A caring hand from Aggregate Industries

Aggregate Industries’ Highflow S flooring screed was the product of choice for the installation of underfloor heating at the new Gower Gardens residential care home in Halesowen, Birmingham.

The new purpose-built home, constructed by LNT Carehome Developments, will provide specialist dementia care and includes 66 en-suite bedrooms, a café for family and friends, hair salon and cinema room complete with popcorn machine.

To meet guidelines for dementia care, it was decided that space heating should be provided via an underfloor system to deliver gentle low-temperature heat and avoid the use of ‘hot-to-touch’ radiators. AquaGem Heating was brought in to design the underfloor heating system, with screeding contractor, Midlands Floor Screeding, assisting during the installation process.

Midland Floor Screeding opted for Highflow S from preferred supplier Aggregate Industries, due to its ideal fluidity characteristics, ease of application and overall functionality.

Jodie Hill, Customer Service Manager for Ready-mix Concrete, from Aggregate Industries, said: “Highflow S was the ideal product for this type of situation as it's a very fluid material which will completely encase the underfloor heating, providing excellent heat transfer properties.”

With outputs up to 10 times greater than that of conventional screed, Highflow S was laid quickly and efficiently, and required an average of three deliveries per day from Aggregate Industries, resulting in a high impact resistant surface without jointing areas.

Liane Dewsbury, Managing Director at Midlands Floor Screeding, said: “We have a great service provider in Aggregate Industries. Not only can we rely on product quality and consistency, but we are allocated a team to follow the pour on the day and keep us updated with any issues.

“Given the health and care aspect of the building it was paramount that the project delivery be seamless and quality at its best, and so to have the extra technical capability on site was extremely valuable to us.”