Plant Replacement at a Grade II Listed Office Building in Greater London
The Situation
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Location: Marylebone, Greater London
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Building Status: Fully Occupied
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Building Type: Grade II Listed OfficeÂ
8 month project replacing ageing equipment
Lazari Investments committed to a full lifecycle replacement of the ageing mechanical plant at 33 Wigmore Street, a fully occupied office building in Marylebone, London. The aim was to guarantee reliability while improving the efficiency of the building’s energy consumption.
Hemlow’s project team was appointed to deliver the works while the building remained live and other fit-out contractors continued to operate across various floors.
Before & During The Project
Scroll down to see the finished project!
Scope Of Works
Replaced
Replacement of the existing Dunham Bush chillers and cooling towers with two new Airedale water-cooled liquid screw compressor chillers with inverters and Airedale Dry Air Coolers.
Installed
New Armstrong chilled and condense water pumps.
Switchboard and provided electrical supplies throughout the building for future FCUs.
Refurbished
Basement AHU, replaced roof extract and 8th floor fan.
Upgraded
BMS panel with new energy monitoring and electrical switchgear.
Benefits
- Improved energy efficiency through new dry air coolers, fan motors and pump sets.
- Reduced risk by replacing ageing equipment with modern, more reliable and efficient systems.
- Reduced ongoing  maintenance costs.
8 Months Later, Finished Project
Challenges & Solutions
| Challenge | Solution |
|---|---|
| An acoustic enclosure was positioned directly above the plant being replaced, creating restricted access and making the removal and installation works more complex. | An acoustic enclosure was positioned directly above the plant being replaced, creating restricted access and making the removal and installation works more complex. |
| The new chillers were too large to pass through the existing basement plant room access. | To overcome this challenge, our team developed a bespoke lift-and-shift approach. We carefully removed the access doors and stripped down the chiller units, allowing us to manoeuvre them into position. Once inside the plant room, the units were rebuilt and reinstated. This allowed us to complete the installation without making significant alterations to the building. |
| Works needed to be completed within occupied tenant floors, requiring careful coordination to minimise disruption to building occupants. | To minimise disruption, our team worked closely with the Building Management team and tenants. We planned the works around occupier requirements and working patterns, scheduling activities wherever possible to suit the building's occupants. In addition, we maintained regular communication throughout the project, so all stakeholders remained informed. |
| Coordinating a crane lift within the tight restrictions and reduced working hours imposed during the festive period. | The lift was carefully planned around the festive period restrictions, with the site team and local council working together to agree suitable out-of-hours arrangements. To further reduce the risk of disruption, alternative dates and contingency options were identified in advance. As a result, robust backup plans were in place should unforeseen circumstances cause delays to the works. |
What Our Client Says
“I would complement Hemlow for an excellent quality installation of the water-cooled chillers, dry coolers and associated pumps, pipework, AHU modifications and the BMS control and electrical services works. The works were very well managed against some complex logistical requirements on replacement of the plant in the confined basement and roof enclosure.”
Philip, GLP Consulting Engineers Ltd
