Windermere Works Business Centre

This was an exciting challenge for the company, from the design team to the engineers. The property was a 200 year-old Cakework factory being extensively remodelled into modern offices for flexible working.

Not only was budget, timekeeping and efficiency key to the overall commercial plan, the design element was extremely important. As a historic building, the developers and architect were dedicated to revealing the history and design of the building itself, incorporating architectural and industrial elements of the factory’s very fabric to be explicitly on show- including the heating system.

This was a build with many challenges, including the large scale of the property and project, the adaptability the system required to match the flexible working of the building’s end purpose, and the sourcing and fitting of very large-scale, highly efficient systems. Irlam UK needed to work closely with the whole project team and adapt quickly to any changes in the overall development, to ensure there was no hold up to any of the build. It was also fantastic to have the opportunity to include within the heating design, the appearance and impact of the heating systems themselves around the building.

All work was completed to high specifications, with all utility pipework to be on show as part of the property’s industrial design brief. This was achieved with installation of 60kw Mitsubishi electric VRF system with 15 indoor units to provide heating and cooling to fully serviced offices. 2 Mitsubishi Lossnay heat recovery ventilation systems were commissioned to provide fresh air to all office spaces and open communal areas. A bespoke cooling system was designed and fitted in the comms and data room.

The full project completed in summer 2017, with a full maintenance and warranty provided. To view the property, see: www.windermereworks.com

“Comfort, clean air, and ambient temperature is vital to our company offering multiple businesses a friendly, warm and professional environment in which to work. However, as a design project reinvigorating this characterful 19th century Cake Works factory building, unusually, the design and appearance of the heating was almost as important as the performance and efficiency. From his incredibly detailed tender, completed at our request in just four days, Nick at the head of Irlam UK has triumphed at both the practical and the aesthetic in this detailed project.”