A building for children’s futures

The Caudwell Children International Centre for Childhood Disability is the UK’s first purpose-built centre for multi-disciplinary therapy programmes for childhood disability and research of neurodevelopmental conditions, including autism.

The Challenge

BSSP were approached by one of their stockists of Corden EPS Gas Protection products with an enquiry from McBrine Civil Engineering, who had commenced work for Buckingham Group on the prestigious Caudwell Children’s International Centre at Keele University, Staffordshire.

Due to the site conditions, there was a specification for a ground gas protection system to meet the requirements of the British Standard BS8485-2015. BSSP and Acrefield Developments attended a design meeting, with McBrine Civil Engineering and Buckingham Group to determine the level of gas protection required.

It was evident that from the type of concrete floor slab, the level and flow of gas that the requirement would be for a vented gas protection system to achieve the 3.5 points necessary to satisfy British Standards.


The Solution

Working closely with Acrefield Developments, BSSP proposed a cost effective solution for the ventilation layout. Utilising Corden EPS Geo-Vent with Corden EPS Geo-Vent fittings and Ground Level Vent Boxes, providing effective gas pressure relief to the underside of the membrane.Once EPS Geo-Vent was in place, Corden EPS Hydrocarbon Barrier was installed using a twin wedge welded technique, joining the membrane.The perimeter detail was sealed using Corden EPS GRM – self-adhesive gas membrane. Corden EPS GRM was used to seal around columns and pipe penetrations.


The Outcome

The experience of the BSSP team along with unrivalled product knowledge enabled them to work with Acrefield Developments to install a system that fulfilled the 3.5 points required to meet the standards of BS8485-2015. The Corden EPS Hydrocarbon Barrier was fully welded and sealed to provide a continuous and complete integrity across the footprint of the building. Throughout the project, an appropriate membrane was used to satisfy the CS2 situation. The entire system was integrity tested and verified in accordance with CIRIA C735.