LandSec is having 14 of the building's 17 floors refurbished. Collins Construction is close to completing a £7.5m Cat A refurbishment across six floors and the basement area, to create office space that Landsec brands as Blank Canvas.
The Collins team is also delivering Landsec’s Customised workspace on the second floor.
Collins Construction has now been given another five floors of the Old Broad Street building to fit out, a £6m scheme, to Landsec’s Myo specification.
The contractor has been on site since June 2020, and with the three schemes together will be preparing 100,000 sq ft of office space.
As the only company delivering all three spaces – Blank Canvas, Customised and Myo – Collins has been able to make effective use of materials distribution across the projects, create programme efficiencies and recover time lost from national lockdown last spring, it says.
To satisfy social distancing guidelines and site restrictions, Collins has proposed an external hoist and lifting beam on the eighth floor to be used for horizontal material plant lifting and as a thoroughfare for the subcontractors. This will eliminate the need to block the internal lifts by keeping the movement of materials on the outside. It will also enable materials to be assembled offsite as complete pieces rather than having to be broken down onsite.
Collins project director Ryan Cleanthi said: “We committed a great deal of time to reviewing the spaces of Dashwood and how they would be used by the different audiences. By having a real understanding of the building and a longstanding and close working relationship with Landsec it was easier to plan for the impact of Covid-19.
“Collins has a one-team approach to refurb and fit out so we can work dynamically and accommodate change quickly when we need to. Dashwood is a great example of what can be achieved through strong relationships and the ability to be flexible during challenging times.”
Charlie Railton, Landsec portfolio projects director, added: “The Collins team put together fantastic bids for the projects at Dashwood and it is great to be working with a mix of familiar and new faces. This project is a first for Landsec in bringing its three office products (Blank Canvas, Customised and Myo) to market within the same building at the same time that in itself generates many challenges before taking into account working in an occupied tower building and the restrictions of Covid-19. Collaboration between client, professional team and the construction team is key and once again Collins are stepping up to the plate with energy to drive the project and an open minded approach.”
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