GSK House, alongside the M4 motorway and the Grand Union Canal in Brentford, West London, comprises a 1 6-storey tower and three five-storey buildings linked by an internal "Street" with restaurants, shops and a hairdresser. The first staff moved into GSK House in October. Completion and full occupation are scheduled for April.

Electrical plant rooms in the basement of the tower block and two of the low-rise buildings include six cast resin transformers fed at 11kV from a new 60MVA supply authority substation nearby. MEM Circuit Protection and Control supplied and installed the high voltage switchgear, transformers, low voltage switchboards and busbar trunking feeders.

The impressive tower block comprises 13 floors of offices topped by three floors of plant rooms. In the basement, four packaged substations and two main switchboards serve the tower and one of the adjacent low-rise buildings. MEM worked with the consultants, Mace, and electrical contractor, Phoenix Electrical to design the packaged substations which use Holec lnnovac SVS 11kV vacuum circuit-breakers, and four 2000kVA and two 1600kVA cast resin transformers.

Mempower XP 4000A and 3200A low impedance busbar trunking feeds the mechanical services switchboard, and lighting and power switchboard, in the adjacent low voltage switchroom. The sheer size of these boards (12.3m and 11.8m long respectively) meant that both boards had to be L-shaped.

The mechanical services switchboard is fed by two transformers, via 4000A air circuit breakers with a 4000A ACB bus-section switch. Outgoing supplies are controlled by a mixture of moulded-case circuit breakers and air circuit breakers. There is an essential services section, normally supplied through a 2000A ACB but capable of being fed independently from a 1500kVA generator through a 1600A interlocked ACB. Power factor correction is provided by two 12-stage 600kVAr capacitor/reactor panels, supplied by Johnson and Phillips.

The lighting and power switchboard offers similar facilities. This has 3200A ACB incomers and bus-section switches and 1600A ACBs fed from generators. There are two five-stage 250kVAr power factor correction panels.

The other two 5-storey Buildings each have their own high and low voltage switch rooms. Each HV switch room houses a Holec lnnovac SVS 11kV vacuum circuit breaker and 2000kVA cast resin transformer. The LV switchboard in the adjacent LV switchroom has a 4000A ACB incomer and 800A ACB feed from a 1500kVA generator. Outgoing supplies are again controlled by MCCBs and ACBs. MEM also supplied 500kVAr 10-stage power factor correction panels for both buildings.

"GSK House is yet another demonstration of the project and systems capability of Eaton MEM Circuit Protection and Control" says Mike Storey, Sales Director of Eaton Electric Ltd. "MEM can supply high voltage switchgear from Holec, busbar trunking from Mempower, power factor correction systems from Johnson & Phillips and low voltage switchboards and switchgear from Eaton MEM Circuit Protection & Control."

The HV and LV switchgear works were carried out by Eaton MEM Circuit Protection and Control as a "Trade Contract" package which was project managed by Robert Bridge, a member of the projects team. Structural and building services engineers were WSP Consulting Engineers. Mace Limited provided the construction and planning supervisory services and electrical contractor was Phoenix Electrical.