Ochiltree Community Hub Redevelopment
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The fully refurbished Ochiltree Community Hub. © Ochiltree Community Centre
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One of the completed and fully furnished rooms at the community hub. © Ochiltree Community Centre
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EGGER Protect and Joint and Joist Adhesive in use as structural flooring throughout the build of the community hub. © EGGER (UK) Ltd
The completion of the Ochiltree Community Hub is the culmination of over 5 years planning, hard work and dedication from the community. Since the project’s inception in May 2013, the aim of the community centre redevelopment has sought to support the local community, and surrounding areas with a number of initiatives in line with their charitable aims.
Peace of mind, whatever the weather
Manufactured from P5 flooring grade particle board, EGGER Protect has been used throughout the redevelopment of the community centre, covering an area of 420m2. The durability and the weather-resistant properties of the board proved valuable to the builders during construction, who were unhampered by poor weather conditions often associated with building sites. Builders from Ashleigh Construction were able to lay the boards, whatever the weather. Once the boards were laid, they were able to be exposed to the elements for up to 60 days. This provided peace of mind to the builders that the boards would remain structurally sound, even when left exposed and faced with unexpected delays onsite.
A lifetime guaranteed
A stronger system for stronger floors. Designed to make laying floors simple and quick, EGGER’s D4 based Joint and Joist Adhesive was used to lay the boards at the Community Hub which offers many additional advantages. The adhesive is five times stronger than mechanical fixings, and ensures the boards are fixed in place, minimising potential movement in the boards and reducing the risk of squeaking floors.
When used together, EGGER Protect and Joint and Joist Adhesive form vital components of the Advanced Structural Flooring Range, which when installed using EGGER’s Fitting Guide, offers a unique lifetime guarantee to the builder and property occupier. The guarantee covers the structural performance of the finished floor for a lifetime.
Dan Soulsby, National Construction Account Manager says “EGGER UK provide many builders with their structural flooring boards. When fixed using EGGER Joint & Joist Adhesive and as per our recommended fitting method, builders not only benefit from the simple system that saves time and money but also creates floors that are structurally guaranteed for a lifetime. This is only possible due to the quality of EGGER tongue and groove structural flooring boards and adhesive, and used in combination with our tried and testing system”.
For the community, with the community, by the community
As a project that is 100% owned and ran by the local community, the local residents are at the heart of all the community centres’ activities. The community hub aims to improve the communities’ health and wellbeing, social inclusion and social capital through the communities’ willingness to help each other. Any profit generated from the hub and services provided is directly re-invested back into the facility. The hub takes a community development approach to all their activities, by listening to their community members and valuing their knowledge, skills and experience, focusing on reducing inequalities and rural isolation in the community. The common agenda between the local residents and the community hub, by sharing knowledge, ideas and combining resources helps to further improve the wellbeing of the community.
“It’s great to see the direct benefits the hub has on the local residents, many of who work at EGGER Barony and to know how the company has played a role in support supporting this community project,” says Heiko Lichtblau, Plant Director for EGGER Barony.
A variety of rooms are on offer to the community to hire, from the Ochil Hall which can be used for corporate meetings, conferences or social events such as ceilidhs and parties, to smaller meeting rooms with state-of-the-art audio visual equipment and high definition monitors. The hub also offers a community book point where local residents can access a range of books covering topics such as local history, fiction as well as children’s fiction.
For more information on the Ochiltree Community Hub, please visit www.ochiltreehub.com.