Historic buildings conserved for the future

Two historic buildings are being expertly restored and refurbished as part a new homes development on the site of the former Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) headquarters in Farnborough.

Restoration of the former Ministry of Defence (MoD) buildings, named Q153 and R178, has provided developer Redrow Homes with a number of challenges, but has also been the inspiration for some creative construction features in the additional buildings that Redrow is creating from scratch.

Project manager Ian Winsor explains:

“When the existing buildings were handed over to us they had been mostly stripped inside so many of the historical features had been removed. However, we did make some fascinating discoveries, such as the old siren used to call for the workers.

“We also discovered a large board on the wall with a list of the various RAE offices. We have retained both of these items and hope to reinstate them in the communal areas of the new apartments to provide interesting focal points for residents.

“We have also retained the large floor to ceiling windows, which will allow light to flood into the apartments and a mezzanine floor has been formed on the ground floor.”

Redrow also made some interesting finds when digging the foundations for the new build apartment blocks, which are being built alongside the refurbished MoD buildings.

Ian said: “When we dug down to lay the foundations of the new build apartments we found a lot of old infrastructure that was required for the site. The old buildings were used for some fairly complex procedures such as testing the pressure of aircraft so they needed a lot of infrastructure in the grounds. This has all been removed to make way for the new development.”

In designing the new build apartment blocks, Redrow has taken inspiration from the shape of the wings of aircraft that were formerly housed at the site.

Ian added: “The roof design is curved to reflect the shape of an aeroplane wing and to complement that wind tunnels that have been preserved. The designs look great and have art deco and modernist influences.

“We have fitted large windows in a similar style to those in the converted apartments to maintain a continuity of design throughout the development.”

The 12-acre development, Farnborough Central, will eventually feature a mix of refurbished apartments, plus new-build apartments and new townhouses.

The wider site formerly comprised the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) and continues to be the home for the world famous Farnborough Aerodrome and the biennial Farnborough International Airshow, which attracts around 300,000 visitors every two years and celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2008.

IQ Farnborough, next to the residential area, is one of the largest business development sites in the south east of England, with planning consent granted for 1.67 million square feet of business space. As well as over 200,000 sq ft of built office space it also includes a café, crèche, heritage centre and a four-star hotel, with leisure complex, due to open in autumn 2008.

Redrow’s homes will be adjacent to the ‘heritage quarter’ and alongside two of the most interesting aeronautical legacies of the former RAE – a pair of Grade 1 listed wind tunnel buildings. The largest, a 24 ft wind tunnel, was used to test full-sized aircraft prototypes, while the transonic wind tunnel was used to test aircraft including Concorde. These buildings are being retained and restored by Segro (Slough Estates Group), who are developing commercial property nearby.

Prices at Farnborough Central currently start from £185,000 for a one-bedroom apartment and from £215,000 for a two-bedroom design. For more information on the properties available would-be home owners can log on to Farnboroughcentral.redrow.co.uk.

For general information on Redrow Homes visit Redrow.co.uk.