June 24, 2021

The Forge, Woking.

Winner of:

South of England & South Wales Refurbished / Recycled Workplace.

BCO Awards 2022

Project Summary:

Location: Woking, Surrey
Sector: Office
Client: Mayfair Capital
Development Manager: V7 Asset Management
Sector: Office
Architect: Hawkins/Brown
Contract: Thirdway Contracts
Electrical Contractor: Paul Earl
Consultant: Hoare Lea
Consultant: Salvis Group
Value: £ 434 K
Duration: 12 months
Size: 77,350 sq ft
Photography: Michael Pilkington

The recent £13.5 Mil commercial redevelopment of 43 Church Street West in Woking otherwise known as FORGE presents approximately 77,350 sq ft of contemporary commercial CAT A office space designed with every attention to detail. The ambitious development boasts a great location with a quick connection to London.

The forward-thinking scheme was designed by Hawkins/Brown and brought to life by V7 and Thirdway Contracts. The project challenges stereotypes, encourages healthy lifestyle and boasts a stunning street presence.

Office lighting ideas

Originally built in the 1980s, the concrete frame building is located just off the M25 and is arranged over basement, ground and 4 upper floors. The new development features a complete refurbishment of the original building and brings in people-focused amenities like an on-site cafe, atrium, yoga studio, bicycle ramp, cycle storage and also a drone pad. In addition to the traditional rental option, it also offers an opportunity to customise the commercial space.

Following our successful collaboration with Paul Earl on schemes like 25 Settles Street, Cally Yard and 34-38 Provost Street to name a few, we have been approached by their project team with the request for bespoke lighting design in June 2019. We worked closely with Hoare Lea, Paul Earl and Salvis Group, and our lighting design and engineering team became an integral part of the project, turning the design concept of Hawkins\Brown into a reality.

Lighting for offices

Our light engineers attended several site meetings with the design team, provided product samples and technical expertise for the project.

We revised the original proposed RCPs and layout for the luminaires on each floor. Our technical team put forward our slim 50mm linear profile Rio Suspended, and demonstrated it was capable of the task by calculating the lux levels and unified glare rating on each floor. Good quality light distribution and low glare were an absolute key for this project.

Task lighting

In total, 170 hours of bespoke lighting design were used to secure and support this complex project.

Following the current CIBSE standards, our lighting design team engineered a great lighting scheme using one linear profile across the board to keep the design consistent. We used far less linear profiles and made the scheme more visually comfortable and sustainable. We also provided design and supply services on the back of the house area, as well as the emergency lighting calculations. In this project, the emergency lighting was integrated into the linear profiles. In the back of the house areas, standalone emergency lighting was used.

Workplace lighting
LED Lighting

THE DESIGN BRIEF.

Standing out from the crowd and creating a forward thinking space with people at its heart were the main objectives of the design brief for this ambitious development. The client’s assets have been maximised by converting the 4th-floor space into a new office and by improving access and visibility at the ground floor. 

Ground floor

The spacious reception features a cycle ramp straight into the wellness area and changing rooms, encouraging active lifestyle of the tenants. A mix of concealed lighting and linear lighting creates the right amount of drama, energising the space. The linear profiles in the bike rack system enhance the dramatic look and as the tenants head upstairs to start their work day.

Best lighting for offices
Modern office lighting

Upper Ground floor

The ground floor features a spacious and welcoming atrium that also doubles up as a breakout and social space for the occupiers. The Grid, as the atrium has been named, follows a playful geometric pattern further enhanced by architectural lighting. 10 bespoke rectangular-shaped linear lighting systems based on the Rio Suspended direct/indirect have been used to create the desired effect in the atrium area.

Our team also supplied the bespoke linear system for the exterior canopy at the main entrance to the building. The linear system is based on the Rio profile and is IP67 rated.

Lighting for reception areas
Cat A lighting
Office lighting fixtures
Interior lighting for offices and workplaces

First, second, third and fourth floor

Following the playful grid pattern of the atrium, the bespoke rectangular, linear lighting system is used across all floors. These have become the main visual feature of the development, creating a strong connection to the brand and building a bold street presence.

The Rio Suspended Direct/Indirect was used as the main office lighting across the entire scheme. Tried and tested on numerous large scale schemes, the performance-driven Rio is a trusted luminaire with great looks.

The design of the 4th floor was the biggest challenge in terms of the lighting design. The structure of the roof dictates the layout of the luminaires.

A contemporary suspended track system was used as an addition to the linear lighting on this floor to provide extra illumination. The scheme uses two different colour temperatures to achieve a comfortable spatial separation. In the main office areas, the profiles were specified with 4000K while the architectural lighting was specified with a warmer 3000K. 

All office lighting was supplied in a contemporary matte black finish. Integrated emergency lighting was supplied for the main office areas and a full standalone emergency package on all other areas. In the back of the house areas, the wall-mounted bulkhead Turon was used alongside the can style fitting Moy. 

Commercial kitchen lighting
Linear lighting for offices
Linear lighting for offices
Light fittings for offices, architecture & workplaces

The original handover was scheduled for December 2020. Despite the impact of COVID and maintaining health and safety protocols, the development was handed over to client in February 2021. 

The final result is a bold contemporary CAT A scheme designed with attention to every detail and an impressive street presence. This is the largest project the 299 Lighting team worked on to date. All lighting we have been involved with was successfully delivered on time and all snagging issues have been addressed to the satisfaction of the Paul Earl team.

We are immensely proud to have been involved with such an ambitious project. 

We asked our senior lighting designer, Megan Tranter: What was the most challenging aspect of the project?

“Working to Hoare Lea’s high level of standard, we produced 5-10 sample areas on each floor to ensure the UGR levels were totally spot on. The visual comfort was paramount for this project.”

We asked our senior lighting designer, Megan Tranter: What was the most challenging aspect of the project?

“Working to Hoare Lea’s high level of standard, we produced 5-10 sample areas on each floor to ensure the UGR levels were totally spot on. The visual comfort was paramount for this project.”

Commercial lighting designers

The Forge was one of our largest Cat A refurbishment’s to date. From concept design to installation, 299 where there with us every step of the way and helped us deliver a project which looks better than the concept visuals, and has been a project which has been tremendously received by the client team.

LEE MATTHEWS - PRE-CONSTRUCTION DIRECTOR AT PAUL EARL

Project in figures:

2,042 Metres

A total of 2,042 metres of linear profiles were used to achieve perfection.

170 Design hours

170 design hours were allocated to the interior lighting design for this project

12 Months

From initial project brief through to delivery.

Products used in this project:

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