Martin Arnold were appointed as Employer’s Agent and Principal Designer to deliver a residential development of 158 affordable homes as well as amenity space, cycle parking, landscaping and public realm areas adjacent to Central Middlesex Hospital, West London. The existing building, the Old Refectory, which was once part of a Victorian workhouse, will be refurbished to a CAT A specification ready for prospective tenant installation and before its final use as flexible B1/D1/D2 space.
At the time of our appointment, the concept design had been developed to RIBA stage 2. We coordinated the delivery of planning validation reports prior to submission in 2019. We managed the tender phase and contract negotiations with the contractor prior to the contract signing in December 2020.
Client
Sovereign Network Homes
Contractor
Durkan Ltd
Contract Value
£40m
Duration
5 years
Contract Type
JCT - Design & Build 2016
The construction phase provided a host of complex issues with significant planning changes to achieve regulatory compliance and material availability. A re-design of critical services was also required, which involved extensive coordination and negotiations between stakeholders.
Following a CDM Design Compliance Review, we identified several areas of noncompliance with Building Regulations. The design also did not conform to the requirements of the CDM Regulations 2015.
Firstly, the roofs on each building had not provided for a roof perimeter protection to the required 1,100mm. Additionally, as a substitute measure, the design included a trailing line anchorage system to be installed on each roof for people understanding routine maintenance to attach themselves to via a safety harness. This was in breach of Regulation 13 of the Construction (Health, Safety & Welfare) Regulations 1992.
As Principal Designer, we advised the client that as the owner of the building, that this design would present them with a post-occupation maintenance liability. This could attract potential criminal or civil liabilities in the future. To overcome this issue, we advised the client to change the redesign to cater for roof perimeter protection on all roofs.
The residential buildings and associated amenity were successfully handed over in March 2025. The Old Refectory refurbishment was completed in May 2025.
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