A historic building transformed
At SCC we were delighted to be involved in the transformation of this historic city landmark, Customs House. The building is over 150 years old and is Grade B + Listed. Great importance was placed on retaining the original features and heritage of the building and this was at the forefront of our design. The refurbished space offers 5-star office accommodation which sets a benchmark for office space in Northern Ireland. Following the £12m investment by Straidorn Properties the space now includes flexible working spaces, a café and barista bar, podcast rooms, smart meeting spaces, private dining space, gym, wellness centre, courtyard and urban areas.
One of our client’s aspirations was to achieve WELL Platinum rating for the building. We worked closely with the WELL Assessors, Ethos to ensure all the MEP design items where considered. We participated in workshops from inception to advise what credits were suitable for the building, given the restrictions of such an iconic existing building. Some of the specific criteria were to include increased ventilation rates, lighting controls and lighting glare ratio limits.
We worked alongside Chroma lighting and undertook multiple workshops with the client team to understand requirements for design and to make sure the lighting was in keeping with the building’s heritage.
Exposed MEP services throughout were carefully planned and coordinated for optimum efficiency & aesthetics
One of the biggest challenges to our design was the ventilation strategy. Due to the listed structure of the building, we could not penetrate the façade to install ductwork louvres. We used 3D modelling to design the ductwork to ensure there were no clashes. We created new risers and used existing chimney and soil stacks to install new ductwork to meet the ventilation requirements and the WELL air flow rates required for the building.
Our client was keen to add some energy efficient and low carbon systems into the building. Solar PV was ruled out due to the historic status, but we came up with other ways to save energy and make the building more efficient. LED lighting was installed throughout the building with PIRs to make sure lights go out when unoccupied which is key to reducing energy in shared spaces. There is a building wide BMS system installed which links to all the thermal plant, and it monitors and controls all zones in the building. This includes heating, cooling, ventilation, power and water. It can monitor usage and see where potential savings can be made. We installed a VRF heat pump which will heat and cool each zone in the building. This has energy savings as it collects heat losses from one room to heat another that needs heated. A thermal wheel has been installed in the AHU to recover hot air from the exhaust to provide heat to the building.
A once dark, cramped space has been transformed to a cafe and events space
We are hugely proud to have been a part of this project, so much so we hosted our 20th anniversary party at the venue which was a huge success. The team at Customs House made the evening stress free and our every need was catered for. Well done to everyone involved in the project.