黑洞社区

Pick Everard is working with the Parliamentary Estate on designing a 鈥渇allback option鈥� for the Palace of Westminster鈥檚 restoration and renewal programme.

The practice is carrying out multidisciplinary work for the Strategic Estates team looking at the possibility of 鈥渆nhanced maintenance and improvement鈥� at the crumbling grade I-listed building.

The work will feed into a report to be taken to Parliament next year when a decision will be made on whether to choose a 鈥渇ull decant鈥� or 鈥渃ontinued presence鈥� for MPs, peers and staff working in the palace.

Under a full decant, occupants will relocate to alternative premises for several years while the building is fully restored, while the other option would see them shuffled around the building, with MPs potentially sitting in the House of Lords instead of the House of Commons, while the work is carried out.

Pick Everard was appointed earlier this year by the Parliamentary Estate through a 拢60m framework which also includes AHMM and Purcell.

Chris Elliott, managing director of Strategic Estates, which manages the Parliamentary Estate, told 黑洞社区鈥檚 sister title 黑洞社区 Design that the work will look at the 鈥渓ength of durations of decant or temporary accommodation鈥� required by the options for the building鈥檚 restoration.

The building is facing multiple issues including crumbling brickwork, outdated services and large amounts of asbestos which could take more than a decade to address.

Elliott said Pick Everard is looking at 鈥渨hat is achievable, how the work could be done, how much of the work could be done and in how long a time period鈥�.

The practice is working with the estate鈥檚 in-house team to develop an 鈥渁ssessment on what enhanced maintenance could look like鈥� what the solutions might look like, how it could be designed, a full multidisciplinary service,鈥� Elliott said.

Both houses of Parliament endorsed the two main options for the restoration in July last year but asked that a 鈥渇allback option of enhanced maintenance and improvement forms part of further detailed design work on these options to inform a decision on the preferred way forward in due course鈥�.

This third option would be used to compare against costed proposals for either a full decant or continued presence in the building to help the client board, made up of a joint department of the two houses of Parliament, make a decision. It could also be chosen as the third costed option.

Meanwhile, Aecom is working with the Parliamentary Estate on reviving plans for AHMM鈥檚 aborted plan to transform Richmond House on Whitehall into a temporary House of Commons.

The plans would have gutted the grade II*-listed former headquarters of the Department of Health and the interior rebuilt with a new chamber for MPs but were withdrawn in 2021.

Elliott said it was still too early to say what the new proposals for Richmond House could look like but that the requirements for the scheme had 鈥渃ontinued to develop and evolve鈥� since AHMM鈥檚 plans were pulled.

Two years ago, a report said restoring the Palace of Westminster could take up to 76 years and cost nearly 拢50bn if MPs do not move out during the works.

Other work currently underway on the estate includes a restoration of the grade I-listed Norman Shaw North building on Whitehall to address issues with falling masonry.