27th March 2019

In heritage and in health

Thomasons was recently appointed as structural and civil engineers on a project to construct a large extension to Essex Lodge surgery in East London.

An old building, this was the second extension in the structure’s lifetime to extend its footprint and was constructed using a traditional steel frame with composite concrete metal deck floors.

Initial challenges specific to the project centred on how the new building would connect into the existing one without causing major disruption to the day-to-day work of the busy surgery.

Furthermore, there were a number of defects within the existing building, such as a buried cellar, discovered during construction, and significant decay to the original timber floor, which needed to be urgently addressed.

This lead to the installation of a suspended ground floor, an essential requirement as there had been great deal of disturbance of the natural ground from prior site development.

To make matters even more difficult, the extension site was extremely tight, with limited room for manoeuvre. Thomasons’ team had to work creatively to ensure the smooth construction of the extension and drainage on a small plot.

Commenting on the project, Director Steve McSorley says, “Essex Lodge provided our engineers with a real challenge. When working in a confined space the margin for error is very, very limited. It also poses a logistical problem too. However, through combined ingenuity we managed to help deliver the extension according to schedule, with no disruption to the surgery’s daily work.”

To find out more about Thomasons work with historic buildings, click here.

Photos courtesy of Murphy Philipps Architects