Langham Hotel

Live MV/LV Infrastructure Upgrade in Grade II Listed Hotel

We were tasked with a full replacement of the Langham Hotel’s key electrical infrastructure, including 2 MV switches on the main incomers and the replacement of 2 MV transformers.

We completed works with zero operational downtime to the hotel. The works had to be planned around a fully operational 5* hotel, with any changeovers confined to pre-planned, 4 hour occurrences. We implemented measures to ensure staff and guest safety and comfort as our works took place.

In order to ensure that all the switchgear could not only be installed in its final position, but also manoeuvred into place through the existing basement light-wells which constituted our only access route to the LV switch room, we created multiple plant movement drawings in hand with the specialist suppliers to ensure that our plant movement teams would have no issues upon delivery of our major plant.

The phasing of the project was key to ensuring that the hotel and its guests never felt any impact from loss of services, we ensured all new works were ready to go live prior to the removal of any existing plant or services.

In order to achieve the installation of all the new plant, as well as the associated cabling, our team had to move existing cabling, and DBs, whilst keeping them live and operational. Our in-house design team created a riser plan, allowing us to co-ordinate and move the existing live services in the multiple risers throughout the building to provide us with the space to install our new LV distribution cables.

Throughout the duration of the works East West Connect offered an extremely professional, helpful, and considerate approach given that they were working in a live hotel environment.

Cumming Group

Our engineers embedded themselves within the hotel’s team, and all planning decisions were made together.

Working alongside the hotel management, we instigated a planned programme of shut downs in order to safely replace the existing infrastructure with zero impact on the hotel. We ensured the client was kept abreast of all works with our fortnightly site progress reports, and weekly project co-ordination team meetings.

The works also included a crane lift to install a new 250kW backup generator on the roof of the hotel, we produced multiple lifting plan drawings to ensure the safe movement of plant, and the safety of all those in the vicinity. Our good relationships with TfL and Westminster Council provided us with a great deal of flexibility when booking the road closures required for the crane lift, this was of great benefit to the hotel’s management team.

To help provide hotel staff with more information about the works, we implemented our now trademark Project Impact Board.

By presenting to the building users a helpful explanation of the works taking place, the benefits they’d see from their completion, and the timescales involved, we found that the building staff were much more appreciative of our presence, and actively helped contribute to the success of the project.

Project breakdown