Canolfan Dewi Sant: Abergele

The new building was to provide a community hall, a worship area, a kitchen/servery, classrooms, an office, toilets and storage areas.

Demolition of the timber- framed steel clad church and adjoining community centre commenced in April 2010. Once cleared, the site was piled with a combination of driven pre-cast concrete and interlocking steel piles, supporting reinforced concrete ring-beam foundations and wide span pre-cast concrete floor units. The new steel- framed building, with insulated masonry infill, supported a 'Kingspan' insulated sheet roof, counter battens and Welsh slate coverings.

The highly energy efficient building was completed to BREEAM excellent standards and had the benefit of with underfloor heating and liquid screed. In addition, there was also a 'Monodraught' natural ventilation system, 'Rotex' solar thermal panels, and large naturally lit spaces supplemented with a number of 'Sunpipes'.

A high level of finishings was demanded internally, with a number of acoustic wall and ceiling finishes required in the Community Hall and Worship area, whilst suspended ceilings were installed elsewhere. The Community Hall also benefitted from a 'Granwood' sprung timber floor. Mechanical and electrical systems were installed and included the underfloor heating, energy efficient lighting, intruder alarm and IT. Associated external works included drainage, a new car park to the rear and hard and soft landscaping.

The site provided a number of constraints due to the location of large three-storey properties on both sides. The biggest challenges were access/egress, lack of storage areas and protection of the public. Throughout the project, however, the Wynne Construction site management team worked in close co-operation with the neighbours and with the local community to ensure that there was no disruption and to ensure the complete safety of the public.