Commercial case study
A two-day job, done in under two hours.
How Ridgeline cut installation time by around 90% retrofitting communal water services into a live, occupied 35-storey Build-to-Rent tower at Circle Square, Manchester.
Project
UHAS Circle Square
Location
Manchester
Sector
Build-to-Rent, 35 storeys
Client
Vita Group
Installer
Concept Group
Product
Ridgeline 28 mm & 15 mm Hot & Cold
~90% faster
A two-day install completed in under two hours
100 m+
Continuous runs from centralised risers, in one length
35 storeys
Served in a live, fully occupied tower
No hot works
No flame, no fire permits, no shutdowns
New amenity spaces, in a live 35-storey tower.
Circle Square is one of the UK’s largest urban regeneration projects, in Manchester’s Oxford Road corridor. For the UHAS rebrand, Vita needed new communal facilities, co-working lounges, breakout zones and social spaces, plumbed into a tower that was fully occupied and still running.
That made the install unusually demanding. Resident disruption had to be kept to a minimum, the programme was tight, and reliability was non-negotiable. Traditional rigid pipework would have meant heavy labour, dangerous hot works permits in an active building, and a high risk of coordination clashes with the structural steel.
Long continuous runs, no hot works, no shutdowns.
Ridgeline’s corrugated 316L stainless tube was run in continuous lengths of over 100 metres from centralised risers, threaded through existing ceiling unistrut trays and long stretches of concealed plasterboard ceilings where rigid pipe simply could not go. 28 mm runs carried supply across long distances; 15 mm branches fed the toilets, sinks and kitchen areas in each new breakout zone.
Because there were no hot works, the install was safer and faster in an occupied building, with no flame, no fire permits and no service shutdowns. The job also marked the first use of the new Ridgeline Flexible Tap Connectors, carrying the same speed and reliability right through to the final connection.
Speed, with minimal disruption
A two-day job finished in under two hours, keeping residents undisturbed.
Safe in a live environment
No hot works, pulled cleanly through structural walls and fire-stopping zones.
Fewer joints, fewer leak points
Long runs with connections only at each end, critical in an occupied residential tower.
Built to last
316L stainless steel with a 100+ year design life and high recycled content.
“Ridgeline’s flexibility meant we could utilise existing ceiling trays and thread through long stretches of concealed ceilings, where alternative materials would not have been an option.”Concept Group, installer
Premium amenity spaces, delivered on programme.
The refurbishment turned UHAS Circle Square from an apartment block into a genuine community hub, with flexible spaces for residents to live, work and socialise. Ridgeline kept the project on programme and minimised disruption throughout, in a building that never stopped running.
As the Build-to-Rent market evolves, amenity spaces are becoming the defining feature of successful schemes, which places new demands on M&E design and installation in live, high-density buildings. At Circle Square, Ridgeline delivered long continuous runs, a clean stainless water supply and sustainable performance, while reducing programme time and disruption.
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