Rowe Lane in Hackney involves a mixed-use regeneration development of residential and commercial. The commercial unit is situated on the ground floor while the residential unit occupies the upper floors. The original planning submission was made in 2016, however the project remained on hold. We were appointed by Rhomco for performance design and build duties in 2018, taking on the responsibility and further development of the design. 

During our employment we took the design from the concept to the development stage, providing insight and design criteria where necessary. We were heavily involved in regular recorded meetings between the client team, voicing our suggestions and proactively pushing the design forward. 

One of the major challenges of this site was to achieve the required 35% betterment over the Part L 2013 requirements.  Our low carbon consultants team investigated and carried out a feasibility study on the project to determine what could be targeted for a more cost-effective solution to the project, making it achieve the 35% value. We analysed the department with the most energy consumption, heating, and provided solutions to the client that would reduce the yearly annual demand. This included more passive measures such as reducing thermal bridging and targeting a better air permeability. 

We prepared the required tender information for the contractor to take the design forward into more detail. Our deliverables at this stage included design intent drawings, concepts and schematics accompanied by a detailed specification outlining design criteria, pre-construction information and design requirements for the tenderers. Our duties after the tender period then included evaluating and commenting on the tender returns, advising the client on the most efficient solution.

The project is due to be handed over to the client in November this year.