VolkerFitzpatrick celebrates completion of Building 5 Foundation Park, two weeks ahead of schedule!
This February, team members from VolkerFitzpatrick’s Building 5 Foundation Park project gathered in Maidenhead, to celebrate the early completion of a new 70,000ft2 state-of-the-art office unit for JP Morgan.
The project, which began in October 2018, saw the team construct a three-storey CAT A office, featuring open plan work spaces, a full height atrium with internal staircase, and a balcony terrace. The building has also been finished with energy saving LED lighting and photovoltaic roof panels.
Throughout the project, the team worked strategically to overcome a series of logistical challenges, not least working within a live business park, neighbouring an aerodrome. Close collaboration with the airport during the planning phase allowed both parties to coordinate their schedules, ensuring that work to erect the building’s steel frame could proceed on time, with minimal disruption.
The team also prioritised ongoing communication with the existing businesses in the park and local residents surrounding the site, keeping them updated on the project’s progress, via weekly newsletters. To minimise disruption to business park commuters, all materials and equipment for the building were delivered outside of peak hours.
In addition to the significant planning required to carry this out, VolkerFitzpatrick also took the time to install a wheel wash, to clean all delivery vehicles before they left the site, preventing them from carrying dirt or debris into the surrounding business park.
Within the building itself, the team took great care to ensure that every detail was finished to a high specification. The office ceiling design developed from a traditional suspended ceiling into acoustic rafts. This meant all mechanical and electrical installations formed part of the ceiling’s final appearance. A specific ‘ceiling benchmarking area’ was installed, to ensure the desired aesthetic and quality were achieved throughout.
To celebrate the building’s completion, team members were joined by the client and key stakeholders, who took a tour of each area, followed by a ribbon cutting ceremony and refreshments in the atrium.
Rob Lindsay, project manager for VolkerFitzpatrick, said: “What a fantastic journey Foundation Park has been for us. There’s been a real sense of teamwork from start to finish and we have risen to any challenges which we’ve encountered along the way. The result is a client who values our opinion and trusts us to deliver.”
Paul Harris, vice president at J.P. Morgan Asset Management, said: “It has been a pleasure to work with the VolkerFitzpatrick team on the Building 5 development and we are delighted with the finished product. From the very beginning, VolkerFitzpatrick led a positive and open relationship, and this, combined with their attention to detail, enabled us to deliver a building of the highest standards.”
