Uponor is King of the Castle!

It is not often that the old and the new complement each other - but in the case of Uponor and sympathetic restoration projects you will find the perfect combination. Heritage has become an emotive issue in Northern Ireland and all across the province significant buildings of architectural or historical importance are being restored.

Uponor's intrinsic role in this process is perfectly highlighted in the restoration of Gosford Castle, located just outside Markethill in County Armagh. Designed by leading London architect, Thomas Cooper, the granite-clad castle took 20 years to build, with work starting in 1819. But, over the years, ownership of this demands of modern-day living. Plumbing and heating plays an integral role in this modernisation process but the fact that underfloor heating is used throughout is actually a step back into the past, as the castle originally had an underfloor heating system installed over 200 years ago, using croc pipes and steam to heat one of the towers!

The new system, however, is considerably more state-of-the-art, as Eddie Magill, Uponor, Regional Sales Manager, explained. “It's not often you get to work on a castle, so we are delighted to be part of this beautiful project,” he said. “With such high ceilings, using traditional radiators was never an option so underfloor heating provides the perfect solution. “Using our Multi-Layer Composite Pipe (MLCP) range, we provided a complete underfloor heating system, complete with wireless controls, as well as the plumbing distribution system for each home.
“None of the pipework can be seen and the manifolds have been discreetly hidden, all in keeping with the style of the project while we also specified wireless controls for many of the homes, which meant there was no need to track walls unneccesarily.
“All in all, it provides the perfect fit for beautiful building changed hands on numerous occasions before, eventually, being left in a severe state of dereliction.

RESTORED

Finally, Gosford Castle Construction stepped in to breath life back into Northern Ireland's largest Grade A listed building after purchasing the beautiful castle for the sum of just £1,000! Work started in 2006 to restore, refurbish and transform the castle into 23 luxury homes and the overall project is set to be completed within the next two years.

Each of the 23 homes have been beautifully restored to recreate the castle in its prime yet offer all the facilities needed to meet the demands of modern-day living. Plumbing and heating plays an integral role in this modernisation process but the fact that underfloor heating is used throughout is actually a step back into the past, as the castle originally had an underfloor heating system installed over 200 years ago, using croc pipes and steam to heat one of the towers!

The new system, however, is considerably more state-of-the-art, as Eddie Magill, Uponor, Regional Sales Manager, explained.

“It's not often you get to work on a castle, so we are delighted to be part of this beautiful project,” he said. “With such high ceilings, using traditional radiators was never an option so underfloor heating provides the perfect solution.

“Using our Multi-Layer Composite Pipe (MLCP) range, we provided a complete nderfloor heating system, complete with wireless controls, as well as the plumbing distribution system for each home. “None of the pipework can be seen and the manifolds have been discreetly hidden, all in keeping with the style of the project while we also specified wireless controls for many of the homes, which meant there was no need to track walls unneccesarily.

“All in all, it provides the perfect fit for restoration purposes as it provides a modern system that complements the traditional setting of these types of projects.”

Uponor provided full designs and CAD drawings for the underfloor system in each home while training and regular on-site support was also provided. Niall McCabe and Steven McCourt, the appointed underfloor heating speacialists on the project, were clearly impressed.

“Gosford Castle offered a unique set of challenges but using Uponor's MLCP system made life a lot easier,” explained Niall. “For a start, the cold press connections meant we didn’t need a Hot Works Certificate but, more importantly, no naked flame jointing techniques are permitted in a listed building project, so MLCP was a perfect solution.

“From the full system design provided by Uponor through to training and on-site support, we couldn't have asked for more.”

Steven added, “We saved a significant amount of time during the installation process and the whole system is just so flexible that it made the job simple and straightforward.

“We have been very impressed with how easy the MLCP is to install and the 25-year guarantee definitely offers peace of mind.”

The secret behind the MLCP system is in its five layer composite pipe which combines the benefits of both metal and plastic pipes. The aluminium pipe is absolutely safe against oxygen penetration and it compensates for the snap-back forces and the linear expansion caused by temperature changes.

The basis of the system is simple, safe and fast pipe installation – simply bend by hand, cut to length, bevelling, join together and press – job done!

That’s why Uponor is King of the Castle!