Architects And Quantity Surveyors
Nightingale House.
A local developer realised the potential when the site of the former East Reach hospital in Taunton came on the market. This former home for the nursing staff had been sub-divided to create a warren of offices to suit the Health Authorities needs but all was in fact non structural.
Investigations revealed the possibility of open plan offices on three floors. Generous floor to ceiling heights meant that raised access flooring could be installed to allow for flexible data distribution.
An adjacent building user was keen to occupy the space which would mean the two buildings could simply be linked by knocking through the party wall and leaving an existing steel staircase as a means of escape. Unfortunately, the deal fell through at the last minute.
SCD realised the answer lay in the removal of the existing utilitarian staircase and the creation of a new rear entrance to the suite of offices. A well designed staircase would be an attractive selling point. A close look at the buildings internal space also revealed the possibility of converting the attic previously thought to be inaccessible.
As luck would have it the attractive attic space with exposed roof structure was an ideal Architects office and just the right size, so SCD became the buildings first tenants.
