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Power and Prestige 1 and 2 New Ludgate
FG Wilson generator sets are often found in some of London’s most prestigious buildings. One of them, 1 and 2 New Ludgate, a new development by Land Securities, the largest commercial property company in the UK and listed in the Financial Times Stock Exchange 100 companies, was named as The City of London Building of the Year 2016 and its architects are currently shortlisted for Architect of the Year.
A £260 million development, New Ludgate is made up of two distinct buildings united by a new public piazza, completely transforming an area which had been neglected and under-used. The buildings include more than 355,000 square feet of office accommodation and 26,800 square feet of restaurant and retail facilities.
Bells Power, who have represented FG Wilson as a dealer for 30 years, initially engaged with design consultant Waterman Building Services in 2010, however due to economic uncertainty, the project was put on hold, then restarted in 2013. Keeping their project team in place, Bells Power were able to respond quickly and deliver a power package of six FG Wilson generator sets and PLCs across both buildings within a year, from order to commissioning.
The brief for 1 New Ludgate was to supply, install and commission three generator sets: two P1700P1 for tenants and one P800P1 for life safety at basement level B1. The 1700 kVA sets are remotely cooled with roof DACs and Bells Power had responsibility for the installation and acoustic and ventilation systems. The acoustic requirement was 65 dB(A) at 1 metre and catalysts were installed on each set for emissions.
Bells Power installed bulk storage fuel systems: 72 hours (tenants) and 24 hours (life safety), together with associated fuel control and pipework systems. A full hot / standby Allen Bradley PLC system with outstations at each switchboard was installed to control the mains operation of the building and cover any potential power scenario.
Power requirements for 2 New Ludgate involved the supply, installation and commissioning of three further generator sets: two P2000P1 for tenants at Basement Level B1 and one P800P1 for life safety within an acoustic enclosure at roof level.
Speaking about the project, James Murphy, Managing Director of Bells Power said:
“The scale of this project was huge, with both buildings being worked on at the same time. The main contractor, Skanska, was committed to a very ambitious programme, which meant working at night and through weekends on commissioning and IST activities. Both buildings are now fully occupied, testament to the resilient infrastructure provided. We have since maintained a close working with Land Securities and have been selected for further projects: One New Street Square and Nova, Victoria. We’re now also a preferred supplier with Waterman’s and have since won numerous more projects with Skanksa.”
Gary Tozer, Principal Electrical Engineer at Waterman Building Services said:
“Bells Power have given us excellent support for the design of the generator installation at Land Securities’ projects 1 and 2 New Ludgate. They’ve a wealth of experience in delivering complex turnkey generator installation and this means they really understand the client’s requirements.”