Carew House, Croydon
This CAT A office renovation completed by the Open team for the contract administrator Hollis, is in Wallington on the 4th floor at Carew House. Located near Wallington train station this 1980s building is home to many businesses and when the 4th floor became vacant, the Hollis CA appointed us to renovate it.
The office renovation works
Our client’s brief was to transform the space into a high specification and modern, open plan layout with a cost-effective and straightforward CAT A refurbishment, enhancing its market value for prospective occupiers.
Prior to the office renovation works commencing, the Open team assessed the risks associated with the site and project activity. One risk that required extra attention was the adjacent train station – Wallington Railway. To ensure the safety of all operatives and the general public, works had to be controlled with continuous health and safety measures in place.
The works incorporated the rejuvenation of the building fabric and new mechanical and electrical installations. To recreate the CAT A canvas, we first had to remove the existing fixtures and fittings, ceilings, partitions, floor finishes and former M&E, leaving the space clear and clean for the modern finishes and installations.
- Poject
- Office CAT A
- Size
- 7,938 sq.ft.
- Duration
- 14 weeks
Our site was rated AA by the external health & safety auditor.”
The new CAT A space
The new space began to take shape once we started to install the new ceilings, lights, raised access floor and tiles followed up by decorations. These works gave the feel of a blank canvas straightaway. A key feature of the space is the large and modern kitchen installation, positioned near the large windows – an ideal spot to enjoy lunch or engage in some office chat with a cup of tea while enjoying a view of the world outside.
The floor is rectangular in shape and is surrounded by plenty of windows that flood the floor with natural light. But we wanted to further enhance the potential of this space, so our M&E team added new LED lights for a better EPC rating and, to improve the comfort of future occupiers, we installed a VRF – variable refrigerant flow – heating and cooling system. This system circulates conditioned air or cold water throughout all zones of the building, offering individualized zone control and a high degree of decentralized heating and cooling control ability.
An AA from the external H&S auditor
While we were focused on creating a space with the highest standard of finish, we never lost sight of our objective to ensure health & safety remains our number one priority. As a result, our site was rated AA on the external health and safety site visit.
We’re delighted to have achieved our client’s ambition for the space whilst keeping all the operatives and the general public near the site safe, highlighting two of the values that provide the foundations of our way of working – caring and collaborative.
