This year, Willmott Dixon Interiors took part in the Open Doors Event 2016. The Open Doors were a great success, attracting over 500 visitors to a variety of sites, including the refurbishment works at the University of Sussex, One Puddle Dock and the new site of the Design Museum in Kensington.
‘Open Doors’ are a unique chance to see behind the scenes at major ‘live’ construction sites. Visitors are given the opportunity to explore how buildings and structures in their local community are constructed and find out about the diverse range of skills and professions needed on site.
The events attracted people from all backgrounds and ages, from small children eager to dress up in hard hats and WDI high-Vis vests, to teenagers considering whether construction could be a possible career choice for them. The heavy social media presence was popular, with 1.5k people clicking through the Willmott Dixon content and 644.7k people seeing posts on twitter.
Just one of the popular sites was at One Puddle Dock, where Willmott Dixon Interiors are currently stripping out and refitting a six-storey office building situated just above Blackfriars station in central London. WDI has been on site since August 2015 and James Richards, the building manager, has said that it is turning out to be a “flagship” project for WDI. The works involve a full back to structure strip involving removal of existing services, partitions, floor coverings and a major asbestos removal programme. There is also the replacement of all windows, roof coverings, and all services, and the installation of 8 number lifts, new raised access flooring and new toilet cores on all levels.
The Open Doors event gives people a new view of the industry and having been a hit with visitors, the site teams and people following on social media, WDI are excited to open even more doors to the public in the forthcoming years.