Wirral facilities management firm Kimpton close to completion on a £5m hot water and plumbing contract and is about to begin a £6.1m job on a student accommodation scheme. Tony McDonough reports

Facilities management firm Kimpton is nearing completion on a major installation in Telford and about to begin work on a new scheme in Glasgow with both projects totalling more than. £11m.

Working on behalf of Bowmer & Kirkland and alongside Blues Electrical, the Wirral-based firm is delivering the £5m package of hot water and plumbing services at Station Quarter in Telford, a six-storey development of 84 apartments, a commercial unit and new Hampton by Hilton Hotel.

This “complex” installation involves hard-piped traditional bathrooms – a more sustainable alternative to pod-style bathrooms commonly seen in purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) builds – and each of the apartments will be heated through its own individual air source heat pump.

Kimpton is also due to start on site at Portcullis House in Glasgow, a PBSA student accommodation development of 784 rooms.

It is undertaking a £6.2m mechanical installation, including sprinkler system, wet risers, air conditioning, drainage water and a centralised air source heat pump, also on behalf of Watkin Jones.

READ MORE: Victorian town hall being restored in £30m project

READ MORE: Serviced apartments plan for Cavern Walks

Paul Davies, divisional director at Kimpton, said: “These developments are high-profile in their respective areas and each has their own unique complexities to test our high-rise residential team in a very positive sense.

“We love coming up with solutions to complex problems and taking a bespoke approach that is anchored in safety and sustainability.

“At Station Quarter, we are seeing the return to more traditional bathroom installations, which tend to cost more in the initial phase but will last much longer and help to avoid high costs of upgrade or replacement.

“Provision of air source heat pumps is also becoming more popular in the wider residential market and we are also seeing this in student developments such as Portcullis House.”