Hill – between 7 to 10 days – and its pre-assembled design avoided the requirement for onsite welding.

PLASSON UK provides MCP System for historic Grade II listed building

About

Requirements

Solution

Result