Liberty Survey

Ingleton Wood were engaged by Liberty to undertake a survey of the Structure and Building Services on and around the roof of their iconic store in Regent Street, London.

The client wished to understand their options for using the area more effectively and developing “the coolest restaurant in London” on top of its existing rooftop. The main part of the building is dominated by the 4 storey (above ground level) mock Tudor oak timber frame construction dating approximately from 1924. These timber members were salvaged items from the dismantling of the Royal Navy ‘men of war’ ships.

Careful consideration was required to prevent the original structure being overloaded from the Restaurant by planning sympathetic transfer structures to avoid the original timbers being over stressed.

The existing services and lift installation were surveyed with the main aim being the relocation of large existing chiller plant and associated electrical supplies, and the extension of the existing 10 person lift to serve the proposed new restaurant. We were able to indicate that the main chiller plant could be replaced with a more energy efficient chiller in a revised location, with work being phased to minimise downtime of cooling provision.

The development also gives the opportunity to rationalise certain air conditioning and air handling systems to improve operational as well as space efficiency. There are two large air handling units on the roof, each serving half of the building.

We were able to report that the overall building is in good structural condition and to give the client very early stage ideas about the structural interventions required to accommodate the restaurant.