Watkins Payne carried out the Independent Design Reviewer role for Block A at The Soapworks development, comprising two new buildings alongside the restoration of the Grade II-listed former soap factory in Bristol. The Block A development works consists of a new build office over ground to fifth floor with the option for retail units at lower ground level.
A formal review was conducted at Stage 4 with the design successfully achieving a Design Reviewed Target Rating of 5.0 Stars.
The building at 10 New Burlington Street has been redeveloped to offer 172,000ft² of high quality office and retail accommodation, for which Watkins Payne supplied building services engineering, vertical transportation engineering and energy consultancy to achieve an EPC B rating. We also supplied BREEAM services and achieved a BREEAM Excellent rating for the development.
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 office building has achieved a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating with ‘Very Good’ ratings for the retail units.
The office building is targeting Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of A.
The property situated on the A23 near Brighton was granted permission by the council under permitted development rights to change to a residential site from office development to provide 63 apartments. The apartments are separate over seven stories consisting of one, two and three bed apartments. The redeveloped to offer 59,000ft² of high quality residential accommodation, for which Watkins Payne supplied building services engineering and energy consultancy to achieve an EPCs between B – C rating.
