The Albert Place project in Washington involved the conversion and restoration of an existing school building built in 1893. Former abandoned Biddick Old School was refurbished and extended to create 15 individual flats for vulnerable adults.
Fairhurst provided civil & structural engineering professional services on behalf of Sunderland City Council. Prior to the initiative to breathe new life into the old school building, the structure and surrounding grounds had been largely vacant in the intervening years. During the design and construction phase of the project, Fairhurst worked closely as part of a multi-disciplinary design team and the client to ensure that the works were undertaken with due care and attention to maintaining many of the features of the original building. Instead of replacing deteriorated members which would have been easier and cheaper, Fairhurst carried out an assessment and provided remedial specification of repair details for original feature timber work in order to maintain key features and characteristics as well as complement the existing building as much as possible.
