The Refurbishment of Ashburton Court - Asbestos Removal
Ashburton Court was built in the 1960s and consists of two multi-storey office blocks built over car parking, the majority of which is leased to Winchester City Council to be used as a public car park. The main catalyst for the project was the age and condition of the structure, with many components of the building having reached the end of their useful life and requiring significant and urgent investment. The building contained large amounts of asbestos, much of which was located in relatively inaccessible areas and difficult to remove.
A number of options were considered, including major repair, refurbishment or total replacement. However, the refurbishment option was considered to offer the most cost effective approach giving the County Council an opportunity to make efficiencies in the use of its offices. It is also possible through this medium to make major long-term energy and other savings through sensitive re-modelling and design, and to improve accessibility for staff, service users and members of the public.
The Ashburton Court refurbishment has been sited as one of the most complex projects undertaken by Hampshire County Council requiring extensive planning and close co-ordination between the council and the major contractors so as to ensure a safe environment with minimum disruption to council work and neighbouring residences. Solent Environmental played an important upfront role as asbestos removal contractor liaising with the council and the other main contractors ensuring that other crucial refurbishment work was able to continue in a safe environment and that any challenges that arose ( and there were many) were dealt with efficiently without major impact on the overall project schedule.
The project has been cited as setting a new standard for project management and construction excellence.
