The project
Old Street Yard, also known as White Collar Factory, is a new courtyard that has opened up the space between City Road and Mallow Street in the centre of London. The development is home to apartment blocks, restaurants and small shops, as well as 237,000 square feet of offices, coming together in an urban environment that is transforming the character of this neighbourhood. The entire area, it is intended, should create an inspiring living and high-tech working hub. Many creative and new technology companies have moved in already. A1 Flue Systems’ client for this contract, Michael J Lonsdale, is a successful privately owned building and engineering services business, trading since 1986.
Our design
Our section of Old Street Yard was a challenging project, typified by the need to install vertical risers on the exterior of the building after we had completed internal horizontal works. This would mean that extraction could be fitted in future on any floor level, connected to the riser within the building. The block is situated on the always-busy roundabout at Old Street and City Road. Working space restrictions meant that the installation necessitated one of our team riding in a basket suspended from the roof. Each section of the flue had to be lowered down the face of the building. It was a painstaking process requiring great care. A further challenge was the weather, with the access platform subject to being blown around.
Comments
“The client – a regular customer of ours – was very pleased, in particular with the commitment of our team to get the job done on time, in spite of the limited working area and the generally poor weather. It was much more than bravery from our four-man team, of course. We provided the complete package, with best-quality customer service. That’s what we do.”
David Smallman, Projects Manager, A1 Flue Systems
