James Robertshaw install shade sails at Evelina Children’s Hospital School

Bolton based manufacturer James Robertshaw has completed the design, production and installation of a series of shade sails for the Evelina Children’s Hospital School, which is part of the Guy’s & St Thomas NHS Trust, Westminster.

The school is located on the third floor of the building, consisting of a glass atrium housing the children’s hospital, unfortunately during hot summer months the heat and glare from the glazed atrium becomes very uncomfortable for the children and teachers.

Guys & St Thomas NHS Trust approached James Robertshaw, having seen the firm’s installation of the shade sails they had designed and installed at the Nottingham College of Leadership, in a bid to help find a solution, without comprising the ambience and beauty of the atrium space.  James Robertshaw was successful in its bid and set about designing a bespoke solution for the school.

James Robertshaw’s solution was to design sail shades made of flame retardant, tensile, specialist screen fabric treated with a permanent anti-bacterial coating, which makes the sails easier to clean and reduce risks of infection.

The sail shades cover a 225 square metre area and range from a base height of four metres to a maximum height of eight metres.  The sails are tensioned one metre from the glass to allow easy window cleaning access.  James Robertshaw installed the sails over a weekend, so as to not impact on the school and used specialist installation equipment.

The end result has been welcomed by Guy & St Thomas NHS Trust.  Anne Hamilton, head teacher, Evelina Children’s Hospital School said:  “We are thrilled with the S102: Shade Sails by James Robertshaw and we know the children and teachers are too.  The project was not without its challenges but the team at James Robertshaw worked very closely with us and brought us along each stage of the design process.”

Tony Garbe, area sales manager, James Robertshaw said:  “It has been an honour to be able to provide an effective and affordable solution to a tricky ten year problem at the Children’s Hospital and it is exactly the kind of project we relish at James Robertshaw.

“After completing a similar project for the Bank of England in summer 2014, we knew we had the experience and expertise to help find the right solution to assist the school.  We are proud to be associated with such a prestigious client and project.”

The Evelina Children’s Hospital School has been rated as ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted, it teaches around 1,500 children and young people aged 2-19 each year. Pupils are inpatients, outpatients or siblings of patients at the Evelina Children’s Hospital.

Patients too unwell to access the atrium school are also taught at their bedsides on the wards, and children who regularly come in for dialysis are taught on the dialysis unit during their treatment.

James Robertshaw has been manufacturing blinds and awnings for over 150 years.  They have a history of developing innovative ways of integrating the latest technology into their products, tailoring products to meet specific client needs and providing creative solutions to the most complex of jobs.