Apex Tower, located next to New Malden train station is a 15-storey office development. The reception area at ground level has been enlarged to provide a prestigious reception area which then leads to a commuter facility with unisex showers and a drying room. The extension to the ground floor provides a green roof space to add some biodiversity to the scheme.
The refurbished office floors are served by four new lifts and two staircases. There are three Cat B office suites provided at the 14th floor with the 15th floor refurbished as a communal space with a breakout area and bookable meeting rooms.
The building itself is served by a condenser water loop which connects to gas fired boilers and dry air coolers for heating and heat rejection. This loop is served by water-cooled heat pumps which are located at the 15th floor. From each heat pump refrigerant is used to serve floor mounted fan coil units within the office areas. Each fan coil unit is provided with its own architectural casing to meet the desired aesthetic of the building.
On the office floors the existing coffer ceiling has been retained with suspended linear luminaire fittings to meet the required illumination levels which works to create an aesthetic with the mechanical services which route around the core. The building is provided with two air handling units, each with heat recovery at roof level which provide the fresh air into the offices along with ventilation columns on the perimeter of the building serving low level grilles.
The refurbishment works is targeting BREEAM RFO ‘Very Good’ and has achieved an Energy Performance Certification rating of ‘B’.
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.
Watkins Payne carried out the Independent Design Review role for Block A at The Soapworks development.
The Holiday Inn Hotel in Shepperton has undergone a major refurbishment.
Princes Arcade in St James’s is part of the Grade II listed building within which a major new restaurant unit has been created along with office, core and atrium refurbishment.
The completed site now comprises four detached industrial warehouse units ranging from 14,000sq ft to 36,000sq ft, all with naturally ventilated and heated offices. The two larger units each have an 8 person MRL passenger lift, while the smaller units have been provided with platform lifts. The warehouse area was designed as a shell for future fit-out with capped off utility services.
The MEP services were all replaced with a focus on energy efficiency using air source heat pumps, LED lighting and natural ventilation where possible.
