21 Moorfields is a flagship, high-specification office development situated over London’s Moorgate underground and rail station. Providing approximately 55,000m² of prime office space, the development is supported by a substantially resilient services strategy, normally only seen in data centres. Gratte Brothers Ltd undertook the full MEPH shell & core installation, utilising their extensive experience in the data centre market to deliver a resilient and efficient building. It has a BREEAM ‘Outstanding’, LEED Gold ratings and is WELL ready and will serve as Deutsche Bank's new UK and European headquarters.
Project Information
Client:
Landsec
Main Contractor:
Sir Robert McAlpine
Sector:
Commercial
Services:
MEPH Shell and Core Installation
The entire formation of the electrical risers, from levels 1 to 15, was built off-site at Gratte Brothers' Chelmsford facility. With the whole kit built off-site, greater control over the quality and timing was achieved, producing a cost-neutral solution that brought a much higher quality solution.
Collaboratively Driven
From the start, collaboration was rooted in the project teams at 21 Moorfields. Four principal sub-contractors were appointed at the start of RIBA Stage 3 with the steel fabricators, lifts, façade and MEP contractors all working under a PCSA agreement. The direct involvement and communication between each enabled buildability to be fed to Cundall, with greater accuracy regarding spatial impact and steel fabrication, whilst providing detailed scope in off-site manufacturing opportunities.
At Stage 4, Cundall continued and concluded the design, whilst Gratte Brothers undertook BIM modelling – concluding all drawings to both tender and installation quality. With key plant suppliers selected, future designs were built with specific information rather than generic. This enabled a greater level of coordination in the Revit model and less reworking that is traditionally witnessed when the MEP contractor adopts a consultant’s model typically based on generic ‘families’.
Off-Site Solutions
The unique constraints brought by a project as complex as 21 Moorfields meant there was nothing to fix the MEP services within the building. With an already colossal quantity of steelwork present on the project, the modular approach provided a perfect solution.
The concept formed around the risers, however, thanks to an early collaborative inception, allowing off-site solutions to be further incorporated into the works. Distribution boards, fire-alarm panels, Vesda panels, fire-alarm interface units, and the landlord lighting system were all built off-site.
The entire formation of the electrical risers, from levels 1 to 15, was also built off-site at Gratte Brothers’ Chelmsford facility. This allowed the procurement of all associated items and equipment to be ordered, built and stored, regardless of the builder’s work progress on-site. With the whole kit built off-site, greater control over the quality and timing produced a cost-neutral solution that also brought a much higher quality solution to 21 Moorfields.
Off-site solutions also standardised extensive quantities of the project. Anything produced off-site at our Chelmsford facility adhered to a specific build procedure in a controlled environment. Everything was pre-wired, pre-loomed and pre-tested when leaving our assembly plant. Every single one of the 400 fire-alarm interfaces in the building is identical – a testament to the consistency of our off-site solution. Furthermore, everything that left our facility was given an identity QR code containing all data associated with that equipment for installation and future maintenance requirements.
Off-site solutions additionally enabled a decoupling of the programme, allowing for whole sections to be built before installation, avoiding any constrictions placed by builders works on site and reducing the installation time on-site.
Digital Thinking
The unique structural movement of the building required a progressive digital mindset to build a solution. Working closely with the structural engineers, every fixed building service had to cater for said movement every three floors.
The structural engineer exclusively modelled the concrete and structure to assess the movement, feeding this information to Gratte Brothers. Movement data paired with the services via stress analysis software, enabled Gratte Brothers to work out the stress impact throughout the building. The result is bespoke movement designs across the mechanical and electrical install, with busbars, pipework and drainage stacks all incorporating movement joints – a truly unique and complicated affair.
Climate Conscious
During Stage 3, Gratte Brothers proposed the use of stainless-steel pipework instead of traditional medium-grade steel. This solution was cost-neutral as the increase in material cost was mitigated by the ease of installation; the lightweight material improved speed and safety onsite. It also reduced the flushing time during commissioning by a third.
Throughout the design and build, Embodied Carbon was monitored and benchmarked. Data monitoring included material manufacturing, transportation and site emissions data. At completion, 91,730 tonnes CO2e or 1,225 kgCO2e/m2 was recorded, a reduction of 24% from RIBA stage 3 – exceeding Landsec’s corporate target of 15% embodied carbon reduction compared to RIBA stage 3. The emissions from materials accounted for the majority 87% of the development, with transportation at 10% and site work at 3%.
Award Winning
The work on 21 Moorfields by Gratte Brothers and the collaborative project teams has been recognised. The MEP design & installation won at the Tall Building Awards, collaborating with consultants Cundall. We have two further nominations, recognising our off-site build efforts and collaborative approach:
Off-site Awards, Best Use Of MEP & Pod Technology
BCIA Awards, Partnership Collaboration Initiative of the Year
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