Previous Projects - Refurbishment Projects

CAVERDALE MOTORS, ST ALBANS

Client: Caverdale Motors

Architects: SDA Partnership

Structural Engineers: Melia Smith & Jones

The buildings on this site had been originally built for GPO Telecommunications as offices and workshops in the early 1960's. The site comprised part 3 and 2 storey reinforced concrete framed offices with an attached single storey loadbearing masonry workshop and 2 separate steel framed workshop units.

Prior to the purchase of the site by Caverdale Motors the design team was appointed to survey the buildings and prepare recommendations for remedial works and alterations. Following purchase the design team carried the project through planning, building regulations, part demolition, strengthening and refurbishment.

A key objective of the development was to open the site and buildings up to improve visibility and to draw in prospective customers. This required significant amounts of demolition and alterations.

The single storey loadbearing masonry workshop was converted to form the main showroom. This required the removal of the majority of the external brick panels and internal masonry walls. MSJ designed a new structural steel bracing system to maintain stability of the building.

Three bays of the office block were demolished and the frontage of the building was modified to increase the window sizes. Strengthening works were designed by MSJ to the new end bay of the building. This was inadequately reinforced due to it originally having been an internal bay.

The steel structures of the single storey workshops were modified to reposition and increase the size of door openings. At all stages the stability of the structure was checked by MSJ and strengthening works designed where necessary.

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