Marshall-Tufflex’s Twin165 double compartment cable management system has been installed in the award winning £8m refurbishment of Newcastle University Student Union’s (NUSU) Grade II listed building, located in the heart of the city campus.
While the exterior of the historic 1920s building remains unaltered, the interior has been transformed into a contemporary facility complete with 24 hour IT cluster suites, bank, shops and a performance venue. The re-development won the Education Interior Design Awards 2011. The project team included architects Faulkner Brown, lead designer Alistair Stripp, main contractor BAM Construct, engineering consultant Buro Happold and mechanical and electrical engineers, SES (Shepherd Engineering Services).
The success of the project can be traced back to the planning stages when a number of surveys were conducted to produce a ‘most wanted’ list from Newcastle students. Topping the request list was the introduction of social learning facilities and IT access.
In order to service the IT equipment within the many student study areas and ‘hot’ desks of the six floor building, SES required a large, twin compartment cable management system with a good sized bend radius to contain extensive power and data cabling. Therefore Marshall-Tufflex’s Twin165 was chosen. The system provides CAT 6A compliant medium sized PVC-U trunking, split to provide 60% space for power delivery and 40% for data supplies.
Mark Lewins, SES explained the choice of the Twin165, “Although size and cost was important we also required something aesthetically pleasing that would be suitable for the sympathetic refurbishment of a notable building and have the quality, fit and finish that a building of this nature demands. Having used Twin165 before we felt confident in putting it forward for specification approval from a quality, performance and aesthetics perspective.”
Twin 165 was supplied by Newey & Eyre’s Newcastle branch. Kevin Barker of Newey & Eyre commented, “Although it is a price driven market, quality and service remain an important factor, especially in the provision of high performance products for challenging installations such as the NUSU building.”
Quick and easy to install, Marshall-Tufflex’s Twin165 incorporates a bend radius of 50mm with adjustable internal and external bends for greater flexibility when navigating a building’s irregularities, corners and angles, whilst its ability to future-proof installations allows for later reconfigurations.
“Marshall-Tufflex’s Twin165 was installed by our own electricians,” said Mark Lewins, SES. “It went in very well, it looks good and is a durable product, which is necessary in a building that must withstand considerable wear and tear over the years.”
