Dowds recently completed the M&E works on the new courtyard project at the Royal College of Music in London. This £24 million project with a M&E value of £4.5 million includes two new multi-functional performance venues: a new home for the Museum of Music.
The building boasts one of the most significant collections of historic musical instruments in the world, new communal spaces for audiences with café-bar and restaurant facilities, as well as new digital recording studio facilities and new additional practice and teaching rooms for the College.
The scope of works included coordinating and managing the MEP installation from design, strip out, installation, commissioning and completion, the installation of security and CCTV systems, and the integration of Building Energy Management Systems throughout the College. It was essential to achieve the correct humidity control in sensitive spaces where instruments were being stored.
The main challenge of this project was working within a live environment as the college was open 52 weeks of the year with students and staff attending ongoing classes. We worked in collaboration with the college to provide a safe working environment for their students and staff.
Initial site surveys of existing services (domestic water, rainwater, and low temperature hot water) were carried out along with the initial site setup to ensure working welfare facilities. Our team identified any live services that needed to be modified, or the need for power shutdown, therefore we developed a shutdown strategy with the College and temporary power supplies were provided. This project was completed to high standards, on time and to the client’s requirements.
