Ladbroke Hall, located in the vibrant Ladbroke Grove area of West London, is a prestigious refurbishment project which brought new life to this iconic Grade II listed building.
The historic building constructed in 1903 was formerly known as the Clément-Talbot factory, which served as a car showroom and assembly plant. In addition to the refurbishment, the project also included a new basement gallery, a garden pavilion, and an East Block Extension housing additional gallery and office spaces.
Integration provided a comprehensive M&E design up to Stage 4 for the creation of new services within the building. The client's vision was to revitalize the existing structure while integrating new elements that would cater to the evolving needs of their artistic endeavours.
The Ladbroke Hall project posed several challenges, mainly due to the constraints of working with an existing listed building. The introduction of new heating, cooling, ventilation, drainage, water, power, and data systems needed careful collaboration between the design team, client, contractors, and suppliers of engineering equipment.
One key challenge involved providing upgraded studio spaces with improved ventilation, heating, and cooling systems. The existing structure in the ceiling void posed difficulties for the installation of a standard air handling unit. To overcome this, the design team worked closely with the air handling unit supplier and contractors to devise a bespoke system that effectively accommodates the existing structure while delivering the required heating and cooling capacities.
An innovative feature incorporated into Ladbroke Hall is the inclusion of a gaseous fire suppression system in the new basement plantroom. This system serves a dual purpose: firstly, it meets the life safety requirements set forth by the Fire Engineer, ensuring the protection of occupants and valuable artwork; secondly, it avoids potential water damage which could occur with a traditional wet sprinkler system. The implementation of this gaseous fire suppression system in a smaller footprint has allowed for more front-of-house gallery space, enhancing the overall aesthetic and functionality of the space.
Ladbroke Hall features spacious studio spaces and boasts one of the country's largest cove walls for photoshoots. The challenge lies in effectively heating the tall spaces during winter and managing cooling requirements due to high heat gains from lighting equipment and solar radiation. We explored opportunities to optimize the system, such as recycling heat gains from the lighting rig to the occupied area.
An airflow study using computational fluid dynamics was conducted to evaluate a jet nozzle servicing scheme. The study identified potential hot spots, cold areas, and drafts in the occupied zone. Results revealed that a ceiling-level jet nozzle system could provide heating and cooling, but it relied too heavily on high-level sources, resulting in excessive air movement and potential drafts.
To address this, supplementary heating and cooling were proposed under the mezzanine level to ensure more balanced temperatures and mitigate drafts.
Ladbroke Hall stands as a testament to the successful transformation of a historic building into a contemporary art space, through meticulous planning, teams collaboration and innovative solutions.
