Wates Construction has completed work on the £79.7 million renovation of Royal College of Surgeons of England's (RCS England) new headquarters in London.

The redevelopment of the Lincoln's Inn Fields building, retains the historic frontage and character of Sir Charles Barry's design, architect of the Palace of Westminster, whilst incorporating high-tech and environmentally sustainable construction, delivering flexible teaching spaces, examination rooms, function rooms, a cafe and a large glazed central atrium.

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The complex work included the refurbishment of the building's existing 200-year-old library, skilfully combining the old with the new by reusing existing fireplaces and wall panelling, which were refurbished offsite and replaced in new locations.

Delivered during the pandemic, the Wates team was able to continue works and make considerable time savings by using a high-level of offsite manufacturing via its offsite facility, Prism. The delivery of the plant room, for example, was installed in four successive days a programme of works that would have taken up to 16 weeks using traditional methods.