The transformation of an ex-serviceman’s club in Wimbledon into a state-of-the-art office building will be marked on Thursday 27 June with an official opening, attended by the new Mayor of Merton, Geraldine Stanford and representatives from the Civic Trust.
The development at 241 Broadway, Wimbledon was commended by the Civic Trust who described it as a ‘a brave conversion of a Victorian semi-detached house’ at the 2006 Civic Trust Awards, which took place in April at Lord’s Cricket Ground in London.
The project includes a long single storey extension to the rear and added separate accommodation on the upper floors. A studio has been constructed at the rear occupying a space which previously housed a shed. The building is environmentally sound exploiting sunlight from the roof. The building is ventilated naturally, using the ground’s thermal mass to pre-cool hot air in summer, and to warm incoming air in the winter. In order to do this ground pipes are buried in the ground less than 1 metres below the ground floor slab level. The building has a stainless steel frame supporting a cantilevered roof and a mezzanine level to maximise space. The building is the new premises of Elliott Wood Partnership – a structural engineering practice.
Merton’s Principal Planning Officer, Phil Ryder said:
‘I was very pleased to hear that the office development building at 241 the Broadway Wimbledon was commended by the Civic Trust and am happy we can mark this success on Tuesday 27 June. This development is a fine example of a sustainable development, which has been designed to minimise the use of non-renewable energy resources. It serves as an excellent demonstration of what can be achieved by environmentally responsible designers and developers.”
The Civic Trust is a national charity which champions the value of good, inclusive design in the built environment; the Awards have been running since 1959. The Civic Trust Awards run on a two-year cycle. Projects in the UK’s major cities and metropolitan areas were therefore last awarded in 2004.