We are now on site with our works to the Heals Store on Tottenham Court Road, London. The building is a former factory complex in which Heal & Son designed, manufactured, sold and dispatched its furniture to the world. Whilst most people would think of this as a single building it is a campus of eight or nine buildings built over two centuries and, of course, still home to Heal’s alongside a rich tapestry of creative, financial, technology and real estate sectors.
The scope of works has transformed the upper storeys of the historic furniture store into 140,000sq ft of office space and its ground and lower ground floors into new retail space for Heal’s.
Prior to commencement of full strip-out works, a link stair between GF & 1st floors was removed from the shop floor behind a protective hoarding; floor voids were then fire protected as necessary to ensure compartmentation was achieved.
Strip-out, Structural Alterations and CAT A fit-out works then progressed in sequence through the building. Feature staircases, decorative plaster and machinery from the original workshops were painstakingly restored to their former glory. We reused several elements and materials of the building such as flooring tiles, lift shutters and the dreadnought doors to maximise the sustainable development ethos. External upgrade works to the Alfred Mews façade included refurbishment of the Critall windows and repairing / cleaning the brickwork and stonework to the facade.
Works also included M&E upgrades to the building, to accommodate new ventilation systems to lower carbon emissions, and removal of legacy plant items.
The design has sought to retain the character of the buildings, working with the existing fabric while stitching together the site’s distinct elements.
People working in the building’s offices will enter through a new cafe and reception area which has been created in former loading bays. External breakout areas have also been created in a reinstated internal route running from Alfred Mews to Torrington Place and a landscaped courtyard.
Throughout the office spaces, modern fixtures and fittings have been stripped back to reveal original elements such as soffit coffers and beams, maximising ceiling heights while revealing the building’s historic features.