After months of below ground and
foundation work, hidden by the compound walls, the new bedroom block in the
north pavilion is progressing at a rapid rate with brickwork now up to ceiling
height on the first floor. The week commencing 28.7.14 will see the concrete
slabs, which form the ceiling for first floor rooms and also the slab for the
second floor rooms, be craned into position. The brickwork will then continue in
earnest until the process is repeated for the next level three weeks
later.
The degree of progress made in
recent weeks now clearly defines the floor plan of the ground and first floor
level bedrooms and corridor. Of the twelve new guest bedrooms in the north
pavilion, two have been designed taking careful consideration for guests with
restricted mobility. The floor plan of this north pavilion extension varies
slightly from the existing four block which is located closer to the study
centre, as the staircase and lift will be housed in the link to the main
building, meaning the new bedrooms will be slightly larger.
For the readers wanting a more
technical update, the concrete block work which forms the inner and structural
walls of the north pavilion are surrounded with Kingspan foil back rigid
insulation, an important layer to help reduce heat loss and solar gain. The
outside layer of honey coloured bricks to match the existing building are
erected leaving a gap for circulation allowing the building to “breath”. The
handmade Stamford Sand Brown bricks, made in York, are the closest match we
could achieve to the original Stamford brick which is no longer in production.
The Portland Stone horizontal bands have been cut to match the original stone
work and are not a cheaper reconstituted product.
