Pembridge Place is a large family residence on one of the most prestigious residential avenues in Notting Hill, which has been developed by the owner to reflect a modern international high-end lifestyle. Knowles & Associates Ltd were appointed to this project by the client’s Project Manager as a result of a successful basement retrofit, total structural refurbishment and fit-out in Chelsea. Both projects required very close cooperation with neighbouring properties, along with the borough highways department, to ensure considerate and safe practice.
Because of the size of the project in Notting Hill, the client was comforted by Knowles’ membership of ASUC and by the track record of financial accounts submitted in advance as part of the selection process.
Expert understanding
An expert understanding of all matters related to planning permission was required in order to appreciate what was permissible under planning law and what work would require compliance with the pending application. We were able to work closely with the client’s agent to expedite work where possible to thus reduce unnecessary costs potentially incurred by time delays.
Knowles’ specialist expertise in temporarily supporting the house through the removal of the rear façade of the house required the installation of a series of piles to support the house and the new structure particularly to the lift shaft which in turn supported all the new steel frame above.
This project presented some area-specific challenges that Knowles were able to successfully overcome. Within the Borough, close attention is required to the safety of pedestrians and the aesthetics of the road. In order to accommodate site-office and supervisory space, substantial accommodation was required above the Pedestrian Highway, together with a housing for the conveyor to wait and loads lorries which were required in considerable numbers, given the size of the excavation. We were required to design a hoarding and street-side facility that was harmonious with the neighbourhood but functional with the higher than average number of vehicles coming and going. The hoarding incorporated a retractable conveyor belt to load onto awaiting ‘wait & load’ lorries, which were only allowed int the neighbourhood for four hours a day!
This aesthetic was required by the client in order to avoid antagonising the neighbours and to ensure best practice with the Highways Department. The new build works were specifically designed to ensure that the original house design character was not affected in anyway and the street appearance never changed.
Taking pride in projects
Knowles are rightly proud of this project. In a prestigious residential avenue in London’s Notting Hill, to have a achieved the project of this magnitude and complexity on time, on budget and without disturbance to the neighbouring community, has been a significant achievement.
They are used to being commissioned for technically complex projects, however this one called for high levels of coordinated communication, logistics, regulatory compliance and employee welfare which took our standard offering to a higher plain. To achieve drilling, piling, extraction and underpinning on such a scale was a substantial challenge, but one Knowles were happy to meet.
The outcome was a highly satisfied client and further orders from the same project agent.
