Willmott Dixon Interiors has commenced work on a third major refurbishment project at an office building in West Yorkshire. We are reconfiguring and modernising c.14,000 sq ft of office accommodation on level 7 of the ten-storey Quarry House in Leeds city centre.
The project, which was procured under the Procurement Hub Major Projects Framework, has already received an excellent Considerate Constructors Scheme score of 43/45.
Eoghan Moriarty, Hannah Darby and Alex Turton from Willmott Dixon Interiors.
The achievement recognises our commitment to respecting the local community, caring for the environment and valuing our workforce.
These commitments include:
- Engaging with local careers fairs, schools and supporting Leeds Mencap via an Easter Egg collection
- Donating redundant furniture to a local prison
- Working to deliver Mental Health First Aid training to 100% of our workforce
- And, as part of our Now or Never strategy, targeting operational net zero by the end of 2030 for all new buildings and major refurbishments, and by the end of 2040 for net zero embodied carbon
Level 7 is the latest project we are delivering at Quarry House, and follows the CAT B fit-out and refurbishment of 64,583 sq ft of commercial office space on level 2 of the building.
Completed CAT B refurbishment for Level 2 at Quarry House.
Work is close to completion on a separate project on level 8, which is revamping 12,000 sq ft of office space to create modern, flexible office accommodation for as many as 130 people.
Phil Crowther, Director at Willmott Dixon Interiors said: “We are extremely proud to have achieved such an impressive CCS score. It not only underlines the professional manner in which we approach the delivery of projects but again highlights the many ways in which we make a real difference in local communities. Our teams continue to work incredibly hard to deliver modern and collaborative office space at Quarry House, where people can work safely and flexibly. We are confident that the knowledge and experience we have already gained during our time on site will ensure the completion of works on level 7 with minimal disruption for occupants.”
There has been considerable progress on the refurbishment and redevelopment of two former retail spaces. These units will be established into a new biomedical research & development facility within central Oxford, and will be known as Inventa.
There is a new extension to the front of the building. This extension includes fair face concrete columns and beams that also support the new floors, thereby providing a two-storey space. In total, 184 new CFA piles have been installed, with some going to a depth of 27m to support this larger structure.
The construction of the new first floor used an innovative method of rolled rebar from Hy-Ten Reinforcement, called Bamtec. Bamtec is a system for installing the reinforcement for an in-situ concrete slab in a much faster method than traditional loose bar. This process greatly reduces labour time, fixing requirements on site, and reduces the health and safety risk with manual handling. You can view the installation of this time saving process here.
In addition to the reinforced concrete structure forming the colonnade extension and mezzanine slab, the majority of the original steel work and existing red brick cladding has been retained, together with the original roof structure which was overlayed with a new metal roof system. This steel work will remain exposed and will be a striking feature within this CAT A project.
The precast stairs are now in place within the new stair cores. Furthermore, a curtain wall system has been installed to the front colonnade and the glazing is now in place. In addition to these large windows at the front, ribbon window will be installed to the back and sides of the building, additionally rooflights have also been fitted. This provides a light and airy space throughout the structure.
To reduce the carbon footprint of the building, 250mm insulation has been installed within the roof space. This will complement other heat saving features that will be incorporated as the project is finalised.
To see more about this project and to appreciate the scale of the refurbishment, you can see a bird’s eye view of the project from our drone footage.
For more information on what a CAT A fit-out is, see our blog.
Digital Construction process were applied throughout the design of the project and continue to be used throughout the build. To find out more about the benefits of this methodology, see here
Willmott Dixon Interiors has been appointed to deliver a new biomedical research and development facility in central Oxford.
The fit-out and refurbishment specialist contractor will redevelop two former retail warehouse assets on Botley Road into c.65,000 sq. ft of world-class laboratory and creative office space.
Known as Inventa, the redevelopment is being delivered on behalf of a joint venture between property developer, Mission Street, and BentallGreenOak, a global real estate investment management advisor, which acquired the property in 2021.
Willmott Dixon Interiors will reuse and extend the existing structure of the two warehouse buildings, adding a new internal floor and a colonnade to the north elevation.
The additional floorspace will enable the creation of a new reception area and a combination of sustainable new spaces for market-leading life science companies. They include enhanced common areas and meeting rooms, new collaboration and circulation spaces, breakout areas and café provision, as well as new bike parking and shower facilities.
The building fabric will also be substantially upgraded, including a new façade, while new mechanical and electrical services will also be installed.
Externally a cycle and pedestrian route and a newly landscaped car park will create a revitalised visitor experience, with landscaping at the rear of the building doubling as an area for flood mitigation.
Inventa is expected to be complete in summer 2023.
Graham Shaw, managing director at Willmott Dixon Interiors, said: “Inventa will transform a redundant retail space into an exciting and dynamic science hub in one of the world’s leading research and innovation locations. We will be delivering a sustainable building with high quality facilities that will foster collaboration and meet a growing demand from life sciences companies in central Oxford.”
The project team includes Owers Warwick Architects (Cambridge), Abakus Consulting, Buro Four Project Services and Hilson Moran Partnership.
Amador Caballero, our Head of Digital Construction gives his views on why BIM is important on fit out projects.
Amador Caballero
Head of BIM
What comes into your mind when you think about BIM? 3D visualisations, clash detection, modelling construction sequences before a project starts on site?
BIM can bring all these advantages, but to focus on them for a fit-out project is to miss the point.
BIM is about better information management. Having all the right information in one place leads to significant savings during design and construction but also during the operation and maintenance costs over the lifetime of the building.
In fact, the impact of BIM on costs during the building’s operation is far greater than for the design or the construction phases on a fit-out project. This was something that PWC demonstrated when it carried out an independent study of the fit out of the Department of Heath headquarters at 39 Victoria Street in London, a £12.5m project we carried out between 2016 and 2017. The study found that 73% of the estimated £677,000 lifecycle savings would be realised in the operation phase.
Making life easier
People can be reluctant to try new things initially, but we have learned over the last five years that once someone has used BIM on one project, their perspective changes because they realise that it really makes their lives easier.
It is the same for our customers. Some of them are not familiar with BIM, but we work with them to provide training and information so that they can maximise the benefits that are possible.
Those benefits start at the design phase, with the ability to understand the design intent and make early decisions. During construction, BIM makes it easier to see the impacts of proposed changes and take decisions accordingly. As construction finishes, handovers of the Asset Data are faster and more efficient and once the building is in use, information is easily accessible without the need to look through a huge O&M manual. For instance, if the FM manager wants to know where the fan coils are, who installed them and what the warranty situation is, they can do so immediately through the model or the structured data provided.
It is important to note that these benefits come when the correct expectations are defined by the customer at tender stage; the design is developed in a 3D environment by our consultants and subcontractors; data is collected, and all the project information shared, through the Common Data Environment in the agreed format.
Willmott Dixon Interiors was the first fit-out firm to be accredited at BIM Level 2 to the UK national standard PAS1192 in 2016 and has just received a BSI certification to the international standard ISO19650-1:2018, ISO19650-2:2018 and UK National Annex which were published in 2018.
Achieving these accreditations are important to our customers because they give assurance that the right processes and protocols are being used on Willmott Dixon Interiors projects. Since the heart of BIM is information, the way that data is collected, stored, communicated and protected is vital to getting the best outcomes.
More and more of our customers are specifying the use of BIM for their fit-out projects at tender stage. Our policy at Willmott Dixon Interiors is to deploy it whether it is specified or not. The only time it may not make sense is when designs have progressed beyond RIBA Stage 3 without following the correct BIM process; the earlier BIM is deployed, the greater the potential benefits.
As we and our customers become more comfortable and skilled with BIM, we expect even more benefits to accrue.
Building Information Modelling (BIM) is crucial for the delivery of our projects. Thanks to the combined efforts of our National Product Team and a real one-team approach from our regional digital leads, we have achieved ISO 19650 standard for BIM.
Our research shows that working under ISO BIM standards has typically saved up to 22% on construction costs for customers to date. It’s therefore brilliant to hear that we have achieved the ISO 19650 standard at Willmott Dixon, which is a new, international standard for managing building information.
National Quality Assurance Manager, Christine Murray, worked with the digital team across Willmott Dixon’s construction and interior businesses through 3 days of audit scrutiny, after which we were wholeheartedly recommended for award of the standard and associated Kite Mark. This marks another great milestone in our journey towards a digitally-enabled, futureproof business that is leading the way for our customers, partners and industry.
ISO 19650 takes our predecessor, PAS 1192-2:2013 with BRE, and builds on it by adding detail and focus on holistic delivery and building information security. It applies to the whole life cycle of a building including strategic planning, initial design, engineering, development, documentation and construction as well as day-to-day operation, maintenance, refurbishment, repair and end of life. This life cycle focused approach will actively enhance collaborative working, providing greater opportunities to add value, and better outcomes for our customers.
Achieving this standard is an important quality mark for our work winning capabilities, and will help our positioning as we bid for future projects.
Find out more about our digital construction capabilities