Keller has carried out specialist geotechnical work for the 'sensitive redevelopment' of a former art deco police station into apartments.
The project
The structural upgrades at the Grade II listed Tooting police station were required as part of the scheme to turn the building into 62 high-quality residential units with additional community facilities.
Designed by Metropolitan Police architect Gilbert Mackenzie Trench, and constructed in 1939, the five-storey building needed extensive foundation strengthening work to support the transformation.
The redevelopment saw a new floor added to the building, two new lift and stair cores introduced and upgrading the foundations to support the structural changes.
The challenge
All the work had to be completed within the constraints of the existing basement and heritage structural framework - while shallow groundwater, legacy infrastructure and variable ground conditions added to the challenges facing the team.
Steve Attwood, Keller Technical Manager, said: “This was a sensitive redevelopment in every sense.
“Working in a restricted basement within a listed Art Deco structure is never straightforward and with shallow groundwater and old infrastructure beneath the site, we had to be absolutely confident in our methodology.
“Every foundation and its bespoke piling upgrade had to be assessed with a number asymmetric pile layouts being required. The success of the work reflects the strength of the geotechnical experience and the disciplined risk management approach taken throughout."
The solution
Keller's scope included the design and installation of 24 restricted access bearing piles to the two new basement lift pits and 31 Pali Radice minipiles bored through and permanently bonded to the pad foundations of eight more heavily loaded existing columns, to enhance the capacity.
“It was a complex piece of work but the team rose to the challenge. Completing the foundation strengthening within the confining basement conditions is a real credit to the planning and execution on site.”
Keller's collaborative approach with the Engineer, Perega, and Construction Manager, K2 Consultancy, ensured seamless integration of the piling works into the redevelopment programme, enabling the successful delivery of a structurally sound and heritage-respectful transformation.