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Fairfield Hall, Hitchin

Project Overview:

We are carrying out restoration and maintenance work on the stone façade and slate roofs at the historic and Grade II Listed Fairfield Hall, once Fairfield Hospital, built in 1856.

We were originally tasked with developing a new restoration and maintenance plan for Fairfield Hall. After undertaking some onsite test trials, we concluded the use of steam cleaning would be the best method to sensitively restore and uplift the historic brick façade.

We also aim to lift and provide a deeper clean to the sections that have been cleaned to date by blending these areas in with the cleaned façade, providing a holistic clean and uniform finish.

Historically, solutions have been potentially over-engineered, specifications too complicated and costs too high. Our role is to help simplify the future maintenance of Fairfield Hall and support the Estate and Board of Directors with pre-planned project solutions as well as ongoing external access and maintenance solutions on a planned and reactive basis.

Our aim is to demystify what is required and provide the client with more open sources of information that provide support, answers questions and helps to rebuild a robust external building maintenance plan that is transparent, fit for purpose and designed to support the investment needs of both building and tenants.

We have developed individual specifications for each of the buildings identified (Prior, Middle March, Taylors House, Marlborough, West Wing, Hertford, and Huntingdon). This approach targets key requirements allows for cycling of future works, cost savings, and maintenance forecasting.

What did we work on?

  • Repairs and repointing to decorative stonework.
  • Redecoration and repair of timber sash windows and stone sills.
  • Redecoration of iron railings.
  • Repair and maintenance of the gutter and down pipe systems.
  • The overall façade project objective is to help lighten and clean the building, delivering a uniform finish through-out.

Difficulties/Challenges

  • The building has previously been over-cleaned with chemicals and methods not aligned to recommendations for conservation-based works. The yellow brickwork is highly weathered and micro-fractured due to previous chemical cleaning.
  • Steam is highly effective at removing organic matter and cleaning façades, but due the current façade condition, steam cleaning will not lift as previous chemical cleaning applications.
  • Façade shadowing is highly likely to remain in areas of high pollution on completion of the cleaning project, we will not abrade the problem away through high pressure or chemical cleaning, this shadowing will form part of the building history and future make up.
  • The site is residential, meaning we have to be conscious of the people in the area and how our work might affect them.

Methodologies:

  • Our cleaning methods with follow guidelines BS 8221-1:2012. Code of practice for cleaning and surface repair of buildings, cleaning of natural stone, brick, concrete and terracotta.
  • Cleaning methods will only be employed to suit the surface soiling type, facade structure or environment i.e.: organic and carbon sulphation.
  • With the use of MEWPS we have more flexibility can undertake works on different elevations when conditions limit on others. This helps us deliver within a more flexible, efficient, and open delivery programme. Scaffolding will not be used unless there are no other means of access and will be costed on a location specific basis.