Refurbishment

We’re in the business of turning our clients’ dreams into reality. Not an easy task when you consider some of the complete interior fit-out and refurbishment solutions that we have been asked to undertake in recent years. More often than not we are operating in working buildings, so we need to be flexible, adaptable and patient. While maintaining the precision and attention to detail that our clients expect, we also need to work at speed, to ensure that any disruption to trade or business is kept to a minimum.

For example, refurbishing Northern Bank’s city centre headquarters in Belfast required the installation of a mezzanine floor. The only time it was possible to crane in the supporting structural beams was in the early hours of a Sunday morning. When it came to refurbishing the interiors of 11 branches, it took six weekends per branch. And at First Trust Bank our teams worked around branch opening times altering the interiors of 39 branches to comply with the Disability Discrimination Act.

Many of the refurbishments that we undertake require different skills and a comprehensive understanding of different techniques and new technologies. In a comprehensive refurbishment for the reception area of the Irish News, the work was carried out in an environment where journalists needed to meet deadlines and a daily paper had to hit the streets.

In other cases refurbishment requires the complete conversion from one specific use to another that is entirely different. With BT, the company required 4500m2 of storage facility turned into a fully functioning transport support and storage facility.

Within 15 weeks the internal structures had been demolished and replaced by offices, an amenity block, canteen, storage areas, service stations and inspection pits.