KX 200.

The KX 200 project entailed the redevelopment of two existing fifteen-storey office blocks into mixed residential use, along with the construction of a new five-storey podium building to the south and west of the two existing towers.

Location

London, UK

Client

First Base

Architect

AHMM

Project Value

£40 million

Status

completed 2008

Expertise

Structures

The scheme as a whole provides a mixed use of student accommodation, affordable housing, market housing, local amenity space, and retail space. Reuse was a key part of the scheme, with demolition kept to a minimum. This allowed a more sustainable approach, while also being cost-effective.

Our client was First Base, who were working in partnership with Lendlease on many similarly procured and funded projects. These projects are part of the English Partnership London Wide Initiative, with the primary goal being developing difficult inner-city sites, providing a range of low cost and affordable housing.

The structural works in the KX 200 project were varied. The first part of the works involved rebuilding the upper two floors of the fifteen-storey towers and difficult modifications of the inner stability cores. The latter part of the works involved the construction of the podium building, which has numerous challenging interfaces with both the existing tower building and the extended basement that partially occupies the site.

To aid the fast programme of the project and to suit the final usage, the podium building was constructed using the twinwall technique, a hybrid of partial precast and in-situ concrete construction. We also utilised off-site production wherever possible, simplifying the works on site.