Case Study
Trinity Square
Client
Earl Kendrick Associates
Contract Value
£400k +VAT
Time Frame
14 weeks
Request for Information
We were appointed as the Main Contractor for the external refurbishment of a Grade II listed building in Tower Bridge, offering panoramic views of London’s iconic skyline. The project was overseen by a chartered building surveying practice, acting as both the Principal Designer and Contracts Administrator.
The scope of work included the removal and replacement of the existing pitched and flat roof areas, steam cleaning the masonry, and redecorating previously painted surfaces. The project posed several challenges, primarily due to access restrictions. The building is located at the junction of two roads managed by different authorities— the City of London and Transport for London (TFL)—which made obtaining permits and managing logistics more complex. Once permissions were granted, we erected fully boarded scaffolding and commenced the work.
The top floors of the building were occupied by residents, while the ground floor housed a pub and restaurant. This required careful coordination to minimize disruption to occupants throughout the refurbishment process.
As a Grade II listed building, every repair had to be carefully planned and approved in collaboration with English Heritage, Building Control, and the Listed Building Officer. Despite these complexities and the need to balance the interests of multiple stakeholders, the project was completed to an exceptionally high standard, with all parties expressing great satisfaction with the results.
Roof Replacements
The flat roofs were ventilated, and due to planning restrictions, we were unable to add additional insulation from above because of sightline height requirements. To overcome this, we insulated the roof from the underside to improve its thermal performance. We then applied a two-layer felt system with a 25-year warranty.
We encountered several challenges, including the need to suspend mechanical plant equipment and relocate free-standing handrails, all while ensuring that the operations of the ground floor commercial units remained unaffected.
The pitched roofing works were similarly demanding. We removed and replaced the roof while upgrading the building’s thermal performance with fire-retardant materials to meet regulatory and stakeholder requirements. Given the building’s listed status, all materials had to be replaced on a like-for-like basis. We were directed to use reclaimed slate for the new roof and sourced high-quality Welsh slate to meet these specifications.
All dormers were updated with new lead sheeting in the appropriate code, and new ventilation details were incorporated. Although the windows were not part of the listing—having been replaced 24 years ago—we made efforts to preserve the building’s appearance by sympathetically refurbishing the existing dormer windows. These windows were removed, sent to a specialist fabricator for off-site refurbishment, re-sprayed, and then re-installed. Additionally, all perimeter box gutters were replaced as part of the pitched roofing works.
External Facade Works
The external refurbishment was the more straightforward component of the project. Our brief was relatively simple: we carried out a full DOFF clean of the external masonry, performed localised ashlar repointing and general stone repairs, and redecorated all previously painted surfaces.
