Healix House

An existing three storey office building has been refurbished and extended. A new floor was added, in addition to front and rear extensions.

Archive drawings for the property showed that the building sat on piled foundations. The existing structure is formed from two storeys of reinforced concrete frame and a single storey steel and timber mansard.

The design of the additional storey required an assessment to be made of overall loadings used both at the time of the original construction and for the building post development. 

It was found that the building had been designed for higher imposed loads than were required for modern use. This meant that an additional floor could be constructed without any need to strengthen existing foundations. The additional floor has been formed as a steelwork extension to the existing structure to keep it lightweight.

The extensions formed at the front and rear of the property required new piled foundations. Interfaces with the existing building needed careful detailing.

Project Architect: Clive Chapman Architects
Photographs: Clive Chapman Architects