Paddington Maintenance Depot
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Elevation of the north most point
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Workshops, offices and boiler house of the maintenance depot for road vehicles built for British Rail's Paddington Goods Yard
Designed as two separate blocks connected underground, the main structure is a reinforced concrete frame clad on the upper floors with glazed ceramic mosaic.
The irregular triangular floor plan resulted from land scooped out for the making of the elevated Harrow Road and M40 Westway. The main floors are open plan with workshops and offices housed above ground with boiler room below. The tall staircase and lift block rise from the broader entrance or 'stern' end allowing entry from the first floor roadway or exposed semi-basement. The building facade features a band of continuous metal mullion-light glazing on first and upper floors bathing the interior in light.
Attached to the west office block are the maintenance garages comprising a reinforced concrete oval and single storey garaging with basement inspection pits. A shell concrete roof covers the garages with arched cantilevered beams springing from side walls and central piers over the clerestorey glazing. The shell is further pierced by portholes to give a feeling of light and space.
Data
- Begun: 1964
- Completed: 1968
- Floor area: 70,000m2
- Sector: Industrial
- Total cost: £1.4M
- Funding: British Rail
- Address: Harrow Road, London, W9 3RD, United Kingdom
Professional Team 
- Architect: Bicknell and Hamilton
- Project architects: B. H. Crockford, D. L. Bates, D. P. Quin, Hubert Bennett, Paul A. Hamilton, Walter Stahel
- Client: British Rail
- Structural engineer: G Maunsell & Partners
- Quantity surveyor: C John Mann & Sons
- Quantity surveyor: Yeoman & Edwards
- Electrical and Mechanical: Oscar Faber & Partners
- Main contractor: AELTC
- M&E engineer: Oscar Faber & Partners
Suppliers
- Ready-mixed concrete: Picon (London) Ltd
- Zinc sheet roofing: L. Carter & Sons Ltd
- Windows & patent glazing: Teleflex Products Ltd
- Structural steelwork: C. C. Dunkerley & Co Ltd
- Precast concrete blocks & coping: Broadmead Products Ltd
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