60 Gainsford Street, London, SW1
Our clients at Dorrington Plc approached us with a vision to reimagine the 4th and 5th floors of Nutmeg House, a 5-storey building in the heart of Southwark, London.
They were looking for a turnkey solution to upgrade the vacant floors and attract new occupiers, and their plans for a premium ‘plug and play’ workspace offered the optimum solution.
We were instructed to deliver top-tier CAT A+ fit-outs for both floors, including the roof terrace – breathing new life into these vacant spaces. We also worked closely with our dynamic team to install cutting-edge solar panels on the roof, adding something of a futuristic touch to Nutmeg House and enhancing it’s sustainability.
The vision
To make both floors more practical and flexible for future occupiers we opened up the space, and while doing so we took extra care of the timber floors, brick walls, and steel beams; as original features these needed to be preserved and integrated seamlessly into the contemporary design of the office space. However, while stripping out the old fixtures, we discovered that the existing roof had deteriorated to the point it was beyond repair and needed replacing.
Our team had to isolate and then temporarily remove the building’s air conditioning system, and while refurbishing the roof, other works on the terrace scheme were taking place.
During these works, we were visited by an external health and safety auditor, and we achieved another excellent AA score. Any work at height presents significant risk and should be considered a challenge, but our experienced Site Manager, Luke Woodger, made sure everyone was kept safe by adhering to our strict health and safety rules and each subcontractors’ RAMS, and by consistently making health and safety a top priority.
The open space
The roof works enabled the solar panels team to install 38 of these panels onto the roof, making Nutmeg House a more sustainable office building. For the 4th and 5th floors, we installed new LED lights and a smart AC system for energy-saving. The new layout on the 4th floor is a mix of open-plan areas with a kitchen, a dining table, and a meeting room created with Crittall glazed partitions; a zone that encourages private meetings while allowing natural light to flow through the stylish fluted partitions into the waiting area.
The 5th floor has a similar layout with the added bonus that this floor has exclusive access to the roof terrace. The roof terrace was previously under-utilized now, as a result of our efforts, we have transformed this space into an inviting and safe amenity offering space to break away from the desk from time to time. We’ve installed safety handrails, laid new decking and floor tiles, and added large tree planters. And the views of London’s majestic Shard complete this welcoming space in which occupiers can relax.
Sustainability and well-being were two important aspects of the brief we were given and the final design that our team brought to life includes earthy tones and natural timber finishes to reflect this. The biophilia added throughout, together with the abundance of natural light flowing through the floors, as well as the building itself with so many original features like loading bay doors to each floor and old hoist structures, make Nutmeg House a very cool and desirable place to work.
And we were delighted to bring another successful vision to life for our clients at Dorrington. Our previous project in this building was on the ground floor and you can find out more about this here: offices refurbishment.
