Leisure, Healthcare & Communal Buildings

Hickton Clerk of Works has been involved in the construction of two major new swimming pools in Sunderland.

Hetton-le-Hole Coalfields Swimming Pool and Silksworth Community Pool will now provide modern sports and leisure facilities for the city. Both projects were completed at the end of January and were built to the highest standards, meeting both FINA (Federation Internationale de Natation) and the Amateur Swimming Association’s requirements.

The old Hetton Leisure Complex was demolished to make way for the new Hetton Coalfields Swimming Pool, which has a 25-metre pool with viewing area, learner pool, fitness, sauna, reception and changing facilities.

Silksworth Community Pool, Tennis & Wellness Centre is a brand new facility, again with a 25m swimming pool, along with eight indoor and five outdoor tennis courts, Wellness Centre, meeting room facilities and a newly refurbished lounge and cafe area.

Pellikaan, the main contractor, and B3 architects designed and built the two developments. Hickton Clerk of Works was commissioned by Sunderland City Council and worked closely with Pellikaan to ensure that both projects complied with the architect’s specification, British Standards, and the requirements of the client.

Having Hickton Clerk of Works on site helped achieve a coordinated approach between the various contractors. For example, by working with each of the subcontractors, Hickton was able to provide Pellikaan with early independent warning of problems concerning time, cost and quality.

Both projects posed quite complex challenges during construction – the first of which was to address the effects of historical coal mining activities in the immediate area. This required vibro-tamp of the ground and installation of over 4,000 foundation piles. Hickton used its many years of experience in this area to work with the contractor on a speedy and efficient resolution.

Demolition material from the old Hetton Leisure Complex was crushed, screened and re-used in the foundations to reduce traffic to and from site.

A spokesperson from Pellikaan, explains: “Having Hickton on site was an invaluable help because it gave us independent feedback on all aspects of the build. Take the example of subcontractors, where Hickton was able to give us accurate and timely feedback on standards, which provided advanced notice of any build quality issues before they arose. This ‘right first time’ approach was appreciated by both us and the client.”

For more information on Hickton, telephone: 01226 743959 or visit the website: www.hickton.co.uk