New student accommodation for 159 University students in Southampton uses three-compartment dado trunking, wiring accessories and consumer units from Eaton’s MEM range. The new accommodation blocks were supplied as modular units, with the majority of the electrical installation work carried out off-site at the manufacturers’ works by the Southampton branch of M&E services contractor, NG Bailey & Co. Ltd. Only final connections between modules were made on site.
The new accommodation comprises three four-storey blocks built close to existing accommodation blocks at Montefiore House in Wessex Lane, Southampton. By using prefabricated modules the amount of on-site work was kept to a minimum, thereby avoiding unnecessary disturbance to students in the existing accommodation. Each floor has 12 bedrooms and two kitchens with a central corridor. Each module comprises two rooms either side of a corridor section.
NG Bailey chose to use Eaton electrical equipment. Eaton could supply consumer units, three-compartment trunking and wiring accessories as a complete package, from its own product range. “We have long experience of working with Eaton. It offers excellent value for money” says Project Manager, Nick Westmore.
Each of the new blocks is supplied by a separate sub-main from a plant room in one of the existing accommodation blocks. Distribution boards in the kitchens provide landlord’s services, power to the kitchens, and power to the student rooms. Each room has its own metered supply and a four-way Memera 2000 AD consumer unit providing a 32A ring final circuit, 6A lighting circuit, 20A heating supply and one spare way.
Each room has a desk along the window wall with Eaton’s 3CT three-compartment trunking installed just above the desk. This houses three two-gang switch socket-outlets, a TV aerial outlet, two spur connection units and two boxes into which the University will install its own networked telephone and data outlets. The accessories are all from Eaton’s Intra, white moulded accessory range.
Heating is provided by a 1.2kW wall-mounted panel heater with a dual power supply controlled by a contactor. One of these is a landlord’s supply which provides background heating up to 12°C; above this temperature the student’s own supply takes over. The accommodation has excellent U-values so heating costs for the students are low.
Cleaners’ power supplies in the corridors are provided by key-operated 13A socket-outlets from Eaton’s Ultra flat plate range. These use a common key which is not removable in the ON position so that socket-outlets cannot be left switched on inadvertently by cleaners.
Main contractor for the new Montefiore House student accommodation was Bluestone. The modular buildings were built by Rollalong of Three Legged Cross, Dorset and NG Bailey & Co Ltd., Southampton was M&E services contractor. The Eaton products were supplied through Newey and Eyre.
