BGHS have been appointed by Latimer by Clarion Housing Group as Principal Designer and CDM Advisor on this project involving the refurbishment of a redundant listed building (London Chest Hospital) and the surrounding site with new builds of several residential blocks and community areas, all within the hospital site. The site will be the setting for old and new, the Victorian grandeur of the Main Hospital Building combined with sensitively designed new buildings, all co-existing within a tranquil mature landscape setting. The proposed landscape enhancements will combine with careful management and ensure the long term protection of the Site. The refurbishment will open the historic lawn as a public place for the first time and have open views for the public.
There is also associated landscaping of the over all site part of which is managing the protection of a historic Mulberry Tree. The Mulberry Tree received bomb damage when an adjacent chapel received a direct hit during a German air raid in World War 2. The estimated age of the Mulberry Tree vary and include an unlikely belief of a 17th Century association with the Bishop Bonner to more realistic claims for introduction as a Victorian planting, linked with the opening of the London Chest Hospital (1855).
Currently the project is at RIBA Stage 2 with a planning submission scheduled for the end of October 2023. We have just completed a second round of Design Risk Appraisal meetings with the team to update our CDM Compliance Report in line with Stage 2 design progress'.
We have recently highlighted during our design risk appraisal meetings that the features to the buildings need to consider roof access for maintenance to the existing listed building i.e. whether it will be a hatch or preferably direct from a stair core and the roof edge protection required once up on the roof. Discussions also touched on mitigating manual handling whilst refurbishing some of the existing larger ornate features on the external face of the building. Protection of the Black Mulberry once the construction starts has also been discussed.
