In 2015, the Government announced new measures to make it easier for developers to turn underused or derelict office buildings into new homes. While this relaxation of planning policy has opened up more possibilities for new town and city-centre accommodation, developers going down this route require a formidable creative touch to transform dated office blocks into desirable residential properties. Here, Steve Tonkiss from REHAU looks at how the clever use of modern glazing can give developers an edge.
Clement Windows Group was chosen as the preferred company to manufacture and install 510 new steel windows required at Programme, formerly The Pithay, in the heart of Bristol’s City Centre. Clement were thrilled to win the job, particularly as the current Chief Executive Peter Clement’s father had installed the original windows back in 1966!
AET Flexible Space, underfloor air conditioning specialists have just completed a Cat-B Fit-out of the first floor at 11-12 Hanover Street for incoming tenant, Canadian property investor, Quadreal. The underfloor system at the prominently positioned Mayfair offices was originally installed in the year 2000 for Japanese construction company Teisei and has proved to be an adaptable services solution for the building over the past 18 years.
The Old Toll House, located on Clopton Bridge in Stratford-upon-Avon, was built over 200 years ago in 1814. With its crenelated roofline and gothic windows, it is a local landmark and important Grade I Listed building. It was used as a Toll House for 25 years, before it was shut down in 1839 due to the lack of toll money.
Cundall’s new Hong Kong office is a showcase in how to cost-effectively deliver a first-class office fit-out whilst creating a healthy, efficient and future-proof space that is both kind to the environment and puts the wellbeing of occupants at the heart of the design.
A seven-storey landmark commercial scheme in the centre of Cardiff’s Commercial Enterprise Zone, Number Three Capital Quarter, will provide 77,931ft² of high-quality office space with a central atrium and terraces on the sixth and first floors providing features that will ensure a pleasant and functional workplace for occupiers.
Style has helped transform the London offices of worldwide financial derivatives trading company, IG Group, by designing and installing numerous wall panels that slide and spin across an open space to create informal, collaborative meeting spaces for groups of anything from two to twenty people. Further increasing functionality, both sides of the panels act as magnetic writeable white-boards which can be swivelled round to share ideas with other groups, effectively bringing them into the discussion.
The newly-completed office building for Christies Care on a rural site in Suffolk is perhaps Nicholas Hare’s greenest building yet. The design followed Passivhaus principles and achieved an EPC ‘A’ rating. It is largely built of wood; the external cladding is of specially treated, unpainted timber boards and the superstructure is of cross-laminated timber. Furthermore, it was erected in three weeks.
When the leases for International Game Technology’s (IGT) three London offices were about to expire in 2016, the company acquired a 17,300ft² office at 10 Finsbury Square to create one big central office. Woods Hardwick was appointed to maximise the space through creative and efficient design while delivering sound value for money.
Stuart Hicks from cold-applied liquid membrane specialist, Kemper System, discusses a roofing project at a landmark refurbished office building in Manchester.
