Warehouse
and offices - ASI Ltd., 22 Deer Park Road, Lombard Trading
Estate, Wimbledon, SW19 3TL, (2006 - )
The £3m re-development of Unit 22, Deer Park Road on
the Lombard Trading Estate in Wimbledon, is the practice’s
largest project to date and represents it’s bold expansion
into the commercial sector. Our client, Al-Shirkatul Islamiyyah,
Registered Charity #295197, is the administrative wing of the
Ahmadiyya Muslim Association UK, and has numerous interests
including the promotion of religion in the UK through publishing
and broadcasting. It's affiliated charity, Humanity First,
is involved in numerous natural and man made disaster relief
operations at any one time around the world and it's work has
included providing humanitarian relief in Sri Lanka, India
and Indonesia in the immediate aftermath of the 2004 Boxing
Day tsunami, the 2005 earthquake in Pakistan and recent hurricanes
in the USA. Humanity First's first major operation was to render
relief assistance to the Bosnians in 1993, during the Bosnian
Conflict but it also provided medical services and aid consignments
during the Sierra Leone Civil War. It has long term projects
in West Africa and recently completed the construction of the
first Senior Secondary School in Banjul, The Gambia. New IT
skills centres have been established in Ghana and Benin with
further enhancements to existing institutes in Burkina Faso
and Sierra Leone. Humanity First has set up orphanages in West
Africa and South America and special eye care clinics for the
treatment of cataracts as well as initiatives such as the Water
for Life programme in remote villages in West Africa.
Having been awarded the contract for the re-development of
ASI Ltd's UK headquarters and warehouse, Alex Coleman Associates
were initially instructed to prepare and submit a Planning
Application which would, in particular, address the urgent
need for increased storage space and improved office space
and circulation.
Situated on the north west side of Deer Park Road in an area
used solely for industrial use, the existing building was built
in 1950 for the import of hosiery from India and the Far East
and consists of a single-storey solid brick constructed warehouse
covered with corrugated cement sheeting with a percentage of
translucent roof lights. In 1972, planning permission was granted
for the erection of a three-storey aluminum clad rear extension
which is currently used as ancillary office space. In 1997,
planning permission was granted for the change of use from
general industrial use to warehouse / light industrial use.
The scheme involves the demolition of the original single-storey
brick structure and it's replacement with a 3-storey structure
which will increase the warehouse storage space by 2200 sq.m
to create a total floorspace of 3900 sq.m. The ground floor
of the new warehouse will be used for light industrial (B8)
use with the first floor accommodating ancillary office (B1)
space and void to allow for a double height space at ground
floor, and the second floor will be set aside for packing space
prior to distribution. The new warehouse will be a steel-framed
structure clad with a galvanised steel composite panelling
system for both the walls and the low-pitched roof, which will
be in-keeping with the adjacent buildings. The roof will be
concealed behind a parapet wall and rainwater downpipes will
be accommodated internally. The finished colour of the panels
will be carefully chosen to match the existing colour scheme
of the area and will be approved by the Council before proceeding
on site. The proposal has been careful designed to make no
impact on the footprint of the existing building and very little
impact on the overall scale and feel of the site. The overall
height of the extension fronting Deer Park Road will be 11.5m
from Ground Level which is also similar to the adjacent buildings.
The front of the site has full width
access on to Deer Park Road and is finished to provide a hard
standing for both staff and commercial vehicles. The east side
border is enclosed by a high level steel fence and the west
side is open to the adjacent property. To the rear of the building
there is more hard standing for staff car parking. Currently
the site has 25 car park spaces - 11 to the forecourt loading
bay area off Deer Park Road and 14 at the rear. It is proposed
that the hard standing areas will be retained and parking bays
be re-marked to allow for a total of 20 spaces and one space
for disabled use. It is proposed to provide lighting both for
security purposes and for use by the staff and visitors when
parking and approaching and leaving the building. CCTV cameras
will be used to monitor the external elevations of the building
and the car park areas. Routes for emergency access have been
maintained and have not been compromised with the construction
of the new building. Access is available along the west side
of the building to the rear of the building. Level access to
comply with DDA and Approved Document Part M Building Regulations
will be provided throughout the new extension. It is proposed
to install a new wheelchair accessible passenger lift to the
front of the new extension to access all floors for both staff
and visitors. The new main entrance area will be clearly sign
posted externally to comply with Sign Design Guide.
See Large
Version - See Medium Version
See Large
Version - See
Medium Version
In addition
to designing the new warehouse, Alex Coleman Associates have
also been instructed to re-work areas of the existing building
and adapt them where necessary to comply with current Building
Regulations and DDA requirements. This includes providing
new wheelchair accessible WC’s for the use of both
staff and visitors on all three floors.
London
Borough of Merton’s Development
Control and Building Control Departments have been consulted
during the design stage
and comments have been incorporated into the scheme.
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ASI
has had an excellent and positive experience
in working with Alex Coleman Associates in trying
to design a suitable extension to our present
building in order to meet our ever-expanding
requirements. The quality of their design and
presentation especially in taking extra care
in developing sympathetic solution to the proposed
use of the site, was of enormous help. They have
followed through our planning application to
Merton Council and have handled it in an excellent
way to its successful conclusion. They have definitely
performed beyond our expectation and working
with them has been a pleasure. |
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A.
B. ARSHAD (CHAIRMAN)
For & on behalf of ASI Ltd. |
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