Commercial Property
Confidential residents | Imperial Chemical House, Millbank, London
London | UK | Commercial Property | Connectivity & Cyber, Workplace Automation
CHALLENGE
The operating problem
Imperial Chemical House is one of London's most architecturally significant inter-war commercial buildings. Designed by Sir Frank Baines and built between 1927 and 1929 as the headquarters for Imperial Chemical Industries, it occupies a prominent Millbank position adjacent to Thames House and Lambeth Bridge.
Following redevelopment into luxury residential apartments, residents could not reliably work from home. The original developer had not deployed a properly engineered wireless infrastructure across the apartments. Connectivity was inconsistent, signal loss was routine, and coverage suffered because of the building's historic construction methods and materials.
The brief required wireless infrastructure that worked for modern residents without compromising the architectural integrity of a Grade II listed building.
Specific operational constraints
- Poor WiFi coverage across apartments
- Thick historic construction materials reducing signal penetration
- Restrictions around visible cabling and infrastructure
- Preservation requirements associated with Grade II listed status
- High resident expectations for home working, streaming and smart living
- Multi-room apartment layouts requiring seamless roaming connectivity
- Discreet deployment without compromising architectural integrity
APPROACH
How Altus delivered
Altus designed and deployed a fully engineered wireless infrastructure specifically tailored to the building's heritage constraints and RF conditions. The network architecture was engineered to overcome signal attenuation from the building's historic materials while preserving the visual integrity of the apartments.
Delivered
- Full wireless site analysis and coverage planning
- Strategic placement of Ruckus enterprise-grade wireless access points
- Optimised roaming and signal distribution across apartments
- Discreet infrastructure routing compliant with listed-building requirements
- Integration of SONOS premium distributed audio systems
- Centralised network architecture
- High-performance residential connectivity designed for modern hybrid working
OUTCOME
What changed
The project transformed the usability of the apartments for modern residents by aligning the technology infrastructure with contemporary expectations for hybrid working and connected living.
Outcome highlights
- Reliable whole-apartment WiFi coverage
- Stable remote working and video conferencing capability
- Seamless roaming throughout apartments
- Improved streaming and smart-home performance
- Premium resident experience aligned with luxury positioning
- Invisible infrastructure respecting Grade II listed constraints
The result is a premium, fully connected residential experience delivered without compromising the architectural integrity of one of London's landmark listed buildings.
TECHNOLOGY PARTNERS
Infrastructure stack
- Ruckus enterprise-grade wireless infrastructure
- High-density WiFi design for challenging building materials
- SONOS distributed audio
- Centralised network architecture
- Discreet installation methodology suitable for listed buildings
THE NEXT STEP
Book a Critical Systems Review of your business.
We will look at where your infrastructure stack stands today, identify the gaps, and tell you straight what needs to change.