Zone Gadget

MAKE: 55 Baker Street by Brit Source

• M&S continually added non-structural elements to the interior creating a warren. Make removed these and existing cores within the fingers as well as the bridging elements.
• It replaced 12 columns in the foyer with a tree-like transfer structure (Watts in Bolton) which is on castors it can move with the building. Make added eight perimeter staircases. Beyond that, the existing concrete infrastructure was left in place.
• The building is a mix of 50% glazed and non-glazed, which includes every material from brick to metal panels. Make replaced very old glass with high-performance glazing but left the high-performance glass that had been fitted in the 80s.
• Heating and cooling are provided by bespoke chilled beams with holes which can be plugged or unplugged to increase capacity, reduce waste and allow for flexibility. The use of chilled beams also allowed the team to reduce the ceiling voids and increase floor-to-floor space to BCO standards in an older building. 90-95% of the space is grade A.
• Their use allowed the client and tenant to take advantage of energy savings of approximately 1w/m2, reducing running costs and carbon emissions. The beams also incorporate lighting, fire alarms and environmental controls.
• The chilled beams also supply heating for the building, which comes from gas-fired condensing boilers distributing low temperature hot water to them.
• Radiators have been installed in limited areas of retained façade to offset the effects of cold radiation and down drafts from the existing glazing. Cooling is provided by 6.2mw of air-cooled chillers. These incorporate free cooling coils to maximise the energy efficiency of the machines during periods of low ambience.
• Getting the mix of lighting and cooling correct was challenging. “The problem was the spacing of the beams and the spacing of the lights to keep the uniformity of the units, says services engineer,” Mike Pile of Blyth and Blyth.
• But the team achieved compliance with principle of CIBSE LG 7, uniformity 0.8 and the design lux levels. To maximise energy efficiency a fully addressable lighting control system was fitted with PIR switching and daylight linking.
• The offices are 15m deep with a 2m corridor dictated by the steel members of the 1950s building.