77 Chancery Lane

Client: The Honourable Society of Lincolns Inn

The 77 Chancery Lane project saw the full refurbishment of a four-storey office building, including a complete strip-out and reconfiguration of the basement and renovating the fifth storey apartments. The existing basement plant areas were repurposed to provide modern tenant welfare and conference facilities, while a new rooftop plant room was introduced to house air source heat pumps (ASHPs) for space heating, cooling, and domestic hot water.

One of the key drivers for the client was maximising net lettable space. To achieve this, we replaced the existing floor-mounted fan coil units with concealed ducted units in the ceiling voids, freeing up valuable floor space. Careful coordination between services and structure was crucial to ensure ceiling heights were optimised, maintaining an open, high-quality feel to the refurbished office spaces.

Our team was actively on-site throughout the project, attending weekly visits from demolition and opening-up works, through to installation, commissioning, and handover. Working in an existing building always presents unexpected challenges, and being on-site regularly allowed us to identify, workshop, and resolve any issues as they arose. This proactive approach meant that unforeseen complications could be tackled before they impacted the project programme, keeping things moving efficiently.

A particular challenge arose with the gas infrastructure serving the client’s adjacent building, which needed to be rerouted to facilitate our works. This required detailed discussions with the gas supplier and architect to agree on a viable solution. At the same time, access to the basement substation had to be maintained for routine inspections, maintenance, and any future transformer replacements. While historic works carried out on the building had impacted the access, the Distribution Network Operator (DNO) had not been informed that these works would impact their ability to access their equipment. Through close collaboration with the DNO, client, architect, and structural engineer, we were able to negotiate a workable approach that saw full access returned to the substation, with minimal visual impact to the client’s building.

As the project neared completion, the transformation was clear. The building had evolved from a naturally ventilated space with outdated plant to a modern, efficient office environment with full mechanical ventilation and heat recovery (MVHR). Throughout, strong communication and teamwork across the project team ensured that every challenge was met with a swift and effective solution, delivering a high-quality outcome for the client.