Field Seymour Parkes – Solicitors
The well-regarded law firm Field Seymour Parkes, located on London Road in Reading, recognised the need to modernise their entire building and employed Metrix Interiors to carry out the full design and delivery of these works.
A key requirement was to install air conditioning and ventilation to all four floors of this property. The stripping and total refurbishment of the office space was carried out one floor at a time to ensure that the client’s work could continue without undue disruption.
Lack of consistent slab to slab height through the building made designing the HVAC system particularly challenging.
So that the teams of solicitors working at FSP could continue their work undisturbed, mechanical and electrical works had to be carefully planned to keep the clients’ critical systems functioning on other floors throughout the phased work plan.
Integra designed and installed a new electrical main distribution system, requiring a complete power shutdown for the entire building, all without disrupting business.
To meet the slab height issue, Integra installed ducted AC units above storage walls to avoid having to reduce the main ceiling height. In addition, a very low profile vent duct was installed in the ground floor meeting rooms, again providing necessary ventilation requirements without having to compromise the ceiling height.
To ensure work could continue while the electrical supply system was replaced, a temporary power supply was established to the comms room and other critical infrastructure such as the alarm systems. Integra coordinated out-of-hours working for the most disruptive events such as connecting to domestic and drainage services.
The original estimate of main supply shut down time was 9 days, including the need for a huge generator to supply the whole building and two complete changeover shut downs to the company’s IT and communication systems.
Through very careful planning and working with the utility companies and the clients’ own IT team Integra were able to successfully carry out the operation in a single weekend, working 24 hours/day between 5PM on a Friday through to 9AM on the following Monday.
A scheme like this, with so many different parties involved, and with so much to complete in such a small window of time, requires planning down to the most minute details. Workers had to be located as close as physically possible to the site, so hotel accommodation was arranged to ensure a minimum of travelling “down time.”
Overall result: only a small generator required, and no disruption to client business.
- Full design calculations and drawings
- Main distribution/Sub-main distribution
- Cable containment
- Internal lighting
- External Lighting
- Small power
- Data
- Plumbing
- Air-conditioning/Ventilation
- Fire alarm
- Testing and commissioning