One Portsoken has been selected as a finalist in the Regeneration Project of the Year category at the London Construction Awards 2022!
The project involved the refurbishment of a 9-storey office building with dynamic office spaces, terraces on the upper floors, a ground floor café, and much more. The full restoration of the original design elements of the building, and it’s history has been preserved as a great example of the 80’s brutalist architecture.
Also, the building has achieved Wired Score Platinum which is the highest awarded certification attributed to buildings and redevelopments that offer the best in-class connectivity for their tenants and visitors. Digital connectivity is now an integral part of the building, providing it with the flexibility to adapt to new technologies.
Fingers crossed for One Portsoken! We can’t wait to find out the final result!
Firethorn Trust received planning permission for a 340,000 sqft sustainable logistics scheme in South Yorkshire. The project includes a 320,000 sqft Grade-A warehouse unit and 20,000 sqft of highly specified office space. Barnsley340 will be built to achieve a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating, with renewable design features and sustainability initiatives to improve cost and energy efficiency.
Construction is expected to begin later this year, with practical completion anticipated in Q3 2023.
The Gramophone Works, located at 326 Kensal Road, London, W10 5BZ, will be a new landmark canal-side commercial hub comprising a mix of refurbished and extended office spaces. We were appointed as Project Managers and Cost Consultants to refurbish and extend the existing 35,414 ft2 (GIA) building to provide an office development of 88,016 ft2 (GIA), comprising 1,119 ft2 (NIA) of café and 62,253 ft2 (NIA) of B1 office space within the new 6-storey building.
The scheme promotes the use of new sustainable technologies with the latest in timber technology and the development is also committed to integrating the scheme into the surrounding neighbourhood through its historic and social features and aspects. The Gramophone Works was the Environmental Prize Winner at New London Awards 2021.
The extensive sustainability credentials of the scheme include:
• Solar shaded curtain walling prevents overheating while allowing the maximum amount of natural light to be admitted through the building’s windows.
• Generous terraces with planting and open doors provide natural cross-ventilation, which minimises energy consumption.
• The use of an off-site manufactured structural timber frame to enable a more condensed construction program, reducing the number of heavy goods deliveries and the need for site storage.
• The CLT and Glulam have over 1000 tonnes of embedded CO2 sourced from sustainable forests.
• Structural elements that avoid waste, construction traffic and activity to reduce embodied carbon footprint.
• High-quality end of journey facilities and cycle storage is provided in the basement to encourage sustainable modes of transport.
After its completion, the Gramophone Works will be the largest CLT and Glulam Office building in the Europe. We are delighted to be part of the team:
Work began on Campus, Reading International in June 2021. The scheme will offer 1,500 sq ft to 180,000 sq ft of extensively refurbished collaborative and community-focused office space. The project comprises the creation of a new reception and entrance archway, new building restaurant and workspace area, new gym, changing and cycling facilities, a yoga studio, a multi-function event space, a town hall facility and more to provide a market leading amenity and wellness provision.
Our clients, Alchemy Asset Management and Tristan Capital Partners, intend the building to be an exemplar of contemporary refurbishment and repositioning in the business park market. This is particularly important in a post Covid environment where ESG credentials and Wellness have come to the forefront. Campus will deliver a truly unique scheme that sets a benchmark for the future of offices.
Specifically, the market is now encouraging intentional office design to foster a culture of health and well-being for occupiers. Therefore, we can say that wellness in the workplace is becoming a rapidly emerging topic and there is a wider change in the way the industry is thinking about sustainability.
Campus, Reading International will target a WELL rating of ‘Platinum’, WELL Health-Safety certification, a BREEAM rating of ‘Excellent’ and a WiredScore rating of ‘Platinum’, as well as a displacement ventilation system, which will deliver the cleanest air and maximum air volumes post Covid.
The Displacement ventilation system reduces the amount of airborne contaminants in the environment because, unlike a traditional mixed-mode system, the displacement system supplies 100% fresh air at a low level and then extracts polluted air at a high level. There is no recirculation of the polluted air unlike, say, a 4 pipe system that only delivers about 20% fresh air. The displacement system also moves away from traditional fossil fuel combustion and towards a mechanical plant that is fully operational on electric power via heat pump technology and a green energy supply.
Throughout the project, the design team focused on circular economy principles to reduce waste and increase the reuse of materials. To date 98% of the waste from the construction works has been diverted from landfills.
A project goal was also to promote sustainable forms of transport and futureproof the building. The building will now have120 electrical vehicle chargers for both tenants and visitors and extensive cycling provision including bike storage, electric bike charging, drying facilities and showers.
The on-site 4,000 sq ft gym will have state of the art equipment and live as well as recorded classes for its members. There is also a multifunctional space that will allow building occupants to hold catered meetings for internal and external purposes. There are no other buildings in the immediate market which offer landlord managed gym and wellness amenities to the scale of Campus.
Here are some fantastic photos of Campus, Reading International. It is a real privilege to work on this stunning building.
