Containing Dust During Modernisation and Restoration at Old College Law School, Edinburgh

Project Overview

Edinburgh Law School’s Old College building is undergoing complete refurbishment. Key architectural features are being restored and the building is being modernised. At the end of the project, the Law School will have a new Law Library, a central reception area and a new feature staircase and lift to all floors.

Challenge

With extensive internal demolition and alterations being carried out, large volumes of dust were inevitable. Controlling this was a priority, not only to protect the health of workers on site, but also to prevent it impacting on members of the public; the building is in a busy part of Edinburgh, adjacent to the law courts and a popular museum.

Solution

The internal demolition and alterations, including the removal of an entire floor, required a solution whereby dust was effectively filtered, rather than extracted to outside. Three of RVT’s Dustmasters were brought in. These are self-contained dust filtration units that can easily be moved around on their casters to wherever the dust is being generated at any given moment. In addition, the first of the Dustmasters’ three filters, which captures the majority of the dust particles, can simply be washed and re-used rather than needing replacement, saving time and money. By siting a capture hood close to the source of each dust-producing activity, the dust was routed through the three levels of filtering, up to HEPA level.