The facts
Client: Carillion
Location: Farnborough
Services: Infrastructure engineering,
structural engineering, security
Sector: Commercial
Contract Type: Term contract
Project Value: £28m
Start/Completion: 2004 - 2007
The Project
The Hub is the focal centre of the IQ
Farnborough Business Park, operated by SEGRO.
The scheme involved the refurbishment of an
existing, listed building into the management/marketing suite with
restaurant and museum on the ground floor (the area was formerly
part of the RAE factory site which played a significant role in the
history of flight). On the upper floors the building was
refurbished into offices. In addition two new office buildings were
constructed with nearby multi-storey car parks.
The Hub is immediately adjacent to an outside
recreation space called ‘The Square’ which has, as its centrepiece,
the steel frame of a former air airship hangar. This rises some 22
metres above the central paved area, which is used for outside
entertainment. Surrounding this are areas of grass and
planting, providing quiet areas for users of the business park.
Also adjacent to the Hub is the Heritage Area,
which includes a number of refurbished Grade 1 listed buildings,
some containing wind tunnels, together with all the external areas
which were restored sympathetically to be in keeping with the
heritage theme.
Both The Square and Heritage Area were
developed by the client at the same time as the Hub using their own
contractors.
Capita Symonds has been involved in the IQ
Farnborough with SEGRO from 1998 when they acquired the site. We
have provided Transportation and Engineering services for the
development of the site into a prestigious Business Park.
Capita Symonds provided infrastructure,
structural and security engineering on this project. This
included:
- Highway and pedestrian areas construction
- External levels
- Foul and surface water drainage design which had to
tie-into the main drainage networks for the business
park
- Liaison with the major utility providers to supply the
site with gas, water and high voltage electricity. These were taken
to the main meter or sub station (from where the Building Services
engineer took on the design). In addition, liaison with the
telecommunications companies to extend their services onto this
site from the business park
- Coordination of all the underground services
- Coordination of the external scheme with the developments
taking place either side of this development
- Structural design of external retaining walls
- Structural design of external water features (rills and
cascade feature)
- Underslab building drainage (foul and
rainwater)
- Tree pit and planting bed drainage
Awards
- RIBA Award 2007
- RIBA Conservation Award
2007
- BCO Regional Award –
Refurbished/Recycled Workplace
- BCO Regional Award – Commercial
Workplace
- BCO National Award – Refurbished /
Recycled Workplace
- RIBA Award 2008 – The Listed Wind
Tunnels
- Secure by Design Certificate of
Approval (Secure Grounds and Perimeter) 2008