REHAU Provides Flexible Heating to Hull Maritime Museum

Location	Hull
Client	Hull City Council
Year	2023
Product	RAUTITAN - the universal system for drinking water and heating

Originally opened in 1871 as Hull’s Dock Offices, the Grade II* listed building has grown to become one of the city’s most recognisable landmarks, taking up the role of the local Maritime Museum in 1975.

The refurbishment of Hull Maritime Museum is part of a wider regeneration project by Hull City Council, with significant support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. It will see the museum undergo a comprehensive refurbishment while maintaining its original architectural features. Some of the most notable developments include a 50% increase in display capacity, opening the second floor to the public for the first time ever, and providing access to one of the building’s domes for panoramic views of the city skyline.

Councillor Mike Ross, Leader of Hull City Council, said: “The refurbishment of Hull Maritime Museum is set to usher in a new era of history for the city. The project will see the building transform into a truly world-class facility with never-before-seen displays and increased interactivity, and is sure to provide a boost to tourism and the local economy.

“However, a key consideration from the outset was to preserve the original Victorian architecture of the building for generations to come. With this in mind, the building contractors were able to specify the optimum solutions to help bring the site into the 21st century without compromising on its history.”

As part of the refurbishment, the building would require the connection of a new heating system through the existing solid floor, creating a potentially difficult installation in the narrow concrete channels.

Here, REHAU’s RAUTITAN universal system was specified for the project, with the pipework’s flexible nature making it ideal for the unique demands of the installation. RAUTITAN was able to be easily bent by hand to fit the channels, while also not requiring the use of hot works, instead being easily installed using the RAUTOOL tooling range.

As an added bonus, the pipework’s renowned Everloc™ compression sleeve jointing system guarantees a leak-tight installation without O-rings. This allowed for quick and simple visual inspection of the pipework, while also providing an added sense of security that no further groundwork would be required post-installation.

REHAU Representative, Paul Thompson, said: “REHAU’s RAUTITAN was chosen as the ideal solution for the installation of new heating system pipework at Hull Maritime Museum. The strength and flexibility of the product made fitting the pipe lengths into both the existing and new floor structures much more straightforward than would have been the case with more traditional pipe systems.”

The refurbishment is set to conclude in Q3 2023, with Hull Maritime Museum expected to reopen to the public in 2025.

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