London Symphony Orchestra

Overview

Established in 1977, Smith & Latimer is a south-east London–based electrical contractor with extensive experience in complex and heritage-led projects. In August 2025, they appointed Installation Technology to design, install, and test a fixed Local Area Network (LAN) infrastructure as part of the refurbishment of London Symphony Orchestra’s practice hall at St Luke’s Church.

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As a Grade I listed building, the project demanded meticulous planning, sensitive installation techniques, and innovative design to meet both modern technical requirements and strict heritage constraints.

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Founded in 1904, the London Symphony Orchestra is one of the world’s leading orchestras and the first British orchestra owned by its players. St Luke’s, originally restored in 2003 following decades of dereliction, serves as a key venue for rehearsals, education, recording, and performance.

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Between 2024 and 2025, the venue underwent a further programme of upgrades to enhance accessibility, sustainability, and capacity requiring a complete refresh of supporting electrical and IT infrastructure.

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The IT scope involved the installation of 180 horizontal cables to support a wide range of systems, including computer networks, telephony and CCTV. A new communications cabinet was installed in the basement, with cabling routed across multiple levels of the building to ensure full connectivity in a variety of strategic positions. 

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Approach

Installation Technology worked in close partnership with Smith & Latimer to develop and deliver a fully coordinated IT infrastructure aligned with the wider refurbishment programme. The scope included the installation of 180 Cat6A horizontal data cables to support IT, AV, telephony, and CCTV systems, along with the deployment of a new communications cabinet in the basement and structured cabling routed across multiple levels of the building.

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Given the listed status of St Luke’s Church, all works were carefully planned to preserve the building’s fabric and visual character. This required close coordination with other trades, bespoke containment solutions, and sensitive routing strategies to minimise impact. Detailed health and safety planning was essential, particularly for working at height within a live construction environment, ensuring full compliance while maintaining programme efficiency.

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Given the listed status of the building, all work demanded careful coordination to preserve the fabric and aesthetics of the space. Installation Technology collaborated closely with electrical contractor Smith and Latimer, ensuring seamless integration of systems while addressing complex containment and routing challenges. 

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Solution

Installation Technology delivered a high-performance, standards-compliant cabling infrastructure using Excel Cat6A (B2ca) cabling to meet both performance and fire safety requirements. A communications cabinet provides efficient network distribution, while clear and durable labelling ensures long-term manageability.

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The solution was underpinned by the following key elements:

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Cabling: Excel Cat6A (B2ca) cabling, selected for high performance and compliance with current fire safety standards

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Infrastructure: Installation of an Excel communications cabinet to centralise and manage network distribution

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Labelling: Clear identification using durable Traffolyte labels to support long-term maintenance and ease of management

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Containment: Bespoke containment solutions designed to integrate with other contractor systems without compromise

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All cabling installations were fully tested and certified to verify performance against specification. Throughout delivery, Installation Technology’s Assurance Team conducted on-site quality audits, ensuring all works met internal quality standards and client expectations. The result is a robust and future-proof network infrastructure that integrates seamlessly within the constraints of a heritage environment.

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