Exhibition London (Dimco)
White City, London

The Dimco buildings, constructed in 1899, were designed by Harry Bell Measures as the engine  and boiler houses of the Wood Lane generating station which supplied energy for the Central  London Railways, the forerunner of the Central Line. Today they represent the earliest example of an electricity generating station built for the London Underground. Having fallen into disrepair  they were refurbished as part of the initial Westfield London Phase 1 development, with the east  building being temporarily used as the White City bus depot, and the west building being used as  an LUL substation (which it remains).

The design brief was to protect the fabric and preserve the heritage of the existing listed building  whilst providing modern finishes and facilities, including a stage and two bars, in an acoustically  insulated environment. This was achieved by developing a self-supporting mezzanine slab  supported by a steel frame ‘floating’ on the original fill material that formed the floor of the  former bus garage. The design was considerate of the constraints set by the existing building, thus  avoiding any breaking out and strengthening works to the structure, including deep foundations.