Clarges is a landmark mixed-use development including 34 premium apartments. The bold scheme offers 191,000 sq ft of luxury homes, new build key worker housing, retail space at ground floor level and three basement levels housing car parking, spa, swimming pool, gymnasium, cinema and leisure facilities. A separate 88,000 sq ft Grade A, BCO compliant commercial office building sits to the rear of the development. The famous Kennel Club was relocated to these newly built premises which incorporate offices, storage, meeting spaces and a library.
Our team provided multidisciplinary engineering services from inception, assisting with the planning process, detailed design and throughout construction. Our building services and structural engineers worked closely with Laing O’Rourke to utilise their unique DfMA (design for manufacture and assembly) precast concrete systems within the structural design.
We developed a new precast product, named Megaplank, to replace the in-situ concrete and metal deck slab traditionally used on steel framed structures, reducing waste, slashing embodied carbon and minimising site traffic. Our MEP design utilised Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) techniques to deliver prefabricated risers and Smart walls, manufactured off-site to support exacting programme requirements. This enabled us to successfully deliver this complex project to the highest standards.
Our building services engineers carefully considered the high-performance facades and buildings to incorporate low energy technologies throughout. We worked closely with the design team to embed both BREEAM requirements and British Land’s own corporate responsibility objectives and targets into the design. We also worked collaboratively with the construction teams to successfully deliver a phased construction programme.
The scheme’s high-quality design has achieved 40% improvement over 2010 Part L regulations and CFSH ‘Level 4’ status. Photovoltaics and Ground Source Heat Pumps, which supply the retail areas via thermal piles, were implemented to generate zero carbon electricity, reduce carbon emissions and lower running costs for the scheme. The diverse range of expertise provided by our teams has also involved devising solutions for environmental, vertical transportation, fire risk and acoustics, including a green roof and both greywater and rainwater systems to help maximise the water efficiency.
BREEAM accreditations for the commercial area include an ‘Outstanding’ rating for the office use and ‘Excellent’ for the Kennel Club, with residential apartments achieving a Level 4 Code for Sustainable Homes rating.
Client: British Land
Architect: Squire & Partners
