The Cadogan Estate proposed refurbishment works to the ground floor and basement floors of 188 and 189 Sloane Street to join the two existing retail units into one improved larger retail unit.

Civic Engineers were appointed as the Civil and Structural Engineers to carry out a structural engineering appraisal of the existing building and prepare the design for the structural refurbishment proposals. The works involved the removal of the existing party wall between the two units, and the lowering of the ground and basement floors to provide better floor to ceiling heights and improve the overall finish of the retail units.

The structure is a steel frame on concrete pad foundations. The basement lowering involved complex engineering temporarily supporting the columns on new piled foundations, extending the columns down and forming new foundations at the lower level, and underpinning the perimeter walls. The upper levels will be occupied throughout. We were also appointed to design the alterations required to the underground drainage.

To successfully steer the project through the Party Wall Award process we prepared detailed assumed sequences of construction to communicate how we intended the works to be carried out. These same drawings were used in the tender documentation to inform the contractor of the complexities in maintaining the overall stability of the building throughout the duration of the works.