Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
Union Street, London
The esteemed Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists works to improve health care for women everywhere, by setting standards for clinical practice, providing doctors with training and lifelong learning, and advocating for women’s health care worldwide.
8build have a fantastic reputation for working on projects that require our specialist knowledge and transforming office spaces for notable clients — we were, therefore, delighted to deliver this high-quality project within the heart of London.
KEY FACTS
Project: Refurbishment, CAT 'B' Fit Out
Sector: Commercial
Size: 62,000 sq ft
Programme: 49 weeks
Contract: JCT 2016 with quants with CDP
TEAM
Architect: Bennetts Associates
PM: Burke Hunter Adams
PQS: Burke Hunter Adams
Structural Engineer: Integral Engineering Design
Services: KJ Tait
Structural: KJ Tait
The Project
The complex site consisted of two adjoining buildings (North and South Blocks) set around a bright, open courtyard.
The North Block was a historic hop warehouse that was retained and fitted out to provide touch down spaces and open plan office space with a new conference suite on the third floor. The South Block was stripped out and fitted with meeting and lecture rooms with new services and finishes. A magnificent new glazed atrium entrance was created in this courtyard with a striking helical staircase linking the North and South Blocks. The project included a combination of new and existing MEP services using both VRF and LTHW/CHS fan coil units.
M&E Installation
Limited record information paired with a requirement to retain some of the existing services posed a challenge. To mitigate the risk, surveys and detailed validation reports were issued to the design team regularly. Consideration was also given to the BREEAM targets in association, a BREEAM tracker was implemented to provide clarity and structure.
300 Person Conference Room
The provision of new sliding doors was a challenge, the 600mm thick existing wall structure and the door opening spanned the full length of the wall. Removal of the wall consisted of detailed temporary works design. Early review of the temporary works design paired with detailed programming of these works and how they link to other activities was key to our success.
The RCOG Headquarter’s MEP commissioning was a complex process of merging existing systems with new. The occupancy was phased with areas being released to the Client, with the data centre being the first. 8build were responsible for the management of the commissioning process, handover and soft landing to the Client Team. 8build delivered the commissioning process to the satisfaction of the RCOG. The building has been in operation for over a year, and the RCOG have experienced minimal difficulties.
Malcolm Tait, KJ Tait Engineers
