Adexsi UK is providing key building safety elements for Great Portland Estates’ redevelopment of the former Post Office site in Rathbone Place, just north of London’s Oxford Street.
The Rathbone Square development will create a whole new block in central London, combining offices, 162 apartments and shopping with a new public square. This is all being developed on a site just a stone’s throw from Tottenham Court Road rail station, where Crossrail services will soon be added to existing Underground services, creating one of London’s best connected travel hubs. The area around the station is being opened up with substantial new public spaces, which will enhance the appeal of the eastern end of Oxford Street, while changes are also planned to reduce road traffic in Tottenham Court Road.
The project is currently under construction, to designs by architects Make, and should be complete in early 2017. The project received a substantial vote of confidence when Facebook signed to rent all of the office space in One Rathbone Square, as soon as it is finished. The move by the social media giant to locate its staff in the area shows that the West End of London continues to attract media companies, despite the apparent draw of Tech City around the so-called Silicon Roundabout in Shoreditch.
Adexsi has been called on to ensure fire safety within the vertical elements of all the major blocks within the development. Working directly with leading services specialists Michael J Lonsdale, the company will be delivering eight Veripower mechanical smoke shafts in the residential buildings, and two in the larger office blocks. Adexsi’s smoke and natural ventilation systems are commonly specified by architects and leading services engineers, as they can combine smart building day to day ventilation requirements with the need for robust emergency safety systems. The flexibility of design means that smoke and natural ventilation panels can often be accommodated within architecturally appealing facades, glazing and atrium cladding.