EEEEEE

KEY1 ~nlrance

2 retail space3 office space4 roof terrace5 roof garden6 loading yard7 elCining public. house

site plan O'---_---.e:50m ground floor plan first floor plan typical floor plan

1 S September 2002 the architects' journal 1271 S September 2002

The ground floor level of the new entrance lobby, looking towards the entrance onthe left. The escalators lead to lifts on the first floor

opportunity. The former two-storey lobbywas cramped. with the lifts immediatelyinside the entrance facing each other 205mapart, creating a bottleneck at busy times. Asmart move by HRA has been to hollow outof the structure a much larger entrance hallbeyond the lifts, and to draw people in to areception desk at its heart, past the groundfloor lifts as if they did not exist. What younotice is the blue glass walls. Once at thisreception point, set on a limestone floorwith beech-clad walls, escalators then takeyou to the first floor, where you can take a liftmore easily or enter the office area at thislevel. With only that simple job to do, thefirst floor entrance space feels a little largeand undefined, but it is a necessary part ofthe whole, now more-spacious, reworking.

Another 1950s legacy is a pair ofcolumnsimmediately beyond the lifts, also makingentry to the new entrance hall feel restricted.The building was propped and thesecolumns removed for its full height,replaced by steel columns farther apart. Thesteps in the entrance hall are a legacy oforiginal changes of level.

HMs other main contribution, workingwith the engineer, has been to provide a ser­viced shell for offices. Typically for a 1950sbuilding, floor-to-ceiling height was veryrestricted. On the office floors, 70mm ofscreed was removed and a new lOOmmraised floor with 70mm working height hasbeen installed. At ceiling level, the air condj- Newlyglazed entrance with lifts and new lobby beyond. Lift lobby on upper floortioning that the client required is providedusing chilled beams and ceiling panels in a250mm zone. The remaining clear height is2,445mm, not generous, although it doesnot feel oppressive, with light colours andfloor plates generally no more than 14.75mdeep, and daylight from both sides.

With HRA having set this framework, itwas architect DEGW's turn to fit out theoffices on floors 1-5 for JWalter Thompson(lWTJ, the advertising/communicationsgroup. JWT's move from previous premiseswas wrapped up with a redefining of JWT asa brand in the communications market­place. Various in-house groups had come upwith descriptions of today's organisation as(wholesome, not too glamorous, very effi­cient, best of British, fun'. Ideas for the lWT

261 the architects' journal

17

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the architects' journal 129

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14

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typical floor plan

1 9 September 2002

second floor plan

/ /I /, ,

1 9 September 2002

KEV1 reception2 pitch to clients3 open plan offke4 offlcl!!5 back offKl!!6 touchdown7 Informal meeting8 meeting9 knowtedgl!! centre10 audio-visual11 TV iKlmin12 fina~

13 traIning14 open plan wolkspace15 letreat16 new business and marketIng17 leadership group18 Inspiration zone19 creallve zone20 cre~tive revl~

21 cre~live services22 an buyerl23 smoking24 bat25 kitcl\l!!n26 hot setWly

first floor plan

culture of tomorrow focused on 'risk. team­w·ork. together, well run, complex, standingout from the crowd, new beginnings'. Thesame exercises rated the previous building:on the good side, 'enclosed space (mostlycellular), natural Iightlaspect, located withteam', and on the bad side. 'rundown/depressing, temperature control,poor ventilation, cramped, no plan in lay­out'. So the fit-out was heavy withexpectations. as well as the usual anxietiesabout change.

The JWT lelting begins in the firsl floorentrance hall, where the office entrance hasbeen offset to one side of the back wall toavoid the centreline row of '50s V-shapedcolumns. You enter a large, open area with'doughnut' reception desk under a rootlight.knowledge centre shelving (a symbol of aknowledge-based organisation) and seatingfor meeting visitors. To the left, beyond therow of V-shaped columns, are audio-visualareas for previewing adverts and the like. Acow looks on.

There is a new, open helical stair leadingup to the second floor. This connectionhelps create a two-storey heart to the letting,and lessens the sense that there are five sepa­rate floors only otherwise reached by liftfrom the public lobby. On the second floor,there are work areas and meeting spaces, aswell as a communal cafe and access to theroof terrace seating. which is exclusive toJWT.

Ln the office spaces, typically, the centralspine as you enter is for a mix of smallaccounts, while the side areas are used byteams on larger projects. There are alsomeeting areas. but space-demand is notcurrently high enough to necessitate louch­down desks. The 'creatives' are split throughthe team areas, rather than being groupedtogether.

The interior open plan is drawn togetherby the use of furniture and white decorwith occasional stripes of colour. and theshallowness of the indenled plan. (Floorsseven to 10 are just the central rectangle.)The space feels fairly ordered and tidy,although it is perhaps early days for a moreoccupied (ie messy) feel. It works as work­space. It is. though, 'engine-room' design,with Little attempt to carry through thesymbols of corporate culture-change evi­dent in the client-facing spaces on the lowesttwo floors, which some staff may never seeday-to-day. JWT relies on the persuasivenessof audio-visual media for its livelihood.Perhaps there could have been more faith inthe persuasiveness of the medium of archi~

tecture to communicate the new JWTamong staff.

As to the building overall, it has agood-lo-work-in feel. It is a significanttransformation of an unpromising buiJdingthat others might have written off as readyfor demolition. There was not, after all, a lotof'character' to build on.

HRA has succeeded in making this refur­bishment a rejuvenation.

281 the architects' journal

11lJ1 ::1 I I 3 [.:1 I~~ ~ " I ----",

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StructureThe project team concept was to minimise the modifications to the

existing structure as part ofa risk management strategy. Areas of the

building where modifications were essential were opened up and

investigated in advance.

For the new roof-level plantroom along the length of the building,extensive review and assessment ofexisting draWings was undertaken to

determine which elements needed to be strengthened.

Existing screeds were removed from all floors, prOViding a load

reduction which helped balance the extra load from the new plantroomand helped increase available office headroom.

Generally, the building modifications involved the cutting ofopenings

and installation oftrimming steels. Extensive cutting back of the

Brompton Road facade was required for installation of the double-storeyterracotta and glass facades. The roofover the retail area was removed

8 chilled ceiUngs with me~1 tiles9 screed removed and 1000m raised floor installed10 plasterboard column casings

and replaced with a steel-framed composite deck to cater for its

occupation,with appropriate allowances for superimposed loads and

heavy finishes, inclUding a grass lawn.

There were major strengthening elements to the project. Between the

entrance hall and office floors, two existing columns formed a visual

constriction. The 13-storey high columns supporting the central spine

strip were moved by apprOXimately half a metre each. Waterman

Partnership installed temporary propping, placed new steel columns and

jacked back the loadings from the surrounding superstructure in careful

sequence. Differential shortening of columns was particularly significant,

as was the magnitude and timing of the jacking process.

This project shows that a successful project can be delivered by

engineers and architects working together well in an open and

responsive project culture,supported by an enthusiastic client.

John Towers, Waterman Partnership

6 new doubIe-glazed windows with jnt~ral

Yl!f1etlan blindschilled beams

exlstlng columnsexisting rainwater plpesnew perlmet@f radIators

KEY1 existing tonerete structure with central

downsrand beam2 mUng external brickworlt and blockwortl:

section through typical floor

SUPERSTRUCTURE

SUBSTRUCTURE

mechanical MeicaServices;electricaJGratteBrothers; flooring ReesFlooring;decorarionsDavid Hartrup;audiovisualconsultantDDI;signageModulex;careringprojectmanagemenr KARMProjects; kirchen designIFSE;sfiding-folding wof!HuppeForm;cabfingCommunica;securityWhite Group Electronics

QUANTITY SURVEYOR

Gardiner&TheobaldSERVICES ENGINEER

Roger Preston & PartnersITCONSULTANTMoffat CommunicationsSTRUCTURAL ENGINEER

Waterman PartnershipSUBCONTRACTORSANDSUPPLIERS

Special/srandgeneraljoinery Swift Horsman;partirions R&S Dri Wall;staircaseandroof rerracefink bridge CMF;ceilingsAstec Projects;

WEBLINKS

Prudential Property Investment Managerswww.prupim.comHurley, Robertson and Associateswww.hra.co.ukGardiner&Theobaldwww.gardiner.comWaterman Partnershipwww.waterman-group.co.ukRoger Preston & Partnerswww.rpreston.comBovis Lend Leasewww.bovislendlease.comRandle Siddeley Associateswww.randleslddeley.co.ukArup Facade Engineeringwww.arup.comJWalterThompsonwww.jwt.co.ukDEGWwww.degw.comMoffatCommunicationswww.moffat.co.uk

the architects' journal131

Gemma Fabri.MatthewMarcroftMAIN CONTRACTOR

Bovis Lend LeaseInteriorsPROJECT MANAGER

J WalterThompson;Ian Gordon, MichaelBeiley

Doors;securiryinsralfation Tyco (TWGWhite Group);fireprorection R+S AreSecurity; fandscapingnlbrooks Landscape;pavement fightsLuxcrete;pavingstone81anc de Bierges

CLIENT

JWalterThompsonINTERIOR DESIGNER

DEGW:HolIi Rowan,TerryGunnery.AlisonWhite,Jan Young,WynneJames, AlanGriffiths,Jacqui Surtees,TeresaJackson,Philip Muir,

OFFICE FIT-OUT

Astec;ralsed floorsHewetson; roof finishesCoverite;masonry facadecleaning PAVE; roilets,kitchen and lobby fit-outSwift Horsman;entrancehallfir-outgeneraJjoineryandsignageRuddy Joinery;ironmongery Allgood;securityshurters Amber

FURNITURECOORDINATIONDovetail FurnitureConsultantsSU8CONTRACTORSAND

SUPPLIERSPiling FondedileFoundations;sreelworkByrne Brothers{Formwork);mechanica/Mefca Services;eJecrricalGratte Brothers;commissioningmanagemenrCommte<:h; tifts Konelifts; terracotta rerailfacade fiNing Szerelmey;terracorta supply NBK(Germany);shopfronts,window replacement,main entrance screen androoflights, louvre screensExterior Profiles; facadec1eaningequipmenrCradle RunwaysInternational;lnternalblockwal/slrvineWhitfock;chi/ledceilings

FORM OF PROCUREMENT

Contract - JCT98 Privatewith Quantities withSectional Completionand Contractor DesignedPortion Supplements.Procurement by \Wo­stage lump sumTOTAL COST

£31.850.000

1 9 September 2002

CREDITS

TENDERDATE

First quarter 2000START ON SITE DATE

2 March 2000CONTRACT DURATION

19monthsGROSS EXTERNAL

FLOOR AREA

25,251m J

CLIENTPrudential PropertyInvestment ManagersARCHITECT

Hurley, Robertson andAssodates:JohnRobertson, Bill Wallin. KenMcLaughlin,Alan Rafter·Phillips. Kai Fabiunke,RicGandolfi,Chris Axon. ScotDonnell,Bob Cox,MaxSkjbldebrandQUANTITY SURVEYOR

Gardiner & TheobaldSTRUCTURAL ENGINEERWaterman Partnership:JohnTowers,BarryDobbins,Julian TraxerSERVICES ENGINEERRoger Preston & PartnersMAIN CONTRACTOR

Bovis Lend LeaseLANDSCAPE

CONSULTANTRandle SiddeleyCLADDING CONSULTANTArupFacadeEngineering

REFURBISHMENT

6.964.600.782.72S52

39.88

0.71

12.81

0.25

S.lS

14.15

7.643.31

10.824.647.1S1.48

35.04

S.IO4.171.75

11.02

0.31

100.00

Percentageoftotal

3.20

64.93

178.37

96.3441.70

136.48585S90.1218.61

441.80

64.30S2.6222.04

138,96

3.87

87.80S8.06

9.8734.3269.S7

S02.92

8.98

161.54

1261.27

SUBSTRUCTURE

SUPERSTRUCTUREFrame, upper floors. stairca sesRoof,rooflightsExternal wallsWindows,external doorsInternal walts and partitionsInternal doorsGroupe/ementtotal

INTERNAL FINISHES

WaUfinishesFloorfinishesCeiling finishesGroup element total

FITTINGS AND FURNITURE

SERVICESServices equipment.sanitary appliance,disposaland water installationsSpace heatingand air treatmentElectrical servicesUft and conveyor installationsProtective installationsCommunication installationBuilders'work in connectionGroupe/ementtotal

EXTERNALWORKS

PRELIMINARIES

AND INSURANCE

TOTAL

1 9 September 2002

Cost perm'(£)

Cost summary

Cosrdara provided by ChrisrapherAndrews, Gardiner&Theobald

£9.87Im'

£87.80/m'

164.93/m'

£34.32/m'

i178.37/m2SERVlCESEQUIPMENT/SANITARYAPPLIANCES/DISPOSALAND

WATER INSTALLATIONS

Mechanical plant, disposal, servicesequipment,water instal lations, boilers,etc

FURNITURE U.871m'Reception desks. otherancillary fixtures and fittings

SERVICES

EXTERNAL WORKS

PRELIMINARIES AND INSURANCES

SPACE HEATING/AIRTREATMENT

Chilled beam ceiling installation

ELECTRICAL SERVICES

LIFT AND CONVEYOR INSTALLATIONS

Two goods lifts, six passenger liftsand two escalators

FITIINGS AND FURNISHINGS

COMMUNICATION INSTALLATIONS

BMS installations

PROTECTIVE INSTALLATIONS

Security installations

BUILDERS'WORKINCONNECTION £69.57/m'Builders'work,. firestopping, metalwork items andsecurity shutters

LANDSCAPING, ANCILLARY BUILDINGS £8.98/m·Granite planters to roof terrace and ground floor, 50ft

landscaping and hard pavings

PRElIMINARIES,OVERHEADS {161.54/m'

AND PROFIT

Contractor preliminaries, pre-commencement costs,operation and maintenance manuals

118.61/m'

lS8.55/m2

INTERNAL FINISHES

WINDOWSI EXTERNAL DOORSReplacement windows to offices

INTERNAL WAllS AND PARTInONS £9Q.12/m"Blockworkand drylining to offices and retail units

Costs

ROOF/ROOFLIGHTS £41.70/mJ

Removal of existing screed. new screed. Upstands,flashings,ete, to flat membrane roof

EXTERNALWAUS £136.48/m·Clean existing facade, new louvres, new retailfacade/shopfronts and glazing,new office entrance

INTERNAL DOORS

New doors and ironmongery

Costs based on final account rounded up ordown

FOUNDATIONS/SLABS £3.20/mJ

Piling to retail units only (minimal works required)

FRAME/UPPER FlOORS/STAIRCASES £96.34/m"Concrete and steel works to retail units, modificationsand alterations to existing building including stairsand modifications toforrn holes for escalators

WALL FINISHES 164.30/m2

TImberveneer,stone and drylined walls to entrancehall and cores. Drylining, timber veneer and tiling toWCs. Paint to back of house areas and shell offices

FLOOR FINISHES £S2.62Jm'Raised floor and carpet to offices. terrazzo andlimestone to lobbies.entrance hall andWCs;carpetand vinyl elsewhere

CEILING FINISHES U2.04/m'Plasterboard ceiling to cores and entrance hall

30 Ithe architects' journal

Aglazed bayshopfront withterracotta cladding

One Knightsbridge GreenHurley, Robertson and Associates

working details

first floor

roof garden

suspendedceiling syslem

1f--+--9Iass baluslrade

/ olf---t--ss tubular brace

suspendedceiling system

ItI---t---I--anodised aluminiumpanel bonded torigid insulation

!DETAil SECTION THROUGH FRONT WALL I

automatic glasssliding door :.:.------l't~r~~f1

horizontal galv steel ---tIH-,truss dad withanodised aluminium

extruded terracottaralls on steel COfe

anodlsedaluminium coping

f~~~neon light

cleaning rail

extruded terracottapanels on aluminiumcladding ralls

ralls boiled toconcrete upstand----t!ltet-'-~

rIgid Insulation-----1lil+li3

extruded aluminium ---'~!l1

louvre blades

air curtain plenum----Htt----+-ttll-

ss tubular brace toaccommodate wind ---+tH--'load deflection

ss brackel bolted to ~y~I1~~~:+~::~==-'f"======underside of concrele --7"';II-+I-Jdownstand beam

anodisedaluminium coping --:c'T----,

horizontalgalv steeltruss clad withanodised aluminium

extrudedlerracotta top rall---":

air curtaIn plenum ---+11+----+-+=l1-li+

polyester powder coated -ttllt----t--HIaluminium panelfor shop signage

laminated glass panel;10mm annealed glassouter pane.2mm Interlayer.IOmm inner pane

ss bracket boltedto underside ofconcrete beam

laminatedglass panel

steel<ored extrudedaluminium mullion

aluminium mullion

180 lC 60mm wind postclad with polyesterpowdercOilted alumInIum

extruded aluminiumlouvre blades

anodised aluminIumpanel bonded torigid insulation

toughenedglass balustrade

!ISOMETRIC DETAIL OF LOUVRES I

1DETAIL PLAN AT A I

-- _~___itm_

~_1!t_m __

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-1--- _u --lgl..

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~ ~

000000000000000000000000000000

~ ~ air curtain grille 00

000000000000000000000000000000

- - - -- iJ --- - -----

steel-cored extruded~ I II

aluminium mullion I II I

laminated glass panel; I II I6mm annealed glass I

Iouter pane, 1.5mm interlayer,--t I6mm Inner pane I I, I

laminated glass panel; I I

10mm annealed glass I I

outer pane, 2mm Interlayer,lOrnm Inner pane -

r"; -- -l-steel.cored extruded

first floor

ground floor

continuous75 x 12smm 51 angle

-

IKEY SECTION I

s.14m

f E'OO(9a<denl.om

t-2.71m

Smmthlckgalv steel angle _-'-'-'_..,

SO x50mmsHscore to mullion

SOxsOmm sHScore to mullion

2smm expansionjoint

16mm thickss brackel------TSL.

slot to receivemullion

horizontal truss

of SOx IOmm . ~:l:~~;~:;;;:==;;;;galv steet Memberi'""

20mmdlasolid ss rod ---+1

M12 pin connector

FRAME ASSEMBLY DETAil

terracotta rail

SO x SDmm SHScore to mullion

horizontal trusssuspended on20mm dia rods

8mmdiass hanger

< >sliding glass doors

glazing

horizontal truss

180x60mmwind post

+-----S.67Sm------1!-

terracolta panels

+~"'"

SOxSOmmSHScore to mullion

!ISOMETRIC OF FRAME ASSEMBLY I

IKEY ELEVATION I

A 1950s tower on atwo-storeypodium has been refurbished.The street frontage has beenlined with a row of two-storeyretail units and a new mainentrance;the podium roof hasbeen made into agarden.

Each retail unit is aglazedbay, two-storeys high and5.67m-wide with glass siidingdoors. The bays are flanked atthe top and sides with largeterracotta tiles.

The original ground flooredge beam could not supportthe additional loads of thenew shopfront glazing andc1adding.lnstead,eachshopfront is fixed to astructural framework - a pairofhorizontal trusses and steel­cored window mullions­which is suspended from thesecond floor downstandbeam. Three stainless steelbrackets, bolted to theundersideofthe beam,areconnected by steel rods andforked connectors tatheupper truss. This in turn isconnected by steel coredmullions and with a centralsuspension rod located withinthe vertical siliconejointbetween the two uppersheets ofglazing,to the lowertruss.The design allows thestructure to deflect under theweight of the shopfront andfor the dead load of the roofgarden finishes.

Canted tubular struts, fixedat mid-height and at trusspositions, stabilise theshopfront and transfer windloads to 180 x60mm windposts and to the slab.Thelower part of the shopfrontrests on the ground floor edgebeam with ahorizontalmovement joint between.

The glazed shopfront isweathered against thestructural frame with EPDMbonded to the concrete,supported and protected byaluminium closure pieces.

The terracotta tiles act as arainscreen and are fixed toaluminium cladding railsbolted to the concrete slab.

Susan Dawson

321 the architects' journal 1 S September 2002 1 9 September 2002 the architects' joul"'nal!33