Wates Construction has handed over work on the £79.7m renovation of Royal College of Surgeons of England’s (RCS England) new headquarters in London
Delivered during the pandemic, the Wates team was able to continue works on the RCS England and make considerable time savings by using offsite manufacturing via its offsite facility, Prism.
The careful redevelopment of the Lincoln’s Inn Fields building, retains the historic frontage and character of Sir Charles Barry’s design, architect of the Palace of Westminster, whilst incorporating high-tech and environmentally sustainable construction, delivering flexible teaching spaces, examination rooms, function rooms, a cafe and a large glazed central atrium.
The complex work included the refurbishment of the building’s existing 200-year-old library, combining the old with the new by reusing existing fireplaces and wall panelling, which were refurbished offsite and replaced in new locations.
The delivery of the plant room, for example, was installed in four successive days a programme of works that would have taken up to 16 weeks using traditional methods.
The RCS England scheme delivered high levels of economic, environmental and social value to the local area a core part of the Wates family’s ethos to be a driver behind positive social change.
This included £5m spent with SMEs, helping 56 local people into employment and training initiatives, creating 1,078 training weeks for local people and 4,151 hours invested by Wates staff to support them.
Offsite and sustainable
Regional managing director for London, Wates Construction, Phil Shortman, said: “This new headquarters is another example of Wates’ high-quality, specialist heritage delivery in our country’s capital. We are the forefront of London’s drive to maintain its historical buildings and our team have delivered once again on a complicated refurbishment.
“I’m immensely proud not only of the build, but the way in which it has been used to drive our business’ equality and sustainability agendas through our diverse team and excellent use of offsite.”
The project adds to Wates Construction’s extensive and growing portfolio of heritage site redevelopment across the capital, including the V&A Museum extension, the £300m redevelopment of Borough Yards, the Metropolitan Police Service’s Grade II listed Hammersmith Police Station and multiple buildings across Parliament’s northern estates in Westminster.
A further £426k was invested into training local people, while 1,230 students were supported by education activities and £10k was invested into supporting education in the area.
