Early In Means Savings For Developer

Getting involved early on in the final design of the car park ventilation system for a luxury apartment development in Central London has meant that Smoke Control Services have been able to deliver the project for significantly less than the original budget.

The company was called in by Barratt West London to install the extraction system for the car park in their Tachbrook Apartments development on the Tachbrook Triangle in Pimlico in accordance with a consultant’s specification.

The original design proposed the use of extraction vents, but a detailed site inspection revealed an opportunity to avoid that more costly route. Working with Barratt’s architects and the local building control officer, a revised layout was agreed which meant that natural ventilation could be achieved.

“This was a great example of a client getting us involved at an early stage in a project,” said Smoke Control Services managing director Allan Meek.

“There is a tendency these days to over-engineer ventilation systems which end up- being too complex and expensive for the job,” he said.

“We have built our business on taking a simple approach, and thinking laterally to see how natural ventilation systems can be incorporated into a design, rather than automatically going for the expensive machines-driven option.

“In this case, we were able to put in an installation which completely met building control requirements for good deal less than the original budgeted cost to Barratt.”

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