The former Jersey College for Girls at La Pouquelaye has undergone a transformation to restore the historic sections of the building and build 5 brand new apartment blocks to address the demand for much needed energy efficient homes and assist in the regeneration of the town.
This prestigious project located near the centre of St Helier has seen a successful collaboration between the Jersey Development Company (JDC), Waddington Architects, Rok-Regal Construction, Fox Contracts and Wetherby Building Systems Ltd to create a total of 187 new apartments across the 5 additional blocks.
The historic sections of the building have been unoccupied for more than a decade and have seen significant deterioration over the years. It was an important part of the project to not only safeguard the buildings future but create a sympathetic design throughout the new buildings that would complement the existing unique setting.
Wetherby’s Enhanced EPS was specified throughout the new apartment blocks due to its superior thermal performing properties. The insulation comprises of expanded beads of polystyrene that incorporates a graphite component, fused together in a pressurised steam-heated mould. The addition of graphite provides a significantly improved thermal insulation material. Throughout the project varying thicknesses were used from 150mm to 200mm and were mechanically fixed to the concrete substrate meaning the energy efficiency could be maximised.
The system was finished off with Wetherby’s Silicone ‘K’ 1.5mm Render in White and Wetherby’s unique Render Protector. This is an ideal solution for protecting facades of properties situated in highly exposed settings against pollution, staining, algae and dirt. The Render Protector is vapour permeable, allowing the system to breath whilst creating a highly water resistant surface, causing the moisture to bead and simply roll down the surface and clean the render as it goes.
On completion of the project the U-value across the new apartment blocks has been recorded as 0.20w/m²K and 0.16w/m²K retrospectively, meeting current building regulations and meaning residents of the new apartments can be assured they will benefit from thermally efficient homes with energy bills kept to a minimum.
College Gardens is one of several projects being undertaken in Jersey which will deliver more than 1,000 new homes in the next few years, comprising starter homes, affordable housing and social housing. 
Our Technical Sales Manager, Adrian Stanton had this to say about the project: “We are delighted to have played a part in bringing this iconic building back to life. We are always keen to get involved with community projects such as this especially when it means an important part of Jersey has been revived into a new and much needed desirable place to live.”