Fourways House
A Grade II listed, historic former warehouse building constructed in1906 and converted into offices in the late 20th century, Fourways House has been reimagined, adapted and expanded over time, including the addition of an atrium in the former courtyard space.
More recently, the Edwardian-era building had become cluttered and outdated, with office spaces needing a comprehensive overhaul to realize their full potential. For three decades, two installed elevators had serviced one half of the building, resulting in accessibility issues, a lack of resilience should one break down, and limitations to subdividing and configuring each floor plates.
| Client | Helical |
|---|---|
| Architect: | OMI Architects |
| Size | 6 Stories | 59,000 SF (5,481 SM) |
| Sustainability | BREEAM In-Use Very Good |
| Office: | Hebden Bridge |
| Completion: | 2020 |
Our structural engineering team helped refine the original design by strategically rationalizing its internal spaces. To improve how users move between the two halves of the building, we designed sinuous bridges—walkways that span the atrium (from floor- to-floor and elevator-to-elevator). To create a clean and open space, we located the bridge anchors out of sight within the elevator shafts.
The new steel structure offers cantilevered support for these walkways, each built at ground level and lifted it into place individually on a phased, weekend timeline so that the building could remain open and operational for existing commercial tenants.
The new design allows for subdivided layouts without loss of rental area, offering flexibility to accommodate a variety of uses and tenants for the asset owner.
