Projects
Build to Rent, Commercial, Education
Southwark Town Hall Development
The former Southwark Town Hall has been transformed – the new mixed-use scheme offers art and leisure facilities including a theatre, café, artist studios, whilst also housing student accommodation for Goldsmiths University.
The site to the rear is the new home for Theatre Peckham, with a dedicated rehearsal space and a larger auditorium. The development also provides a new public space with improved access to Sceaux Gardens. The 1930s facade and main structure of the building on Peckham Road, London has been refurbished and restored – retaining a number of significant features.
Southwark Town Hall once played an important role in Camberwell and the wider South London area. This development took a fresh approach, respecting the former Town Hall’s heritage and character – marking a new phase in the history of this important building.
Key Data
Architect:
Jestico & Whiles
Client:
Alumno Developments
Engineer:
WA Fairhurst
Main Contractor:
HG Construction
Installer:
HG Construction
Steel Framing Systems Supplier:
EOS
Materials / Type of System:
Stud & Track &
Load Bearing Steel (LBS)
DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION
The project involved extensive collaboration with Southwark Council and the local community to facilitate the regeneration of the former Town Hall and the demolition and re-provision of Theatre Peckham – a community theatre which has operated for more than two decades. The main entrance and courtyard allows students to circulate between the former Town Hall building and the recently refurbished neighbouring student block comprising 149 rooms, without disrupting traffic and pedestrians. There is also a large shared common room, which has a dramatic skyline view from the roof.
CHALLENGES AND RESOLUTIONS
Cost certainty and sustainability was behind the specification of a Steel Framing System for this complex development, together with speed of build to accommodate the students of Goldsmiths University in time for the new semester.
EOS scope of work was two-fold.
The design, manufacture and supply of SFS Infill for the student accommodation – consisting of RC slabs with a Hot-Rolled frame grid interface and SFS for the external façade, together with Load Bearing Steel to form the pavilion structure and roof terrace.
Working with their client, installer HG Construction, EOS delivered a lightweight Load Bearing Steel structure to the roof on the seventh floor of the existing Town Hall building, combining cutting edge Curtain Walling and feature materials. Hot Rolled Posts were integrated into the SFS wall to hide an ugly steel beam and create an architectural feature – whilst allowing for large open spaces within the pavilion and roof terrace.
Whilst also delivering in parallel SFS Infill to the student accommodation blocks – helping to secure and achieve an extremely tight construction programme to meet the impending University new semester.
As leading innovators in light gauge steel construction, EOS specialise in the design, manufacture and supply of a wide range of bespoke solutions for Steel Framing Systems (SFS) – enabling the company to meet the extensive and diverse requirements of the Southwark project.