Interference in "Office Inside"
Office revitalization is something more than changes in design and number of premises. What is more, redevelopment of the office part which is visible to guests and employees also constitutes a small challenge in comparison to the scale of technical works. It is worth remembering that these "invisible" changes are necessary to improve quality. Design team has to therefore find the answer to the question: How to improve parameters of the building in a rational and economical way?
In the case of Orange, the replacement of ventilation installation and air conditioning turned out to be crucial. The smoke vent system was improved. It is now based on the gravitational installation. Tétris team has also aerated the elevator shafts. Three new central air handling units as well as chiller and dry radiator were installed in the office. Moreover, new aggregates of freon installation were added. Such scope of works is crucial while improving the market value of this investment. It is also necessary in order to maintain the existing tenants who can offer better working conditions to their employees – says Beata Andryk, who was managing the renovation works, Tétris.
While deciding on renovation, it is worth remembering about "the inside" such as electrical installations, HVAC, or IT structural network. In the case of Orange, the major part of wiring has been replaced and there is a network of new jacks. Thereby, the office and its lighting are adjusted to the majority of people who work there.
As Beata Andryk points out: The biggest difficulties are related to fire safety norms. The building has to be always adjusted to current regulations when the interior’s setting is changed. In practice, this concerns every larger renovation. Indeed, while renovating any head office, it is necessary to check the systems and the parameters in the whole building. What values need to be checked? For instance, the width of the corridors, exit routes or setting of fire fencing. It is worth remembering that the lack of fencing can cause a necessity of spending ca. 500 000 zlotys on one floor in order to meet the current regulations. When it comes to Orange, new fire passages were performed and new fire dampers on the ventilation installation were mounted. Additionally, the emergency exits were renovated and now they have directional lights and they are marked with pictograms.