Piper Building
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Chris Gascoigne (website) Download Original
Refurbishment and conversion of an industrial building in west London to office, studio and residential use
The Piper Building was constructed in the 1950s for the North Thames Gas Board but had become redundant by 1995.
Refurbishment of the scheme provided 9200m2 of office, studio and light industrial uses and 78 loft-style apartments. Much of the existing resource was re-organised or upgraded to create better use and improve the building's appearance.
The raw material for the Piper Building might have been ordinary, but it was certainly well-built: a precast concrete frame, without internal columns, providing 4.5m spans. Moreover, the floor to ceiling heights were exceptionally generous varying between 4 and 6 metres. The six stories of the main block could easily have accommodated 10 normal office floors.
The project also ensured the survival, in situ, of a significant work of art - the John Piper murals - which would have been very difficult to relocate. It has also given a new use to a group of buildings with potential for continued use.
Data
- Begun: Jan 1997
- Completed: Mar 1998
- Floor area: 9,200m2
- Sectors: Residential, Office
- Procurement: JCT 81
- Address: Piper Building, Peterborough Road, London, SW6 3EF, United Kingdom
Professional Team
- Architect: Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands
- Project architects: Alex Lifschutz, Ben Knight, Charles Olsen, Chris Pollard, David Tucker, Geoff Crowther, Ian Davidson, Mike Barrie, Paul Sandilands
- Client: Piper Building
- Quantity surveyor: Smith Turner Associates
- Structural engineer: Waterman Partnership
- Main contractor: Try Construction
- Services engineer: Waterman Partnership
Suppliers
- External Render: Sto Render
- Windows: Kawner
- Timber floors: Junckers
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