Context

Charlton Park Academy is a school for those with special educational needs. A new facility has replaced the temporary mobile classrooms and single-storey building with a new two-storey brick building with 6 classrooms, a life skills room including working kitchen, and music therapy room. The second floor includes accommodation for students as well as a kitchen and activity and dining spaces.

Farrans Construction was appointed as the main contractor for the scheme and BA Systems worked closely with them on the full balustrading package. The two companies began discussing the balustrade requirements at pre-tender stages, where the initial design information for the full balustrade package was reviewed.

Challenge

BA Systems was subsequently contacted with a request for a product that was anti-microbial, meaning ‘active against microbes’. With the general need to prevent the spread of infection on key touch surfaces, and in light of the recent pandemic, BA Systems had been developing a range of anti-microbial products which it was able to offer as the solution on this project.

Solution

BA Systems' VBA99 anti-microbial metal is a specially-formulated copper alloy that kills COVID-19 in minutes, provides lifetime protection (no coating), and is tarnish-free. The company has been working with the University of Southampton on various tests on the metal, where it was proven to kill 95% of COVID-19 within 10 minutes of contact, and completely within 1 hour. Superbugs such as MRSA and E-coli and Norovirus are also effectively and rapidly killed by contact with VBA99.

Systems installed

  • B20 stainless steel and glass infill balustrades with VBA99 anti-microbial handrails to stair 1/2
  • B10 wall handrails to stairs with VBA99 anti-microbial handrails to stair 1/2
  • B20 galvanised steel external rails
  • Bollards to entrance area and door hoops to external doors