Client: Newby
Architect: Axis Architecture
Ryedale House, occupying a prominent position on Piccadilly and within the City of York Castle Gateway development area, was constructed in 1972 for the Regional Office of the North Yorkshire Health Authority. The floor plate of the 8-storey building was extended on all four elevations to provide 77 luxury apartments with views across the city of York. The redevelopment included car parking and cycle storage and an extension at ground floor level, creating three A3 units.
Solution:Positive was appointed under Performance Duties to develop the services strategy for the apartments, prepare the Specifications for Mechanical & Electrical Engineering Building Services and procure the utility infrastructure for the apartments and commercial units. This included upgrading the existing infrastructure to the building, relocation of the existing integral substation, new mains water services and ultra-fast fibre Broadband services to each apartment.
Key challenge:As part of the redevelopment, the existing integral Northern Powergrid substation was to be relocated.The substation supplied Ryedale House and served as a network distribution substation,supplying the local low voltage network. As a suitable off-site location in close proximity to Ryedale House to accommodate the substation could not be found, the substation would have to be retained on the site.Space on the compact site, landlocked on three elevations and with the River Fosse to the west, was at a premium.To compound the matter, a second dedicated substation was required to provide the supply capacity for the new apartments and commercial units.
Due to the flood risk presented by the proximity of the River Fosse, the substations would need to be elevated above the highest recorded flood level and, to comply with EMF Regulations,the substations would need to be located more than 3 metres away from the habitable accommodation. Working with Axis Architecture, negotiating with Northern Powergrid and the Independent Connections Provider for the new electricity infrastructure, Solution:Positive was able agree a workable tandem arrangement for both substations.The substations were concealed within the facade of the elevation onto Piccadilly and the arrangement satisfied all design, access and technical criteria.Relocation of the existing network distribution substation was completed by Northern Powergrid under their asset renewal programme, at no cost to the Client.