Wigan Foyer – Apartments

Apartment development

4 week installation programme

System installer: Hargreaves Contracting (Main Contractor), Harrison & Rowe (Installer)

GypLyner Xternal, a fully integrated Saint-Gobain through-wall system, helped Hargreaves Contracting deliver the new Wigan Foyer – a high-performance, energy-efficient housing project for young people in Wigan.

Modern Accommodation for Wigan Youth

The new Wigan Foyer is designed to provide safe, modern accommodation for young people experiencing homelessness in Wigan. For the project team, delivering a building that was both socially impactful and technically robust required precise specification, streamlined logistics, and trusted materials.

“The new Wigan Foyer is set to replace our existing Foyer in Wigan, Coops. The new three-storey complex will include 38 apartments, as well as teaching and studio facilities, meeting spaces, breakout areas, laundry room, resident lounge, gym and a training kitchen.” – Your Housing Group, news article, 15/08/24.

Located at the site of a former bakery in Wigan, the canal-side location replaces the current Coops Foyer, sited on Chequers Street.

Martin Wright, Head of Supported Housing for Your Housing Group, explained the importance of the new Foyer:
“We’ve worked in partnership with Wigan Council for many years, supporting young people at risk of or experiencing homelessness. However, the Coops Foyer building was no longer fit for purpose. The new development allows us to build on that foundation and take our service to the next level for the benefit of young residents across the borough.” – Your Housing Group, news article, 15/08/24

Hargreaves Contracting Video

Wigan Foyer

A Tested and Reliable Solution

Hargreaves Contracting specified GypLyner Xternal, a full Saint-Gobain through-wall solution for Wigan Foyer. By using Intrastack’s SFS alongside British Gypsum and Isover products, the contractor benefitted from a single-source supply, with one warranty covering the complete system.

“There is a convenience in that it’s all under one roof and you don’t have to get a third party involved to pull separate manufacturers’ products together. So, it all comes from one house, one warranty.” – Gavin Turner, Hargreaves Contracting

Beyond the products themselves, Saint-Gobain worked closely with the contractor at every stage:

Providing tested products with full calculation backup and test data.
Offering design support on complex details.
Ensuring solutions were both technically robust and cost-effective.

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“Every detail that we’ve gone through on this project there is test data or expert knowledge to back up that detail. From a design point of view, the input from Saint-Gobain, Intrastack, and British Gypsum has been invaluable.” – Gavin Turner, Hargreaves Contracting

Saint-Gobain’s early involvement with Hargreaves Contracting ensured design decisions were backed by full test data and expert input. This collaborative approach removed uncertainty at every stage.

Delivering Certainty

The project achieved compliance, cost control, and construction efficiency through a single, warranty-backed solution.

Fully tested and compliant performance
Simplified specification and handover
Robust design support
Reduced risk of late-stage changes

“Individual products will meet a need in certain instances, but a full solution, if involved early enough in the scheme, can definitely have benefits – from a certainty point of view and cost certainty as well.” – Gavin Turner, Hargreaves Contracting

Commenting on the success of the project and working with Hargreaves Contracting, Danny Johnson, Head of Sales – Intrastack, said:

“Gavin and the wider Hargreaves team were magnificent to work with throughout the whole design and supply process. Specific scheme meetings, away from the design meetings, were arranged to discuss finer details which ultimately ensured the project ran smoothly.”

The Wigan Foyer project demonstrates how collaboration and integrated design can deliver lasting social impact through high-performance building solutions.

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