Calfordseaden was appointed for the provision of various professional and design services at Ensign Court, a new mixed use development comprising 65 residential units distributed over 14 storeys with ground floor commercial space.
The site was extremely restricted due to being enclosed on three sides by Highways and TfL adopted footpaths, with adjoining buildings closing the remaining boundary. Further complications were experienced due to the significant local developments in the surrounding area and the presence of a major trunk sewer and the need to secure a Thames Water build-over agreement in advance of progressing the works. To compound matters further, early archaeological investigations identified that this was a site with high archaeological interest.
calfordseaden provided Employer’s Agent, Quantity Surveying and Project Management services for the project as it was taken from feasibility stage, through planning and into a building contract following a single stage tender process. We also provided Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Design & Sustainability input through RIBA stages one – four to secure planning consent and to support the successful tender process.
From commencement of services as Employer’s Agent / Project Manager; calfordseaden identified significant risk associated with the proposed construction of flank walls close to the boundaries of the site, which did not benefit from access rights pursuant to the Party Wall Act – calfordseaden led the Architect and Party Wall Surveyor in successfully developing scaffold and crane licence mitigation strategies through the planning stage designs to ensure the buildability of the planning consented scheme.
calfordseaden’s Employer’s Agents further led the Project Team in resolving the necessary Thames Water build-over agreements with the trunk sewer beneath the site. We also implemented early demolition and exploratory works to the ground to allow resolution of archaelogical matters. This approach removed the procurement risk for the tenderers and avoiding carrying over the risk associated with the build-over, archaeology and existing services on the site into the building contract.
calfordseaden’s Mechanical and Electrical Engineers progressed services acting for Equans as their contractor under the JCT Design and Build Contract with L&Q.
The building has been successfully delivered and acts as a focal point in the local neighbourhood. The brick façade of the building was largely influenced by the heritage of the old warehouses formerly located within the area in order to make the development fit into the existing fabric of the neighbourhood. On the top floor a roof garden is accessible by residents whilst a courtyard was provided to the rear of the site to encourage children to play outside. Ensign Court is a sustainable development with an on-site energy centre, with homes achieving code level 4.