31-32 Soho Square
31-32 Soho Square (aka Twentieth Century House) is a notable 1930s building with a deep-rooted history in London’s original film–making district.
The former HQ of Twentieth Century Fox sat vacant and, while scripts were being written for its new role, General Demolition was greenlit to undertake enabling works behind its neo-Georgian façade.
Professional Team:
Royal London UK / RE Fund Rougemount
Programme duration:
13 weeks
Value:
Up to £750k
In Summary
Photographic condition, asbestos and building services survey
Tag and trace
Isolation of services
Installation of temporary supplies incl. wireless fire alarm system
Asbestos removal
Strip out across 8 storeys (basement, ground and 6 upper floors
Removal of no.2 lifts
Demolition of blockwork partitions
Removal of screed
Clearance of arisings
Working all the angles
The distinctive late-1930s building on the South East corner of Soho Square required strip works to all floors, asbestos removal and the internal demolition of blockwork partitions. General Demolition spent thirteen weeks on location and had to contend with a few changes to its call sheet before wrapping a little later than planned.
The project
It is not every day that a strip out includes the removal of not one but two in-house screening rooms... we should have expected nothing less from Twentieth Century House!
Situated on the ground floor of this 6947sqm building, these large theatres were removed alongside other spaces more typical of a Class B1 office building.
Adopting a top-down approach to the strip out, the team worked methodically through the building. A faulty lift meant slower-motion for a brief period and the surprise discovery of a secondary celling made for a thriller on set.
Quiet Please
With a sound recording studio immediately adjacent, noise was always going to be an issue. General Demolition’s well tested neighbour liaison programme was put into action early on.
A good flow of communication meant that the team was able to respond quickly to noise issues – downing tools and adapting its working hours – to mitigate the impact on surrounding businesses.
Never ones to make a scene, the unavoidable knock-on effect to our programme was minimised through open dialogue with the client team and the hard work of GD’s A-list crew.