THE LANTERN

28 CHANCERY
– 7
28 CHANCERY GETS OFF TO A GOLDEN START
The presence of building works on
Chancery Lane over the past few years
has been unmissable. That McLaren
Construction, the main contractor on
28 Chancery, was recently awarded a
Gold Award from the City of London
Considerate Contractor Scheme, is
testament to the sensitivity with which the
work has been undertaken.
Talking to Gavin Turnbull, McLaren’s
Project Manager, it’s clear that the project
is in good hands. “It’s important to run a
site that fits in with the surrounding area.
The building programme takes over two
years so it’s imperative we establish a
level of rapport from the start and not only
work with the community but join it.”
The award was based on the overall
performance of all McLaren personnel
onsite, their keeping the site and the
surrounding area clean and tidy, and a
positive attitude to neighbours and the
general public. How does the ‘positive
attitude’ manifest itself, we ask Gavin.
“We issue a newsletter and we recently
ran an open event where we invited people
into our office to talk to the team and see
the plans. We have another open evening
coming up shortly to display a 3D model of
the development. I think that if we set out
to disturb people as little as possible and
involve everyone in our progress, it follows
that we’re allowed to get on with the job.”
As part of this community ethos Gavin
also has an open invitation to schools in the
area to visit. “We have a portacabin that has
a great view of the site – it would double
as a terrific classroom!” The educational
theme is important to McLaren and the
team is in discussion with the Construction
Youth Trust to help them with their Budding
Brunels and Budding Builders schemes.
Gavin is also set to host a drawing
class for the nearby Sir John Soane’s
Museum as part of the London Festival
of Architecture. This is clearly someone
going the extra mile, someone who loves
his job. Gavin nods, “I enjoy all aspects of
the construction process, from demolition
to being in the mud carrying out the
groundworks, to erecting the frame and
cladding it and then finally fitting it out.”
And it’s a good place to work? “Very
much so. I worked on the Olympic Village
but 28 Chancery is equally as interesting.
It’s great to be part of the wider facelift
of the street. There’s a real thrill in being
part of a team working together to achieve
the same goals – to build something that
is unique and that will stand for years to
come on such a famous road.”
Viridis would like to thank the City of
London Corporation and the Chancery
Lane Association for their assistance and
advice throughout the project.
On behalf of its client investors, Viridis
Real Estate is redeveloping 28 Chancery
to deliver over 100,000 sq ft of flexible,
contemporary Grade A office space
and 6,500 sq ft of ground floor and
basement retail space. Set over eight
floors, and BREEAM rated ‘Excellent’,
the building features a terraced glass
cube above the new ceramic dressed
elevation on Breams Buildings and the
retained façade on Chancery Lane,
providing a spectacular space and
flooding the internal atrium with light.
New shop units along Chancery
Lane, set over the ground and basement
floors, will bring the main portion of the
street’s retail parade to life.
Due to complete in Q4 2016,
28 Chancery will appeal to all sectors of
the market seeking high quality space in
a premium business location.
Main Contractor
McLaren Construction Ltd
Gavin Turnbull
+44 (0)33 3077 0617
gavin.turnbull@mclarengroup.com
Architect
GMW Architects
Alistair Brierley
+44 (0)20 7361 5611
Office Letting Agents
CBRE
Dan Hammer
+44 (0)20 7182 3646
Photography by Laura Lean
Gavin Turnbull
Cushman & Wakefield
Andrew Parker
+44 (0)20 7152 5032
Retail Letting Agents
CBRE
Steven Stedman
+44 (0)20 7182 2712
Farebrother
Alistair Subba Row
+44 (0)20 7855 3555
Developer
Viridis Real Estate Services Ltd
www.viridisrealestate.com