David Bedwell & Partners were appointed as Building Services Consultant Engineers by King's College, responsible for the design of the mechanical and electrical services associated with the refurbishment of the mixed tenure Grade I / II listed buildings. An essential element of the Client's brief, endorsed by English Heritage, was the need to redevelop King's Parade without compromising its natural charm and beauty. In this respect, a great deal of consideration was given to the sympathetic installation of the mechanical and electrical services – on the whole these were cleverly concealed within the fabric of the building/s.
This exercise proved a difficult but not insurmountable problem; in particular with regard to the varied build techniques which had been utilised over the last 700 years – the use of exposed timber beams, lath and plaster, ornate wooden panelling, decorative cornicing and numerous listed features, etc. Whilst the upper floors generally provide residential sets for College students and Fellows, the basement and ground floor levels provide a selection of retail units. Many of the retail units required a degree of comfort cooling, the installation of which particularly the location of the external evaporator units and subsequent routing of the refrigerant and condensate lines, proved to be a "challenging but interesting exercise".
