Cumberland Towers
Delivered for Ipswich Borough Council
Project introduction
Lawtech successfully completed refurbishment works at Cumberland Towers, a sheltered housing block for vulnerable residents.
Scope of Works
Lawtech was contracted to undertake a series of refurbishment works to Cumberland Towers. A sheltered housing block for vulnerable and elderly residents, Cumberland Towers required close liaison between the contract management team, Ipswich Borough Council and the building manager. Works to the block included:
EWI – 2,000m² of 90mm mineral wool insulation with an SPS Envirowall rendered 1.5mm silicone finish
Brick slips – 300m² of 100mm mineral wool insulation with an Ibstock brick slip finish
Balcony repairs – 69 repairs and Windoor Three Quarter Glazed Balcony Screens
Roof replacement - 500m² IKO Ultra-Prevent Warm Deck Roof System
Storage heaters – 396 Dimplex Quantum Storage Heaters
Concrete repairs – Sika Monotop 610 and 615 concrete repairs, plus brickwork repairs, metal wall straps and remedial wall ties to parapet wall corners
To maximise efficiencies, eight mast climbers were installed, one per elevation, as this accelerated high-level access and facilitated works to occur across multiple elevations simultaneously.
The Considerate Constructors Scheme awarded Lawtech two Performance Beyond Compliance awards for the quality of the project.
Resident Liaison
Our RLO was onsite and present throughout the works. They took great care to understand the support needs, not only of vulnerable individuals on the official Risk Register, but also those whose personal circumstances could potentially have delayed Lawtech gaining access to their properties. Pre-commencement surveys were undertaken by the RLO to ascertain each individual resident’s needs and ensure that they are accounted for throughout.
The RLO was extremely popular with residents throughout this project, having built an excellent rapport with them from pre-commencement through to the completion of the works.
Lawtech held an open day for residents prior to commencement of the works. Moreover, twice-weekly coffee mornings were arranged, which gave the RLO another opportunity to speak to residents to discuss progress, address concerns and build rapport to enhance resident experience. These occurred throughout mobilisation and construction phase.
Based on feedback forms delivered to all residents after the completion of the works, there was a Resident Satisfaction Rate of 97.22%.
Resident Liaison/Social Value
Delivering social value means creating positive impacts on communities and enhancing social well-being.
Apprenticeships
Our trainee resident liaison officer (RLO) for this project was recruited from the local community. This provided economic benefits and created an opportunity for them to learn from an experienced RLO.
Wall of Kindness
We also trialled a new initiative over the winter months. With consideration to the amount of foot traffic passing the compound every day, we created a 'wall of kindness' where coats could be donated, accessible to those who may need them. This initiative was a great success, with regular turnover of clothing present on the hooks. We have since scaled this across further sites.
