Watford Town Hall

Description

Upgrading and adapting existing systems in a public workspace and heritage site. De-risking at every opportunity.

Background
Watford Town Hall is a 1930’s building, pre-second world war. One that’s seen many amalgamations through the years. Originally designed by C Cowles-Vosey, certain aspects were due for an upgrade.

Challenges
The Town Hall itself was built before the rigours of today’s health and safety regulations and as such modern-day requirements necessitated upgrades within the historic building. As an existing building, it has no distribution routes or cabling, either. What’s more, certain lighting has historical sensitivity – as do many rooms and walls. The interior staircase that sweeps up to the main council chamber is listed in its own right, as a prime example of Art Deco construction. Limited accessibility also had to be factored in.

Solutions
After an initial survey to ascertain where things stood against compliance and sensitive integration, we started work based on our report. A key part of the process was immediately highlighting issues and de-risking. Pivotal to success was a close working relationship with Watford Borough Council, regular visits to the site as well as meetings with the staff and specialists who currently work in the building. Looking to the future, the new service systems will be easier to maintain, saving the client time and money. But most of all, the project has ensured a better, safer working environment.