North Star House, Swindon
A landmark £20m redevelopment project of the old BT building in Swindon, creating 286 high-specification apartments.
Residential
> £10 Million
Interior Fit-Out
Completed
Client & brief
The Shaviram Group transforms both residential and commercial properties into state-of-the-art, high-quality homes, and pride themselves on building exceptional places for people to live and enjoy.
The client took on a large existing office building in the heart of Swindon, with a view to repurposing the structure into 286 residential apartments. DRG was commissioned as main contractor and work started in October 2020.
"When we partnered with DRG Interior and Building Solutions to transform the old BT Building in Swindon into a state-of-the-art residential apartments, we knew it was going to be a challenge. But it didn't take long for us to see that they were the ideal contractor for us—they were committed to quality from start to finish, and they shared our passion for creating exceptional places for people to live and enjoy."
What can DRG do for you?
By choosing us, you can be safe in the knowledge that your construction or refurbishment project will be delivered to the highest standard, with low environmental impact.
Whether you are looking for a main contractor for general works or major works, we deliver on time and on budget. Working collaboratively with our clients, we create a built environment that helps communities live, work and grow stronger.
The DRG solution
The 4-storey building – which used to serve as office space for the BT Group – has 4 blocks (A, B, C, and D) which are linked by a central core, with ancillary areas on the ground, first and second floors.
A new third floor was created behind the existing brick parapet in the roof space, with steel added and heavy machinery modernised and relocated to the basement where needed. Following strip-out and structural work, partition walls and new doors were installed throughout to create the individual apartments. Each apartment was completed to turnkey standard, with high-specification kitchens and bathrooms and performance flooring throughout.
Externally, curtain walling softened and elevated the aesthetics of the structure. Surrounding the building, parking facilities were created for vehicles and bicycle racks were constructed, along with refuse storage areas and electric vehicle (EV) charging points. The project was handed over in phases for each block, with a detailed site logistics plan prepared for each stage.
Key features
- External works, lighting, and access
- Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR)
- Sprinkler system
- Lift installation
- Substation, cycle store and electric vehicle (EV) charging points
- Landscaping
- Complete strip-out
- New glazing
- Existing roofs extended
- New third floor created in roof space
- Façade works
- Internal partitioning and refurbishment
- Electrics, connectivity and plumbing
The result
The fourth and final block was handed over in January 2023 with 90% occupancy. In line with our carbon offsetting partnership with Ecologi, the project led to the planting of 1,000 trees.
Project specification
The apartment
- Double-glazed windows
- Combination blinds - partial or full blackout
- Separately metered water and electric
- Dimplex electric radiators, complete with smart localised controls and thermostats
- Integrated kitchens and appliances
- High-specification bathrooms
The MEP services
- LED downlights
- Sockets, switches and USB points
- Hard-wire smoke alarms
- MEV (Mechanical Extract Ventilation) extracting stale/moist air from bathrooms
- Sprinkler system to all upper-level apartment
The site
- Parking area
- Cycle stores
- On-site manager's office
- CCTV camera coverage of the external area and entrance lobby
- Bin store
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