Located on the site of the former Odeon cinema in Leicester Square, the hotel has one of the deepest commercial basements in Europe and encompasses leisure facilities, two Odeon Luxe cinemas, ballroom, spa, and state-of-the-art conference facilities.
The central London location meant the utility enabling works were clogged with a spaghetti of telecoms, electric and gas cables and pipes, while Victorian brick sewers on the east and west sides needed diverting. The biggest problem was a 2m-diameter UK Power Networks tunnel carrying high voltage electrical supply for the West End 14m below ground on the north-western corner.
Reach Active scope consisted of:
- Consultancy works in providing pre-construction advice on the feasibility, technical, programme and costs of the services diversions.
- Liaised with the City of Westminster to obtain consent for diversions and new incoming utility connections.
- Intrusive surveys – slit trenches excavated to confirm the location and depth of the existing services to ascertain diversion route corridors.
- Design and diversion of UKPN HV power and construction of temporary substations – 4 MVA
- Design and build of new Thames Water sewers in St Martins Street and Whitcomb Street by open cut and tunnel solution.
- Disconnection of various services connections to the existing property including gas, water, power and telecommunications.
- The provision of new services infrastructure to accommodate the new services required for the development including gas, water, power, drainage connections and telecommunications.
- Removal of the existing Westminster toilet in Whitcomb Street.