What is the best way to renovate heritage offices? You work with a contractor known for delivering office design in Leicester that preserves the property’s value, history, and character.
Why tread cautiously, though?
Heavy-handed restoration of heritage commercial spaces results in costly regulatory penalties and a sterile workspace that will not gel with modern workforces’ preferences.
What Are The Challenges Of Renovating A Heritage Workspace?
When a business owner decides to move their teams into historic workplaces, that decision alone inspires the masses. However, renovating a historic commercial space comes with its fair share of challenges, as mentioned below.
Invisible Infrastructure
What is the secret to a successful historic conversion?
It all lies in the things you cannot see.
Here’s the explanation.
You cannot demolish heritage walls, dig into floors from the past, or alter the original ceiling surface from the past century. That would land you in hot water and empty your pockets through steep fines.
So what can you do?
You cannot leave all those wires and cables dangling from the walls or ceilings. You surely cannot keep the conduits for important data uncovered and unprotected.
With help from reputable contractors specialising in office design in Leicester, a heritage commercial property can be decked out with clever design strategies that keep all the modern office utilities out of sight.
For instance, the space can have a raised floor that hides complex data networks. Similarly, exposed climate-control ducts can be laid out and styled to enhance the already industrial aesthetic of the heritage office space, rather than shying away from it.
Smart Zoning Over Fixed Walls
Historic commercial spaces do not lend themselves to modern partitioning.
You cannot expect to retrofit a heritage, expansive commercial space like a red-brick warehouse awash with natural light and large windows into a rigid, drywall-dominated space that looks like a typical corporate office.
So what can you do?
Leave it to the experts you have hired to design the space. They will ensure that fitments such as furniture, acoustic panels, and glass partitions are used to create zones within the property’s open floor plan.
It may not seem like it, but when the experts are done with the space, you will have quiet meeting areas, collaborative hubs, and everything in between without disrespecting the building’s heritage and structural lines.
How To Keep Penalties At Bay?
While renovating a historic commercial space, keeping penalties at bay is quite easy.
All you would have to do is hire an experienced, skilled contractor to renovate the listed spaces.
These experts, in turn, take the following steps to keep their business and you on the right side of the law.
Freestanding Architecture Is Used
This design choice keeps contractors from touching protected walls. As a result, you end up with an office that looks and functions like a modern office, with the heritage space decked out with modular acoustic pods, glazed partitions, etc., that keep the heritage masonry untouched.
Invasive Fixtures Are Avoided
There are strict anti-drilling protocols in place to protect heritage properties. To ensure these protocols are not broken, reputable contractors will avoid installing invasive fixtures on your new office. Instead, the experts will deck out the space with floor-fed power tracks paired with bespoke structural joinery to ensure office desks are supplied with internet connectivity and power. In contrast, the ancient timber and brickwork of the space stays unscathed.
Thermal Efficiency Is Increased With Glazing
Heritage properties have notoriously low thermal efficiency. If you move in without addressing this issue, your new office’s energy bills will be sky-high. But how can the thermal efficiency of a space be increased without altering its structure?
Again, leave it to the professionals. They will install secondary glazing on the property and then combine it with discreet, yet eco-friendly, perimeter heating. Together, these systems will not only improve the space’s energy efficiency but also make it more comfortable for your team.
Breathing New Life Into Your Historic Office
Breathing new life into a historic commercial property can be tricky at first glance, but with help from reputable contractors like MKH LTD, it can be easy. Working with reputable contractors ensures you stay on the right side of local preservation laws without sacrificing your office preferences.