334 Oxford Street
The nature of retailing is changing, and even London's iconic Oxford St is having to adapt. 334 Oxford Street has been home to department store Debenhams flagship branch for many years. Its closing in January 2021 prompted a rethink about how the space should be used.
Professional Team:
Capital Real Estate B&Co and Alinea
Programme duration:
46 weeks
Value:
Over £750k
In summary
Strip out internals back to shell
Removal of all non-structured elements
Removal of internal fixtures
Deconstruction of 12 escalators
Removal of seven access lifts
Removal of plant and equipment from roof (via crane)
Safe removal of all asbestos
Our responsibility
The seven-storey building – topped with a glass atrium – is being transformed into a highly sustainable space with new facades. Of its 31,731m2 floorplan, the new-look building will, in addition to its traditional retail, now include three storeys for Grade A offices with terraces.
It was General Demolition's responsibility to return the building to its shell and ready it for its exciting new development.
This was easier said that done, but we attacked the challenges the project presented with all the gusto of a determined shopper at the building's famous Boxing Day sales. The project also straddled the period of Covid lockdown - when Oxford St was deserted - and when restrictions were lifted and traffic management became a major consideration.
Measure twice... cut once
As with all our projects, we begin with an intense period of planning before works commencing. Task number one was erecting hoarding around the site perimeter and putting 24-hour site security in place. Two major challenges of the strip out are worthy of mention. The first was the quantity of asbestos that required safe removal – in excess of 120 tonnes. The second uphill (and downhill) task was taking out the escalators – all 12 of them, with each weighing in between 10-12 tonnes. These were cut up and pushed through a ‘cat flap’ out into Oxford St.
Careful Adaptation
With the careful adaptation of the distinctive façade, we constructed a first-floor scaffolding gantry to facilitate the quick and effective removal of waste. The final secret of our success? Clear and frequent communications with neighbouring businesses.
