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PROJECT PROFILE

Premier Inn Wandsworth:
Design-Led Façade Remediation

INTRODUCTION

Located on Garratt Lane in the heart of Wandsworth, Premier Inn forms part of a busy mixed-use commercial development that incorporates an operational hotel and ground-floor retail premises, including Sainsbury's and Sports Direct.
The project required much more than replacing the existing façade materials.

PREMIER INN, WANDSWORTH

Project Highlights at a Glance

  • Location: Wandsworth, London SW18 4AD.
  • Sector: Hospitality, retail and mixed-use commercial property.
  • Our Role: Principal Contractor with contractor design responsibility.
  • Scope of Works: Façade remediation, design development, fire-safety coordination, SFS and parapet remediation, access engineering and non-combustible decking.
FAÇADE LIFESPAN

30 years Minimum

INTEGRATED DESIGN

Technical Expertise

INTEGRATED FAÇADE REMEDIATION
WHILE KEEPING BUSINESSES OPERATIONAL

Starfish Construction was appointed as Principal Contractor with contractor design responsibility, bringing together technical investigation, façade design development, engineering coordination, access planning and construction delivery while the hotel and retail businesses continued to operate.

Through an integrated Diagnose, Design, Deliver approach, the team developed the remediation design based on verified site conditions, addressed concealed defects uncovered during opening-up, and coordinated multiple building-envelope interfaces to provide a robust replacement façade while maintaining safe access and business continuity throughout the works.

Taking Time to Understand the Building

A successful remediation strategy depended first on understanding what was actually present within the existing building envelope. Following appointment, Starfish Construction reviewed the tender-stage cladding investigation information, PCI, existing drawings, fire strategy, Employer's Requirements and remedial façade specification. This was supplemented by measured surveys, point-cloud surveying and intrusive investigation as access became available.

These façade inspections and surveys enabled the project and Design and Technical teams to verify the existing façade build-up, cavity-barrier locations, support rails, steel framing system, parapets, membranes and interfaces around windows, roofs and terraces. 

Winchester Mews Apartments

Rather than treating surveying, design and construction as separate activities, the team used the information gathered from the building to develop a practical remediation strategy based on the conditions the delivery team would encounter on site.

Claremont Place Scaffold

Our Expertise

KEEPING DESIGN CONNECTED TO CONSTRUCTION

One of the Premier Inn Wandsworth project's strongest features was the continued involvement of design and technical expertise throughout delivery.
The contractor-designed package brought together the replacement façade build-up with structural, thermal, fire-safety, access and weatherproofing considerations.

Design development and technical coordination included structural calculations for brackets, rails, and fixings; pull-out testing; thermal and condensation assessments; cavity-barrier and fire-stopping coordination; façade support and interface detailing; temporary works; scaffold and cradle coordination; and technical submissions for review by the wider consultant team and Building Control.

This integrated approach meant design decisions could be considered alongside buildability, sequencing, access, operational requirements and the conditions being uncovered on site.

Starfish Construction was not simply handed a completed design to install. The Design and Technical function worked alongside the project and delivery teams to help develop the contractor-designed solution, coordinate specialist technical input and respond as further information became available during construction.

RESPONDING TO CONCEALED CONDITIONS

Façade remediation rarely involves simply removing one system and installing another. At Premier Inn Wandsworth, opening up progressively exposed conditions that could not have been fully understood from the original tender information.
Findings included corroded sections of existing SFS, defective or unsuitable galvanised C-channels, combustible materials concealed within the existing construction, defects within parapet build-ups, complex roof waterproofing interfaces and structural steel requiring additional fire protection.

The Starfish Construction team recorded the findings, raised RFIs and coordinated the necessary specialist engineering and design input before the affected areas progressed.
Keeping the project, technical and Design and Technical functions connected allowed the team to assess emerging conditions and incorporate them into the developing solution, rather than creating disconnected design and construction workstreams.

    Delivering Within a Live Commercial Asset

    The upper floors of the development remained in use as a Premier Inn throughout the project, while Sainsbury's, Sports Direct and other areas at lower levels continued to receive staff, customers and deliveries.

    Works were carefully phased by elevation, with entrances, pedestrian routes and emergency escape routes protected throughout. Disruptive activities were coordinated around operational requirements and permitted working periods to minimise their impact upon guests, staff, customers and neighbouring businesses.

    The building's configuration and constrained urban location also restricted conventional access and storage arrangements. Starfish developed a coordinated access and logistics strategy incorporating scaffolding, cradles, gantries, loading arrangements, a goods and passenger hoist and a scaffold walkway across the Sainsbury's roof.

    St George's Island Manchester Facade remediation

    MANAGING COMPLEX BUILDING ENVELOPE INTERFACES

    The façade works connected with existing roofs, green-roof areas, terraces, parapets, windows and waterproofing systems.

    These interfaces required careful sequencing because removal of the existing façade could temporarily increase the building's exposure to water ingress. Temporary weather protection, controlled removal and reinstatement sequences and additional remedial works to roof and parapet interfaces were incorporated as conditions became known.

    The works also included installing new non-combustible decking to terrace areas, extending the remediation programme beyond the principal façade elevations and helping create a more coordinated approach to the affected external building envelope.

    LEAVING A POSITIVE LEGACY

    A non-combustible façade, preserved character and business continuity

    The completed works replaced the existing HPL façade panels, phenolic insulation and associated combustible materials with a new non-combustible façade build-up while retaining the building's established timber-effect architectural appearance.
    The programme also provided the opportunity to address defects that only became visible as the original façade was opened, including deterioration within the SFS, inappropriate support components, trapped combustible materials, parapet defects and exposed structural steel requiring additional protection.

    Most importantly, the complex remediation programme was undertaken while the hotel and retail occupiers continued to operate.

    Premier Inn Wandsworth demonstrates the value of connecting surveying, design development, technical coordination, access planning and construction delivery within a single project team.

    Halid Ibrulj, Associate Director, Design & Technical Starfish Construction, commented:

    “Premier Inn Wandsworth demonstrates why design and delivery need to remain connected on complex façade remediation projects. As the existing façade was opened, our teams encountered conditions that could not have been fully understood at tender stage. Having technical, design and delivery capability working together allowed us to assess those findings, coordinate the appropriate response and keep the project progressing safely within a fully operational hotel and retail environment. It is a strong example of the value our integrated approach can bring to complex building envelope remediation.”

    INTEGRATED EXPERTISE, PROVEN IN A LIVE ENVIRONMENT

    Premier Inn Wandsworth shows how an integrated approach can manage complex building envelope challenges by connecting investigation, design development, specialist engineering, project controls and construction delivery.

    The project showcases:

    • Principal Contractor delivery with contractor design responsibility.
    • Connected surveying, façade design, specialist engineering and construction through Diagnose, Design, Deliver.
    • Developed the remediation design around verified site conditions.
    • Replaced combustible façade materials while preserving the timber-effect appearance.
    • Resolved concealed defects and coordinated complex building-envelope interfaces.
    • Maintained safe access and business continuity for hotel and retail occupiers throughout the works.

    For building owners, asset managers, project managers and consultants, the project provides practical evidence of Starfish Construction's ability to move façade remediation from uncertainty and investigation to coordinated design and delivery in a challenging live environment.

    BUILDING ENVELOPE

    CLADDING

    RESIDENT LIAISON

    TECHNICAL SURVEYING