Redevelopment of Spitalfields London Fruit and Wool

Redevelopment of Spitalfields’ London Fruit and Wool

Description of Works
Once home to a busy fruit distribution centre the buildings are now being redeveloped into retail, office and community space, to create a bustling hub frame within the historic building.

It’s vital that the public realm around the development showcases the grandeur of the building, while being accessible and engaging for the public. FM Conway helped deliver this aspect of the scheme, excavating the existing pavement and installing new Yorkstone paving to reinvigorate the iconic destination.

Services used on this project Major Projects Highways Maintenance

Delivering Innovation

The high-profile nature of the works combined with the pressures of a central London location and a tight working schedule proved to be the key challenges for the team.

David McMahon, Project Manager at FM Conway, explains:
“The logistics of planning our works was crucial to the success of the project. Originally, our works were scheduled to last eight weeks but to comply with permit regulations this was confirmed to only five weeks. This called for rapid reactive programming and works phasing to ensure we were able to meet our deadline while still completing the public realm improvements to a high-quality standard.

“Noisy works, which included the excavation of the footways, had to be managed between 8pm and 11pm every evening to ensure minimal disruption to office workers and residents. This meant our teams had to run like clockwork to guarantee that we were able to complete works within the tight timeframe.”

It was essential for FM Conway to coordinate its works to accommodate the timetables of other stakeholders and contractors.

David continues: “As FM Conway managed the traffic management for the entire project, we had to understand the works timetables for all parties and stakeholders so that we could control traffic flow around the active part of the site. Safety concerns also had to be carefully considered. Working in one of London’s busiest hotspots means that we always had to ensure pedestrians had clear, well-signed pathways to help them navigate the works.”

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Despite the time constraints, attention to detail was vital to ensure the public realm surrounding the London Fruit and Wool Exchange was finished to a standard fitting of the historic building.

David McMahon - Project Manager at FM Conway

Challenges & Solutions

Despite the time constraints, attention to detail was vital to ensure the public realm surrounding the London Fruit and Wool Exchange was finished to a standard of fitting of the historic building. Due to its high durability, Yorkstone paving was chosen to withstand the areas high footfall while providing a natural and authentic look.

David continues: “We wanted to celebrate the history of the London Fruit and Wool Exchange, bringing the scheme back to life with high-quality and attractive Yorkstone paving. All 500m² of the Yorkstone paving was meticulously hand laid by the team, delivering a seamless finish that reflects the calibre of the development itself."