Design and build company in London. Designers, a quantity surveyor and builders, under one contract.
A Mayfair renovation is measured by more than the finish. The project must coordinate architecture, heritage, interior design and cost. It must also coordinate building services, building management, specialist craftsmanship and discreet site delivery.
NU Projects provides an integrated route for private clients who want one senior team. That team carries the brief from early feasibility through construction, commissioning and aftercare.
Why Mayfair projects need a specialist strategy
Mayfair includes listed townhouses, mansion apartments, lateral conversions, penthouses and pied-à-terre properties. Many are within conservation areas or managed buildings. The project strategy may need to address heritage fabric, restricted deliveries and common-part protection. It may also cover neighbour communication, service shutdowns and fire requirements. Working hours may be tightly controlled too.
Townhouse and apartment projects are different
Mayfair townhouses
Townhouses can combine period fabric with structural reconfiguration and new staircases. Basement or roof work may be part of it. They can also include climate control, lifts, security, kitchens, bathrooms and extensive joinery. These systems must be coordinated as one building rather than designed in isolation.
Mayfair apartments
Apartment renovations often require detailed coordination with a freeholder, managing agent or estate team. Licences to alter, access bookings, lift protection and acoustic requirements all matter. So do working hours and service connections. Each can shape the programme as much as the internal design.
What an integrated design and build service can include
- Pre-purchase feasibility and existing-building review
- Measured surveys, architecture and space planning
- Planning, heritage and consultant coordination
- Interior design, lighting, kitchens, bathrooms and joinery
- Quantity surveying, cost planning and procurement
- Mechanical, electrical, AV, controls and security coordination
- Construction management, quality records and reporting
- Commissioning, handover and structured aftercare
The appointment is tailored to the property. Explore NU’s architectural services and construction project management to see how the disciplines connect.
Cost planning without false certainty
A Mayfair budget cannot be derived reliably from a generic square-metre rate alone. Existing condition, approvals, access, structure, services, specification, joinery and procurement all influence cost. A useful cost plan exposes assumptions, allowances, exclusions and client decisions. It does this before the project reaches its most expensive stage.
MEP and interior design must develop together
Heating, cooling, ventilation, hot water, lighting and power all need space. So do data, security and smart-home systems. They compete for it with ceilings, stone, bathrooms and joinery. Early MEP coordination protects the proportions and visual calm of the finished interior.
A controlled Mayfair delivery process
- Establish the brief, decision makers, timescale and investment framework
- Survey the property and review approvals, access, structure and services
- Develop architecture and interior direction together
- Coordinate technical design, consultants and statutory information
- Build the cost plan and identify long-lead procurement
- Manage construction, inspections, reporting and design decisions
- Commission systems, complete handover information and begin aftercare
See the NU Projects design and build process. The completed work is on our projects page.
See the Mayfair apartment interior for a completed example of NU Projects’ residential delivery.
Frequently asked questions
Can NU Projects manage a Mayfair apartment renovation?
Yes. NU can coordinate design, freeholder and managing-agent information, logistics and building services. It can also coordinate construction, joinery, commissioning and aftercare.
What approvals can a Mayfair project require?
It depends on the property and the work. The project may involve planning, listed-building consent and building regulations. It may also involve freeholder consent, a licence to alter and party-wall procedures.
When should a design and build team become involved?
As early as possible. Then buildability, services, cost, access, approvals and procurement can still influence the design.
Start your Mayfair project
You may be planning a townhouse, apartment or complete interior transformation. If so, look at our completed work or book a private consultation.
This is the work we do. Design and build company in London, or ask for a cost estimate.
Published 4 May 2023. Written by the NU Projects studio, edited since for house style and accuracy.