Abbeyfield House Care Home Refurbishment
Fowler Martin was appointed as MEP designer for the refurbishment of Abbeyfield House, transforming a disused nine-bedroom care home into a modern eleven-bedroom care facility. The project involved the complete replacement and upgrade of building services to support the client's vision for a high-quality care environment.
The objective was to refurbish and modernise the existing building while installing new mechanical, electrical and public health systems throughout. The services design needed to support day-to-day care operations, improve energy efficiency and provide a safe, comfortable environment for residents and staff.
Our team delivered a fully coordinated MEP design incorporating low-carbon heating, ventilation, electrical infrastructure and domestic water services. The scheme included roof-mounted air source heat pumps, new heating distribution systems, BMS controls, ventilation systems, lighting, fire alarms, CCTV, communications networks and specialist care-related systems. Particular attention was given to plant room design to maximise functionality within a constrained space.
The project required the integration of a wide range of modern building services within an existing structure. Careful coordination was needed to accommodate all plant and infrastructure while maintaining operational efficiency and future maintainability. The combined domestic water and sprinkler systems also presented coordination challenges due to limited available space.
The development incorporated air source heat pump technology to provide low-carbon heating and hot water, helping reduce operational energy consumption. Energy sub-metering was included to allow the client to better understand and manage building performance. In addition, ecological considerations informed the external lighting design, with low colour temperature lighting specified to protect local bat habitats and comply with planning requirements.
The project successfully transformed a vacant building into a modern care facility designed around the needs of residents and staff. Delivered on programme and to the client’s requirements, the completed development provides improved comfort, enhanced building performance and a future-ready building services infrastructure. The client was extremely pleased with the final outcome, particularly the efficient plant room arrangement and the successful integration of planning and environmental requirements.
