Watkins Payne carried out the Independent Design Reviewer role for 2 Aldermanbury Square, a redevelopment of the existing City Place House located at 55 Basinghall Street.
A preliminary review was undertaken at Stage 2 allowing the design team to implement the recommendations at Stages 3 and 4. A formal review was conducted at Stage 4 with the design successfully achieving a Design Reviewed Target Rating of 5.0 Stars.
Quay Place in Birmingham is situated next to the Utilita Arena which is a sport, exhibition and a concert venue. The works consisted of a new structure to contain the main reception, meeting room, changing facilities and a café for the site.
Vienna House is an impressive three storey refurbishment that provides 26,000ft² of office space across the development which provides best in class cycle commuter facilities.
The carbon neutral status was achieved by exemplary as-built air tightness facade solar and thermal performance significantly in excess of the Building Regulations requirements, highly energy efficient M&E systems, LED lighting and photovoltaic panel arrays on the roof of the warehouse.
The successful refurbishment and fit-out of the lower ground and ground floors.
The refurbishment provides office space, along with the ground floor being granted A1 retail use. High-level exposed services were designed to give an industrial warehouse feel. The offices are heated and cooled by independent variable refrigerant flow (VRF) air source heat pump systems and illuminated by suspended linear LED fittings.
The exposed services strategy implemented at Fortess Grove compliments the industrial nature of the building. Cycling facilities are provided along with showers and lockers at ground floor level accessed directly from the rear of the building along Railey Mews. The development achieved a WiredScore certification of ‘Gold’ and a B rated Energy Performance Certification.