The Practice was responsible for designing the complete refurbishment of the mechanical, electrical and public health services to all of the guest rooms, together with the penthouse units. The project also included the provision of services to new conference rooms and a fully integrated health suite. As an integral part of the refurbishment the major central plant items comprising transformers, switchgear, chilled water plant, heating plant, cold water storage and hot water generating plant were replaced. The technical challenges were extenisve as the hotel remained in operation throughout the works.
The building Africa House along Kingsway near Holborn Station has been refurbished to offer 119,297ft² of high quality office accommodation, for which Watkins Payne supplied building services engineering, vertical transportation engineering, BREEAM duties and energy consultancy to achieve an EPC C rating.
Sustainability initiatives include LED lighting with occupancy detection and daylight dimming controls, solar thermal hot water heating, air source heat pumps and photovoltaic panels, resulting in an EPC rating of A and a Very Good rating under BREEAM New Construction (Industrial) 2014.
The Grade II listed building at 2 New Burlington Street has been redeveloped to offer 5,000ft² of high quality residential accommodation, for which Watkins Payne supplied building services engineering and energy consultancy to achieve an EPC D rating.
Watkins Payne provided MEP systems and IT cabling design services for the fit-out of 186,000ft2 of commercial offices in the eight storey 1 Forbury Place in Reading, which formed the focus of SSE Services plc’s relocation strategy to consolidate several buildings from across southern England and accommodate 1,500 employees in a single location.
Building 600 located at Aztec West Business park in Bristol has been refurbished to offer 12,500ft² of high quality office accommodation, for which Watkins Payne supplied building services engineering, vertical transportation engineering, BREEAM duties and energy consultancy to achieve an BREEAM ‘Excellent’ and EPC B rating.
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.