Project Details
- Client Name: Saxon Weald
- Project Value: £2.3 million
- Sector: Commercial
- Services: Building Surveying , Building Services Engineering, Cost Consultancy
- Key partners: Office Principles
- Contact: Joe Jackson – 020 8294 1000
We acted as employer’s agent, project manager and cost consultant for this Cat B fitout to Saxon Weald’s three-storey office building in Horsham. Our building services engineering team also provided their expertise in overseeing commissioning of the mechanical and electrical (M&E) services.
The works are extensive and include a full strip out of all existing fabric and M&E followed by a full Cat B fitout. Following the strip out works, the client gifted all the furniture that had been removed to a local school.
The office will be used as a case study for a SKA Gold+ accreditation which considers wellbeing in addition to the standard environmental aspects covered by SKA. To ensure that the building is fit for future zero-carbon requirements, the need for gas has been removed and heating is provided through an air source heat pump system. We have also installed 50m2 of photovoltaic panels for generation of electricity. Aesthetically, we undertook some minor alterations to the external façade to soften the look of the building including adding wooden cladding and a new glass canopy to provide variety to the materials used.
We spent a significant amount of time with the client and contractor prior to starting on site to ensure that all parties agreed on the design details and how it would be implemented to make sure things ran smoothly once we started on site.
As the contract period was during the COVID-19 pandemic, we experienced challenges in terms of material supply. The lift was identified as a key item that might be subject to potential cost increases due to component supply issues because of COVID-19 and Brexit. To mitigate this, we ordered the lift two months before the contract was signed, to ensure no delays to the project programme or additional costs.
