Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine
VolkerLaser delivered sensitive refurbishment of the renowned Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine; the leading international institution in the fight against infectious, debilitating and disabling diseases.
What we did
Originally built in 1898, it was identified that parts of the listed structure were failing due to corrosion of the building’s steel frame. In order to protect the building for decades to come, our specialist team proposed the method of applying an impressed cathodic protection system to the frame.
Throughout the works, all areas of cracked and broken brickwork were replaced to match the existing structure, and any failed mortar was re-pointed. Working on four elevations, access to the building proved difficult due to the fragmented and disjointed manner in which the building had expanded over the years. We used cradle access to overcome this issue with ease, giving the team access to all areas of the building.
During the project, the team identified a substantial amount of additional defective and sub-standard brickwork. Adhering to our ethos of providing clients with nothing but the highest quality of stable and secure structures, supplementary works were proposed to extend the cathodic protection system to cover additional steel frame sections.
This project posed a unique health and safety risk, with the school possessing highly venomous snakes and insects contaminated with a plethora of diseases, all retained to develop vital anti-venoms and vaccines. In order protect both staff and specimen alike, our site team received specialist site inductions regarding the dangers and risks contained within the building and the whole team had strict procedures to adhere to when carrying out works.
