Fleet Place House – Project Heron

The details

  • Location: Fleet Place, London
  • Value: £5,500,000
  • Size: 11,000 sqft
  • Duration: 35 weeks

ODInteriors returned to Fleet Place House in Farringdon to refresh space in the building, transforming it into a modern and desirable workplace for new and existing tenants. Our brief was to refurbish the building’s common areas and sub-basement, fit-out the reception space, convert the basement into brand-new end-of-journey facilities and return two floors of the building to CAT A space while working towards a BREAAM Very Good rating.

The opportunity to upgrade the area outside the building was taken and along with a general refresh of the area, a new lighting system was installed that allowed more light in the evenings for passers-through as well as the transformation of concrete plinths into wood- effect ‘benches’ for communal use. Having previously worked in the building we had a good understanding of its intricacies which stood us in good stead with the wider project team as we worked to make Fleet Place House a more stylish and sustainable workplace.

The team

Client: M&G/ Oxygen AM
Architect: Scott Brownrigg
Project Manager: Tuffin Ferraby Taylor (TFT)
Cost Consultant: Quantem Consulting LLP
M&E Consultant: GDM
Services: GDM
Planning Consultant: Maddox Associates
Environmental Advisors: Verte Sustainability
Structural Engineer: CBRE
Fire Engineer: Hollis

 

ODInteriors delivered:

  • New M&E systems
  • Upgraded ductwork
  • Refurbished raised access floor
  • New cabling
  • Sprinkler head replacements
  • New end-of-journey facilities
  • Bicycle racks
  • Electric bike charging port installation

The process

‘Project Heron’ involved a lot of pre-planning as the building forms an overpass above a main thoroughfare from the station. Special permits from TFL were required for works that took place in and around the thoroughfare and parts of the exterior that needed renovation were systematically taken down, taken away and refurbished before being replaced to minimise disruption. We reinstalled a suspended ceiling, having refurbished and modified the metal ceiling tiles, making perforations in them that aligned with the new lighting design.
The works to the interiors consisted of a full Cat B strip out on the 4th floor before taking it back to prime CAT A space with new M&E systems, cabling, a refurbished raised access floors. The 3rd floor was also upgraded to CAT A space.

The reception space was given a brand new look and feel and the basement was converted into new end-of-journey facilities including showers, drying room, electronic bike cycling charging port and a new office for the building’s Facilities Managers. In the sub-basement we refurbished the main air-handling unit, stripped out the old chilled water tank, pumps and cylinders and replaced them with new ones. As part of the works we striped out and updated the building’s firestopping so it was compliant with the current building control standards.

All lifts in the buildings were also refurbished. Each area we worked in needed to be carefully phased and segregated with safe access so existing tenants experienced minimal disruption. The project required a highly detailed logistics plan to ensure we stayed on track and all works were properly coordinated.

The result

The completion of ‘Project Heron’ marks a brand new era for Fleet Place House. Behind the brand new design are upgraded systems and facilities, that make the space an attractive offering to prospective tenants.

The project was built in accordance with BREAAM regulations and achieved a ‘Very Good’ rating. We took measures to reduce embodied carbon including refurbishing the existing raised access flooring, reusing ceiling tiles in the undercroft and utilising the outcomes of Life Cycle Assessment by Verte Sustainability, our sustainability advisors on the project. Furniture from the previous fit-out was successfully rehomed thanks to Encore Environment’s ProjectDIVERT scheme.