When Loewe, the LVMH-owned luxury fashion house, planned a new flagship store on New Bond Street, London, stunning architecture and engineering expertise was the order of the day - particularly with regard to the design and installation of a spectacular lift within the store.
The building in Mayfair already boasted an impressive fashion pedigree in terms of its past inhabitants. Prior to Loewe’s residence, the grade II listed building at 41-42 New Bond Street had been a flagship store for British luxury retailer Mulberry, as well as American accessories brand, Coach.
THE BUILDING
Built in 1907, the five-storey premises was designed by architect Edward Keynes Purchase and was originally home to Cooling Lawrence and Sons - a civil, naval and military tailors specialising in uniforms. Edward Keynes Purchase FRIBA was prolific in his output of commercial buildings in Soho and Mayfair, he was a keen motorist and honorary architect to the Automobile Club of Great Britain and Ireland. He also worked with Charles Mewes and Arthur Davis on the design of the Royal Automobile Club, Westminster (listed at Grade II). Other listed buildings to his name, exhibiting similarities to 39-42 New Bond Street, Westminster are 4-6 Glasshouse Street and Aldine House, 66 Chandos Place, Westminster.
The 2019 incarnation of the building is the vision of Loewe’s creative director, Jonathan Anderson, one of fashion’s most feted British designers. The store’s expansive space features a spiral staircase and inserted lift – more specifically 10 tonnes of Campaspero stone suspended around a cylindrical, direct acting hydraulic lift with brass detailing.
Loewe appointed Mitchell Price, a multi-disciplinary practice that focus on building surveying, cost consultancy, build and project management, to oversee the extensive renovations. Among many other projects, Mitchell Price also managed the refurbishment of another listed premises nearby on New Bond Street - that time for luxury goods brand Montblanc.
Following discussions with Loewe’s architect it became clear that the provision of the lift and spiral staircase was the centrepiece of the store and would require the expertise of specialists within the mechanical handling industry.It was at this stage that Mitchell Price instructed LECS (UK), independent lift engineering consultants.
INDEPENDENT LIFT CONSULTANTS
Founded in 1991, LECS (UK) Ltd is a leading engineering consultancy specialising in lifts, escalators, cable cars and most forms of mechanical transit equipment. With numerous awards for its involvement in technically challenging and complicated projects, LECS had the extensive expertise to design and manage the bespoke lift requirement.
Lee Dean, director at LECS (UK), led the specification and tendering process for the bespoke cylindrical glass lift. The task was to design and specify a circular glazed lift inside a circular glazed lift shaft, all within the confines of an area equal to the internal circumference of the pre-tensioned, floating stone staircase.
The lift needed to support a maximum lifting capacity of 900kg, with a minimum design life of 20 years. The car entrance spec included an automatic, two panel, centre opening door arrangement with glass doors featuring brass coloured aluminium.
Lee Dean, LECS (UK) said: “For the cleanest look possible we specified frameless glazed doors, operating from under the lift car so that the bulk of mechanics are out of sight. We specified lubrication free guide shoes, to avoid the need for lubrication oils in the lift shaft. This will help to reduce the build-up of dust and dirt in the long term. User controls were designed in coordination with the architect and the car operating panel was engraved discretely to achieve a clean look, compliant with current lift standards. The lift’s door safety light curtains are installed in the floor and header, a unique design we adopted due to the curvature of the doors.”
As well as listing all the key design requirements, the tender documentation specified that potential suppliers must ensure that all health and safety and building regulations were met. For example, to ensure accessibility the lift car required a minimum floor area of 1100 x 1400 to provide wheelchair access.A direct acting hydraulic RAM (Single Stage) was chosen, with the hydraulic RAM submerged below the pit inside a 20m deep borehole. A single hydraulic piston, central to the cylindrical lift, drives the car up and down.
The lift specification had to allow for a projected increase in traffic, as daily footfall in New Bond Street is expected to rise by an estimated 75,000 following the opening of the new cross-London rail link in 2020, as part of a £60m investment in the area.
Following the tender process, LECS (UK) appointed Specialist Lift Services to design, supply and install the bespoke lift. Founded in 2000, Specialist Lift Services has evolved into a designer, supplier and installer of all types of lifts. Specialist Lift Services has worked on a vast range of projects, from simple dumbwaiters and access hoists to state of the art, high speed lifts used in some of the world’s leading five-star hotels. Leading this project for Specialist Lift Services was managing director, John Gorin.
BESPOKE REQUIREMENTS
Lee Dean of LECS (UK). “Due to the varied requirements of our clients, many projects we work on are bespoke. These bespoke projects are always exciting and the opportunity to deliver the client’s brief, no matter how unusual, is exceptionally satisfying.”
While the refurbishments were underway at 41-42 New Bond Street, the lift car was being built at a factory in Milan. A factory site visit helped identify minor snagging issues. Due to possible colour discrepancies in different batches of coloured stainless steel, Specialist Lift Services bought all the required stainless steel in one batch. This helped ensure consistency of colour throughout the structure, car and entrances. These materials were distributed to various contractors and third-party suppliers, working on different aspects of the lift construction.
The lift car was built in one piece with a 20mm thick Campaspero stone floor on an 18mm plywood base before being shipped to the UK in a purpose-built timber box constructed and built around the car.
CONSTRUCTION CHALLENGES
Due to concerns regarding London’s underground network, a series of ground surveys were required prior to the installation of the lift. Once the surveys were completed, work could begin on digging the 20m deep borehole required for the lift shaft and the mechanics that would allow the car to travel between three floors of the store. These excavations were not without their difficulties - the antiquated sewage system below along with the volume of other engineering works for the new Elizabeth underground line taking place nearby - required exceptional planning and project management.
To minimise disruption to local residents and neighbouring businesses, the installation of the lift took place at 5am. New Bond Street was temporarily closed to allow for the lift car to be unloaded and manoeuvred into the store and into positioned inside the steel, glazed structure. Timeframes were tight, and contractors worked around the clock to complete the installation and commission the lift in time for the store’s opening date.
The complexities of the design specification and coordinating the works was also a challenge due to the close proximity between the staircase and the final location of the large curved glazed panels around the lift shaft structure.
Reflecting upon the completed installation, Lee Dean said “We had to keep in mind that as well as looking great, it was our responsibility to ensure that the lift worked efficiently and most importantly, safely. The team at LECS (UK) created a meticulous tender document ensuring that the successful supplier had the required expertise to deliver the finished product to the standard required. I greatly enjoyed working with John Gorin and the team at Specialist Lift Services. We can all be justifiably proud of the stunning final result.”
The impressive Loewe store is now open, with the lift and staircase already grabbing attention with one journalist from the Financial Times dubbing it reminiscent of “Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator.”
Further details on LECS (UK) visit: https://lecsuk.co.uk/
