Staines Road

Appointed as Employer’s Agent, our team supported on the delivery of 47 Affordable homes across a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom homes on a former hotel site in Hounslow. The development consists of two new build residential blocks built around a central courtyard. At the rear of the plot, Block B reaches five storeys in height whereas Block A faces onto Staines Road and is limited to three storeys.

The lower of the blocks uses traditional construction in contrast with Block B that incorporates MMC. A lightweight steel frame solution has been selected featuring cassette floors and panelised SFS walls. The outer facade on both blocks is brick, achieving a uniform visual aesthetic that belies the differences in structural approach.

The energy strategy for the scheme continued the move away from gas boilers and adopts individual air source heat pumps for the provision of hot water. High levels of insulation enable space heating to be minimised using convection heaters. PV panels were installed at roof level to supplement the energy supply.

As part of our role, we facilitated the negotiation of an amended JCT Design and Build 2016 contract, administering this throughout the works.

In the delivery of the scheme, Martin Arnold worked closely with the contractor and client to overcome the disruptive pressures exerted by the global pandemic and the inflationary construction environment. Labour and material shortages were averted through proactive management, careful monitoring and agile procurement.