GDL Interiors are not only experienced in glass partitioning and office partitioning, we are also commissioned to carry out more demanding projects that involve complex space planning and complete office refits, from the reception to bathroom areas, to the main office floors.
At GDL Interiors we know how important it is for organisations to make the most effective use of space – so that each room is used efficiently. Certainly, one of our most exciting and challenging projects to date is the work that we carried out for Colne Housing in Essex – a lengthy project that took around 12 weeks to complete.
Colne Housing is a charitable organisation that provides high quality affordable homes to those who need it most. It is responsible for around 2,500 properties in the North Essex area and they have big plans for the future. In addition to building hundreds more new homes, they have also set aside a £10 million budget to improve their existing properties over the next five years. Colne Housing works in partnership with various organisations including Icini Homes.
Colne Housing’s most recent project, however, was focused on its own offices, which were in major need of revamp. The aim was to make the best use of space and accommodate the maximum number of staff.
Graham Dixon of GDL Interiors said: “When we were approached by Colne Housing, we were delighted to assist and were very proud of the work we did on site. It was certainly the most challenging project I have ever come across.”
Office Partitioning – click here for more information on the service we offer, or contact us now to discuss your requirements.
GDL interiors are an Essex based company with three decades of experience in office refits, including glass partitioning and office partitioning. We have a reputation for carrying out high quality work on time, and within budget.
Read on to find out more about our project at Colne Housing and some unexpected findings we came across on site.
Major Office Refit at Colne Housing
Colne Housing approached GDL Interiors for some space planning at their Causton Road main office, which lies right in the centre of Colchester. At the time, Colne Housing’s offices occupied just one floor of the building but the organisation wanted to make use of the existing second floor, so they could use the entire building to its full capacity and accommodate the maximum number of staff.
It was a lengthy and complex project and Colne Housing’s budget was set at £250,000 to complete the entire refit. The project involved space planning and ripping out the old offices, to start again from scratch. Colne Housing’s new offices included the completion of a brand new reception area, and a refit from top to bottom, including the old carpets replaced with new carpet tiles, a complete repaint, and the instalment of elegant new glass partitioning and office partitioning.
Colne Housing also needed the installation of new security cameras and two interview rooms, plus an office that allowed for security monitoring.
Mr Dixon said: “The brief was to make sure that the offices were able to accommodate allthe existing workforce, in addition to another ten people. The new offices were to be split across two floors.”
The second floor was empty but was previously used by another housing company, and this floor also needed extensive refurbishment.
It was an involved project as we had to work around the office hours, to cause the least disruption as possible. To do so, we transferred the staff to the empty second floor and worked around those remaining on the first floor. A lot of our work was undertaken at night to achieve this.
However, the real test was when the GDL staff came across an unexpected finding – the presence of asbestos in the building. “The asbestos was something that we didn’t know was there before.” said Mr Dixon.
“When we found the asbestos, there was a bit of a panic, but it was taken out just as it should be – professionally and with the right specialist team.
“From Colne Housing’s point of view we caused the least possible disruption while work was being carried out. They were over the moon and we were very proud of what we had achieved there.”
Asbestos was widely used in buildings throughout the UK since the 1950’s. Some of the reasons behind its popularity included its excellent insulation properties, as well as being flame and heat resistant.
A number of commercial and residential properties built before the turn of the century contained asbestos, which was used in various parts of buildings from ceiling tiles to pipe insulation.
Asbestos is dangerous to humans as breathing in even low levels of its fibres has been linked to life-threatening diseases. If found, it is vital that it is removed and disposed of safely by the relevant specialists.
About GDL Interiors
GDL Interiors are experts in space planning, refurbishment and design. As well as office refits, including the installation of glass partitioning and office partitioning, we also carry out works for educational establishments and other organisations.
Office Partitioning – click here for more information on the service we offer, or contact us now to discuss your requirements.
Monday 27 May 2013
Wednesday 22 May 2013
Glass Partitioning – Improving College Halls of Residences
GDL Interiors are experienced in space planning and refurbishment work for a host of private and public organisations including the provision of glass partitioning and office partitioning.
In addition to being specialists in office partitioning and glass partitioning, we also carry out extensive updates and improvements to educational facilities, including schools, universities and colleges of higher education. One of our recent projects was to update the kitchens and bathrooms at Homerton College’s Halls of Residence.
Homerton College has its roots in the 18th century and was at first affiliated to London University, before the college was re-founded and moved to Cambridge in 1894. It was originally a women only college but began to take in men in the 1970’s. In 2010, it was awarded a Royal Charter to receive the status of a self-governing college of the University of Cambridge.
It was around this time that GDL Interiors was approached by the facilities manager at Homerton College to carry out further improvement work at the Halls of Residence.
Graham Dixon, of GDL Interiors, said: “As student halls of residences in general are subject to routine wear and tear, it was vital that all the work done on the premises was practical, hardy, and long lasting – and looked good as well. We achieved all this, and within budget, and were delighted with the results.”
For more information about GDL Interiors, just click on the link below. Meanwhile, read on to find out more about our work at Homerton College.
In addition to the two projects listed below, GDL is also due to start work on 240 bedrooms in the West House hall of residence in August this year with a contract value of in excess of £400,000.
Glass Partitioning – click here for more information on the service we offer, or contact us now to discuss your requirements.
Improvements to the Bathroom Facilities at Homerton College
Although bathroom improvements do not come under the umbrella of glass partitioning in the sense of the word used for office partitioning, GDL interiors were approached to update as many as 240 shower doors at the Halls of Residence in Cambridge - and the work was to be completed over three years.
The £70,800 project was set to be completed in three stages to fit in with the college’s yearly budget. The old shower doors were removed and cleared from the site and replaced by new Formica faced shower doors. Formica is a highly durable plastic-type material which is resistant to heat and chemicals and has various uses around the home, including shower doors and kitchen worktops.
The main challenge for the project was fitting it around the college timetable, so the work was not disruptive to the students and would mean they could still use their shower facilities. To address this, GDL Interiors completed the entire project during the holiday period. However, this meant liaising closely with the college so works did not interfere with the times when the halls were hired out.
As with all projects undertaken by GDL Interiors, it is essential that all work is completed to strict building, and health and safety standards, and only the best contractors are appointed for the job; this ensures we maintain our consistently high standards.
Updating the Kitchens at Homerton College
In addition to the bathroom refits, GDL was also commissioned to update 34 kitchens at the site. Again, just as with the bathroom areas, it was important that the kitchens were hardy and practical as they are in frequent, daily use and are subject to considerable wear and tear.
Mr Dixon said: "The kitchens were each about 12 ft by 8 ft and were ripped out and replaced with completely new ones. We were delighted with the work we achieved on the site. "
He joked: “We were also pleased that when we returned for phase three of the project that the kitchens were still there, and were still intact!”
Work started in summer 2010 and each phase of the project involved replacing and installing a dozen kitchens, with the last set of kitchens replaced in the summer of 2012 at the cost of £96,100 per phase. Again, work had to be carried out outside term time, and at times when the Halls of Residence were not hired out.
Extensive work was carried out including ripping out the old kitchens and clearing the site. The project also involved a complete redecoration including new floors and tiling, the installation of all the kitchen units, worktops, ovens and white goods and connecting all the facilities to the necessary mains supplies.
In addition to this, all the cupboards were issued with locks as standard; this was so that all the students have their own allocated cupboard and to prevent any of their food stocks going astray.
In order to comply with health and safety and building regulations, fire doors were also installed on the site.
About GDL Interiors
GDL Interiors provides a wide range of work for public and private organisations, including educational establishments. In addition to the installation of kitchens and bathrooms, we are also experienced in office refits, including the provision of glass partitioning and office partitioning.
Office Partitioning – click here for more information on the service we offer, or contact us now to discuss your requirements.
In addition to being specialists in office partitioning and glass partitioning, we also carry out extensive updates and improvements to educational facilities, including schools, universities and colleges of higher education. One of our recent projects was to update the kitchens and bathrooms at Homerton College’s Halls of Residence.
Homerton College has its roots in the 18th century and was at first affiliated to London University, before the college was re-founded and moved to Cambridge in 1894. It was originally a women only college but began to take in men in the 1970’s. In 2010, it was awarded a Royal Charter to receive the status of a self-governing college of the University of Cambridge.
It was around this time that GDL Interiors was approached by the facilities manager at Homerton College to carry out further improvement work at the Halls of Residence.
Graham Dixon, of GDL Interiors, said: “As student halls of residences in general are subject to routine wear and tear, it was vital that all the work done on the premises was practical, hardy, and long lasting – and looked good as well. We achieved all this, and within budget, and were delighted with the results.”
For more information about GDL Interiors, just click on the link below. Meanwhile, read on to find out more about our work at Homerton College.
In addition to the two projects listed below, GDL is also due to start work on 240 bedrooms in the West House hall of residence in August this year with a contract value of in excess of £400,000.
Glass Partitioning – click here for more information on the service we offer, or contact us now to discuss your requirements.
Improvements to the Bathroom Facilities at Homerton College
Although bathroom improvements do not come under the umbrella of glass partitioning in the sense of the word used for office partitioning, GDL interiors were approached to update as many as 240 shower doors at the Halls of Residence in Cambridge - and the work was to be completed over three years.
The £70,800 project was set to be completed in three stages to fit in with the college’s yearly budget. The old shower doors were removed and cleared from the site and replaced by new Formica faced shower doors. Formica is a highly durable plastic-type material which is resistant to heat and chemicals and has various uses around the home, including shower doors and kitchen worktops.
The main challenge for the project was fitting it around the college timetable, so the work was not disruptive to the students and would mean they could still use their shower facilities. To address this, GDL Interiors completed the entire project during the holiday period. However, this meant liaising closely with the college so works did not interfere with the times when the halls were hired out.
As with all projects undertaken by GDL Interiors, it is essential that all work is completed to strict building, and health and safety standards, and only the best contractors are appointed for the job; this ensures we maintain our consistently high standards.
Updating the Kitchens at Homerton College
In addition to the bathroom refits, GDL was also commissioned to update 34 kitchens at the site. Again, just as with the bathroom areas, it was important that the kitchens were hardy and practical as they are in frequent, daily use and are subject to considerable wear and tear.
Mr Dixon said: "The kitchens were each about 12 ft by 8 ft and were ripped out and replaced with completely new ones. We were delighted with the work we achieved on the site. "
He joked: “We were also pleased that when we returned for phase three of the project that the kitchens were still there, and were still intact!”
Work started in summer 2010 and each phase of the project involved replacing and installing a dozen kitchens, with the last set of kitchens replaced in the summer of 2012 at the cost of £96,100 per phase. Again, work had to be carried out outside term time, and at times when the Halls of Residence were not hired out.
Extensive work was carried out including ripping out the old kitchens and clearing the site. The project also involved a complete redecoration including new floors and tiling, the installation of all the kitchen units, worktops, ovens and white goods and connecting all the facilities to the necessary mains supplies.
In addition to this, all the cupboards were issued with locks as standard; this was so that all the students have their own allocated cupboard and to prevent any of their food stocks going astray.
In order to comply with health and safety and building regulations, fire doors were also installed on the site.
About GDL Interiors
GDL Interiors provides a wide range of work for public and private organisations, including educational establishments. In addition to the installation of kitchens and bathrooms, we are also experienced in office refits, including the provision of glass partitioning and office partitioning.
Office Partitioning – click here for more information on the service we offer, or contact us now to discuss your requirements.
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