CMD Completes Electrical Fit-Out at Gwent Police HQ

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27 July 2021

CMD's plug and play power distribution solution has provided flexibility for office layouts and future adaptations at the new Gwent Police headquarters building in Cwmbran.

David Brown from CMD Ltd, a specialist in power distribution and workstation power for commercial environments, discusses the use of the company’s powertrack, Power Hub and workstation power systems at the new building.

Brown is a project sales manager for CMD, with a sales, account and management career spanning over 25 years in the electrical accessories and building sectors.

Picture: a photograph of two electrical engineers working on power tracks

Building Resilience in Power Distribution Networks

Building resilience into power distribution networks is important in any commercial environment. It could involve measures as simple as installing cleaners’ hives to ensure essential equipment is not inadvertently unplugged when the cleaner plugs in the vacuum, it should always involve circuit protection and it can sometimes be wise to limit the number of workstations dependent on a single circuit to prevent nuisance tripping. At the current electrical fit-out of the new Gwent Police headquarters in Cwmbran, all of these strategies have formed part of the specification using CMD Ltd’s Betatrak^® powertrack and Power Hub distribution systems to aid both speed of installation and resilience.

A 21^st Century Police HQ

The new 5,178m² headquarters in Cwmbran will replace the current Gwent Police HQ in nearby Croesyceiliog and will accommodate 480 officers and staff. The new building will occupy around half the footprint of the existing HQ and has been designed to reduce running costs by more than £1 million a year, while providing facilities that include the force’s control room for 999 and 101 calls, wellbeing and training accommodation, and a base for major crime teams, support services and senior management.

Delivered by electrical contractor, Highadmit Projects, the electrical fit-out has been specified to ensure that any trips or outages on the electrical network affect as little of the building as possible to support 24/7 operational continuity and efficiency. The Power Hub system was specified by the M&E consultant in conjunction with the client, Monmouthshire County Council, in order to satisfy their electrical design criteria.

Power Hub System

The power distribution installation includes Auxiliary Earth 63A Betatrak powertrack, which connects to CMD Ltd’s Power Hub system. Power is then delivered to the workstation via CMD’s Elite+ under desk modules.

Simple to install and providing flexibility for office layouts and future adaptations, the CMD Power Hub system provides up to six power outputs from a single mains input. The system combines compact hub units with flexible metal conduits or "umbilicals", which connect the hubs together to create the electrical distribution network in the floor void. The metal flexible conduits provide cables with mechanical and environmental protection, allowing compliance with Wiring Regulation 543.7 “Earthing requirements for the installation of equipment having high protective conductor currents”. They ensure a similar level of resilience to powertrack systems and delivering a low maintenance, fit and forget power distribution solution.

Combining Speed with Security of Supply

CMD’s Betatrak power distribution system has been installed to distribute the incoming supply on each storey and create a central spine within the floor void and around 60, 6 way CMD Power Hub Units have been installed on each storey to take power to the required locations. At installation, the requirement is for no more than 12 double sockets to be powered by each hub circuit, ensuring any outages are localised to enable the remainder of the building to operate as usual. Ample redundancy has been built into the system to enable further tap-offs to be installed as required should occupancy rates or connectivity requirements change.

Each Power Hub will connect to a CMD Elite+ under desk workstation module via a CMD 20 Series fast-fit Floor Box and serve just two workstations, with cleaner’s hives installed for dedicated sockets for cleaning equipment. With circuit protection at the Betatrak, the Power Hub and the Elite+ workstation power module, any trips on the system will affect a limited number of workstations and devices in case of an electrical fault. For additional resilience, Highadmit Projects has also installed a UPS system for critical locations and a diesel generator capable of a week-long back-up.

The combination of power distribution and workstation power systems from CMD has enabled a joined-up specification for the Gwent Police HQ at Cwmbran, which has the high levels of resilience required for a blue light environment, while enabling a fast track installation programme. The electrical fit-out is due for completion in September 2021.

Picture: a photograph of the exterior of the new HQ

Article written by David Brown | Published 27 July 2021

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