Projects

Blue Coast Capital, Hanger Lane

Our team supported Blue Coast Capital with development plans for a single warehouse unit and associated parking in London. Demolition of an existing office block will ensure the site reaches its full potential to deliver a modern, commercial logistics unit designed to suit current market demand, maximise its appeal for potential occupiers, increase job opportunities and improve the local economy.

Key details

Project name

Client

Blue Coast Capital

Location

W5 area of London

Services provided:

- Architecture

- Planning

- Civil & Structural Engineering

- Landscaping

- Acoustics

- Air Quality

- Ecology

Challenge

For speculative warehouse buildings of this type and size, there are a range of minimum, institutional requirements that must be met to satisfy market demand. These include number and type of loading doors, percentage of office content, building and footprint proportions, clear internal height, daylight, floor strengths, security, vehicle parking and yard depths.

The minimum yard depth for a unit of this size is generally 40m, as this is crucial for safe and efficient vehicle turning, and aids maximisation of loading doors. Increased yard depths can improve external flexibility and marketability but need to be carefully balanced against potential loss of floor space.

A Thames water main runs along the western boundary of the site, which has a restrictive easement to prevent building over the top of it. There are several other utilities that also run beneath the site, along with some existing mature trees in the northern corner.

Solution

To the south of the building, the roof above the offices will be at a lower level than the main structure and will incorporate a green roof. This lower-level will help to reduce the visual impact onto Westgate and will break up the overall visual mass of the building. The elevational treatment includes a dark grey plinth of horizontal profiled cladding, with two brands of grey then white cladding above, with the intention to reduce the perceived height of the building and minimise the impact on the skyline.

The neutral palette of grey and white cladding materials has been used to prevent potential clashing of colour with end user logos and branding. The colours and materials will help with the design longevity of the building rather than following any current design trends.

Some of the environmental considerations within the design include: rainwater harvesting; roof light optimisation; maximisation of efficient M&E systems to minimise energy usage; use of recyclable / recycled materials; and minimising waste using off-site prefabrication of elements e.g. retaining walls, cladding, steelwork etc.