An ageing administration building in need of modernisation and an industrial factory with dozens of unused workshops, test labs and office spaces.
When the decision to modernise the admin office space was taken, the logical solution was to reuse the excess office space within the factory. The old admin building and land could then be sold off to help fund the works.All services to the space were isolated first; stripping out all electrics, heating and pipework. Due to the age of the building, an extensive asbestos survey was carried out and any suspect areas were rendered safe. The existing laboratories and workshops were cleared back to bare brick and window openings were punched out at the second storey level.The new office block was then built to fit exactly the open space created. Flexibility in the new meeting rooms was needed as the admin building also doubled as a visitor and customer training centre. The building would also incorporate and showcase building products and materials created from within the group. Modern and efficient heat pumps would in turn cool the offices in summer and comfortably warm them in the depths of winter. All meeting rooms included state of the art audio-vision systems with interactive touch sensitive white boards.The new building incorporates a large reception, two separate stair cases, three large meeting rooms capable of holding between twenty and sixty people, three smaller annex/break-out rooms, a large kitchen and dining area, toilets on both floor levels, shower facilities on the lower level, a computer/data centre, personnel department & private meeting room, large archival storage room, a medical centre, sales office & meeting room, accounts & purchasing department, five upper level private offices for senior staff with shared joined area for secretarial work/stationary facilities and an empty room on both levels to provide for the future inclusion of a lift space.The complex task of decommissioning and removing the old office building could now be started. The land freed up would later be sold as part of a larger tract of land, for over £2million.