Clarence House

The Challenge

The refurbishment of Clarence House for Swindon Borough Council was a particularly challenging project. Clarence House itself is a Grade II listed, two storey Victorian building within the SBC Civic Campus. The refurbishment was carried out over two stories providing office accommodation on the upper floor and Social services facilities on the ground floor. Having a listed building status meant that the planning consent came with  a list of stringent conditions including no direct fixing to the existing walls or any alterations to the external envelope including penetrations for additional ventilation, as well as fixing directly to the perimeter walls. It was also a requirement that the building remained operational during construction period so to house a number of employees.

The Solution

The contract was split into two phases so that each floor could be completed in isolation whilst one floor remained occupied by the client. Hookway's duties included monthly valuations and financial statements as well as negotiating the contract sum for the 2nd phase and agreeing the final account. As with the nature of refurbishment works, there were many unforeseen variations which required measuring and costing. The accuracy and efficiency in which the cost reports were provided enabled the client to make informed decisions in relation to contract modification which ensured the project’s completion on time and within budget.

The Result

The client’s satisfaction with Hookway's services were shown by the extension of our contract to assist in the refurbishment of another listed building on their site with a final construction cost of the three phases of circa £1.2m.