Category: Suspended Ceilings

Categories
Air Conditioning All Project Categories Office Furniture Office Refurbishments Partitioning Suspended Ceilings Visuals

Complete Design and Refurbishment in Bristol

Complete Design and Refurbishment in Bristol
Making a feature of the pillar

Client: Smufit Kappa
Value:£75k

Office Design and Refurbishment

A complete office design and refurbishment project was required, involving initial space planning and design, through to stripping out and refurbishing the office space.

The existing space had a problem with an existing pillar which could not be moved and it was in the middle of the space, so we made a feature of it. We constructed a curved wall around the pillar. The project included: plastering, decorations, air conditioning, flooring, lighting, new suspended ceiling, demountable partitioning, the design and build of a specially sized conference table with pop up modules in the desk to connect a laptop to for presentations. The project also included the supply and installation of office furniture fully co-ordinated with the colour scheme. We also produced some visuals which allowed the customer to appreciate the colour choices.

Design Work

Once we have looked at the current space and taken a brief from the customer, then we draw it. We use Autocad, and we first have to identify exactly what is in the current space which will include the existing lighting, electrical and air conditioning aspects, as well as the walls and other items in the space. In coming up with a new design we first look to see what the customer wants and then try to squeeze it in. In this case we had a pillar in the way, so we made a feature of the pillar in the design. We always draw technical drawings which allows our suppliers to cost items, but sometimes customers can’t visualise what something may look like. We therefore organise some visuals to be produced which help the whole process in getting the project approved.

Visuals

We appreciate that we still carry out visuals by hand and some may say that computer generated visuals are better. However we like to have another perspective on the design and so these are carried out by another company. The visuals are hand drawn and then painted or coloured in and it is a final check that we are happy with the design.

Existing Space Photographs

Stripping out Work

Finished Results

The most pleasing aspect of this project is that we identified a major issue with the layout and as we could not move it, created a feature of it. The pillar ended up being the focal point of the space where the directors could display some of their samples.

Do you have something similar and need help?

Often with these projects the hard part is knowing where to start. In particular with this project the space was really awkward. The directors knew that something had to be done as it was so dull but we are a loss on what to do.

Translating ideas into a cost can be quite difficult, so what we do at Cre8tive is to listen and then try and interpret what the customer wants. We go through certain steps and doing the drawing work is one of them.

If you are struggling to come up with something, please do not hesitate to give us a call 01380 73 88 44 or email us on [email protected]

Categories
Air Conditioning All Project Categories Mezzanine Floors Mezzanine Floors Office Refurbishments Partitioning Suspended Ceilings

Office Refurbishment in Milton Keynes

Office Refurbishment in Milton Keynes
Glass radiator in MD's office

Client: Edwards International
Value: £187k

Office Refurbishment

We were  invited by this customer to have a look at their existing office space as it needed an office refurbishment in Milton Keynes and the customer did not know where to start. They found us on the internet and liked our website as it showed real photos of actual projects rather than nice photo shopped images.

Out of the few that they contact we were the only ones to respond to their enquiry within a day.

When we first visited the client it was very obvious that the while area needed stripping out and starting again. What was surprising, although in reality we are not surprised, was that the existing partitions and mezzanine floor were not fire rated. We recognised the system below the mezzanine as a 50mm wide demountable partition system which has no fire rating at all. None of the exit routes out of the building were 30 minute protected and the mezzanine floor had a suspended ceiling fitted but it was not fire rated. The staff were working in a death trap. If there was any problem in the building then there would be a lot of trouble. The customer specialises in fire detection equipment, so for them to be in a building that was a potential death trap as it was not properly fire protected was nonsense.

Building Regulations

There were three different mezzanine floors installed at various times at different heights, and no paperwork to show that they had been passed Building Regulations, so from a fairly straightforward requirement to refurbish the offices there was a need to look at the whole building, design and specify it properly and get Building Regulation Approval. In the design we had to consider:

  • Fire protection of the mezzanine floors using the correct grade of suspended ceiling tile and support  column encasement
  • Correct design of protected fire exit routes throughout the building, checking of escape distances and signage
  • Full electrical design to suit.
  • New fire rated partitions where needed to meet Building Regulations
  • Supplementary fresh air systems to enclosed offices
  • Changes to air condition systems
  • Heating were needed.

CDM

There was no doubt that we were going to be on site for more than a month, and have more than 5 people on site, the whole project was quite a bit of work and so the work comes under the Construction Design and Management Regulations. The purpose of the regulations is to protect the employee and employer in making sure that a construction project is run safely. If you do not notify the Health and Safety Executive that the project is being carried out and there is a problem then directors of the company where the work is being done can go to jail.

Where do we start?

The first step is to measure everything and take lots of photos to see exactly what has been fitted. The next was to understand from the customer how they wanted to work in the space, so this included some basic functional block drawings identifying where they wanted Sales, Accounts and Technical. Once the broad locations were identified then the detail layouts were carried out identifying voice and data positions, partitioning and ceiling layouts and the work that had to be done on the mezzanine floor. Once the layouts were agreed we had to submit the plans to Building Control and get their approval which we did.

We produced many many drawings. All showing everything that was needed for each trade. Some shown below. The important document was the Building Regulations Approval document that is a legal requirement.

Existing Photographs

The first two photographs below show the immediate and obvious problem. The partitions are 50mm wide demountable and are not fire rated at all. The third photo shows the the vast storage area out the back. The rest just show the general bland and dated look of everywhere needed some tlc.

Stripping out and Construction work

We produced a plan and submitted all of the documents to the local Building Control people who assessed the drawings and arranged for some visits throughout the work. We also employed a Health and Safety Consultant who oversaw the work and kept all of the sub contractors on their toes, and they submitted the F10 to the Health and Safety Executive.

Refurbishment Projects

Categories
All Project Categories Suspended Ceilings

Angled Insulated Suspended Ceiling in a Church Hall in Swindon

Angled Insulated Suspended Ceiling in a Church Hall in Swindon
You can see the angle now

Client: Walcot Church
Value: £5.6k

When we visited the church initially the problem they had was that it was very cold and they had some problems with the other areas out the back of the main hall as well. We could have run a suspended ceiling right the way across the hall level at one height. It would have been easy to do and cheaper. There was actually quite a bit of height in the slope of the roof so we suggested we follow the line of the roof and try and get the ceiling as high as we could.  We also suggested a special ceiling tile with high insulation properties which the church went for.

Suspended Ceiling Projects

There are many different types of suspended ceilings and the range of tiles now can be quite baffling. The current trend is to focus on sound performance within the office and this can be dealt with by using a special tile.

Suspended ceilings are used for a number of reasons, they are quick to install and mean that all the services required for offices such as pipework for plumbing and air conditioning, as well as power and data can be hidden out of sight. Access to the services is also much easier than using a traditional plasterboard or MF type ceiling as the ceiling tiles just need to be lifted from the grid.

There are many offices with old fissured tiles, with sagging tiles and a mottled grey look they make the office look very dated. We like to fit nice white clean tiles to give a fresh look.

If you want to improve sound performance for a space, or want to hide some services, or have any questions about suspended ceiling types please give us a call on 01380 73 88 44

Categories
All Project Categories Suspended Ceilings

Very Large Suspended Ceiling Project in a Warehouse

Very Large Suspended Ceiling Project in a Warehouse

Client: Connaught
Value: £35k

Suspended Ceiling

This suspended ceiling project involved two buildings, one very large area and the photograph above showing the front offices. The suspended ceilings were part of a main factory refurbishment project for one of their clients. Working for a Main Contactor meant we had to fit our schedule in with other trades which is always difficult without having tight control on site with every aspect of the project.

Existing photographs

The pictures below show the state of the place when we first looked at it. A considerable amount of debris was on the floors and the main contractor was in the process of dismantling everything and clearing away the site.

Suspended Ceiling Construction photographs

Note the fire barrier that we had to install half way down the building.

We did give some advice on the selection of the tile, as the one that was specified was very expensive, and so we chose an alternative which was not much cheaper on the cost per square meter, but on 1200 square meters it made a difference to the customer.  Other areas such as stair wells and the entrance used an MF ceiling construction which is metal framework construction with plasterboard screwed to the frame, taped and jointed and then decorated in a neutral colour.

Suspended ceiling problems?

There are many types of suspended ceilings available, please click this link for more information. We have been supplying and fitting suspended ceiling systems as part of our main refurbishment projects for a number of years, if you are not sure on what can be done please give us a call.Please give us a call on 01380 73 88 44.

Categories
All Project Categories Partitioning Suspended Ceilings

Building Regulation Performing Fire rated Partitions

Building Regulation Performing Fire rated Partitions
Finished work!

Client: Webbs Motor Caravans
Value: 28k

Fire Rated Partitions

The difficulty with this project was that the client required offices above a mezzanine floor which means that the partitions below have to be fire rated, normally this means the glass has to be georgian wired. In this case we were able to use pyrocet clear glass to still give the 30 minute fire rating and yet not spoil the overall look of the offices.

The fire rated partitions system chosen was Komfort 75mm demountable partition system which allowed us to provide insulation inside the walls to give some degree of protection from the cold when the double doors to the showroom were opened to move caravans in and out. We could have used a cheap general 25mm thick partition roll which 99% of companies use as it is cheap, but in this case we used a Rockwool rw45 slab material designed to be better for insulation.

Partition Construction photos

Not shown are the suspended ceilings ceilings that we had to fit inside the offices. The one in the lower offices had to be 1 hour fire rated to give protection to the mezzanine floor. You can also see from the photographs the pink looking plasterboard on the metal columns of the mezzanine floor, this is fire protection board.

Fire rating and Building Regulations, not sure what to do?

Just give us a call or email. We understand partitioning and Building Regulations so can solve most problems. When it comes to offices it is crucial to protect people from any potential fire, the key is to make sure that the partitions give enough protection to allow people to escape. It is not acceptable to cut corners, so we always give the correct advice.

01380 73 88 44 or email: [email protected]

Categories
All Project Categories Suspended Ceilings

Suspended Ceiling for Chippenham Motor Co

Suspended Ceiling for Chippenham Motor Co

Client: Chippenham Motor Co
Value: £41k

The suspended ceiling for Chippenham Motor Co. was very complicated to achieve, particularly the upstairs profile where the customer required a vaulted roof line in two directions. Downstairs consisted of a series of 8 ceiling pockets formed by many bulkheads joining each other

Downstairs

The pockets had to be lined square to each other so that each ceiling set inside it looked square to the one either side of it in both directions. As we were aware of this, we ended up cladding the beams with fireline board so that we could angle them so that the sides were straight and parallel. If someone else would have done them, they would not have worried about the ceiling, and each pocket would then have angled cuts along each of the sides. Although this may appear trivial to many people and most fitters probably would not have worried about it, just clad the beams as quickly as possible and fitted the grid, then the customer would have got a poorer job. As it is the pockets are all square and you do not see any unsightly angles as Cre8tive takes a pride in making sure that things are carried out properly.

Upstairs

The upstairs ceiling was actually very complicated to do as the customer wanted to maximise the head room upstairs but it was not possible to raise it completely due to the edges of the building. We therefore set another ceiling higher, beyond the outer edges. The difficulty with this is in lining up all of the grids so that it would look right. In the time allocated to do the upstairs ceiling, a good 25% of the time nothing was actually built, the time was spent setting out the dimensions and working out all of the angles. As you can see we left some of the tiles out so that other services could be fitted, but if you are ever in Chippenham, please visit the Chippenham Motor Company and you will see what we mean. (They also sell cars).

Suspended Ceiling Requirements?

We have been supplying and fitting suspended ceiling systems as part of our main refurbishment projects for a number of years, if you are not sure on what can be done please give us a call, the more unusual and difficult the better.

Please give us a call on 01380 73 88 44.

Categories
All Project Categories Suspended Ceilings Toilet Refurbishment

Small Suspended Ceiling areas in Chippenham

Small Suspended Ceiling areas in Chippenham
By the entrance doors

Client: EJS Chippenham
Value: £2.5k

This project involved replacing an existing suspended ceiling in Chippenham. There were several ares to look at including a reception area, as well as supplying and fitting a new grid and tile ceiling for the shower room and toilets. As always the toilet areas take a long time as there are lots of small tile cuts to do as well as forming a bulkhead between some of the areas.

Existing pictures

Construction photos and Finished result

Suspended ceiling problems?

There are many different types of suspended ceilings and the range of tiles now can be quite baffling. The current trend is to focus on sound performance within the office and this can be dealt with by using a special tile.

Suspended ceilings are used for a number of reasons, they are quick to install and mean that all the services required for offices such as pipework for plumbing and air conditioning, as well as power and data can be hidden out of sight. Access to the services is also much easier than using a traditional plasterboard or MF type ceiling as the ceiling tiles just need to be lifted from the grid.

There are many offices with old fissured tiles, with sagging tiles and a mottled grey look they make the office look very dated. We like to fit nice white clean tiles to give a fresh look.

We have been supplying and fitting suspended ceiling systems as part of our main refurbishment projects for a number of years, if you are not sure on what can be done please give us a call.

Please give us a call on 01380 73 88 44.

Categories
Air Conditioning All Project Categories Office Refurbishments Suspended Ceilings

Wall Removal to Enlarge and Refurbish an Office Space

Wall Removal to Enlarge and Refurbish an Office Space

Client: Kingsley Pike Estate Agents
Value: £13k

This Design and Refurbishment project including supplying and fitting two steel beams to support the three floors above the shop, and to remove a structural wall and so needed some design work in order to carry out the refurbishment of the space.

The effective use of space was very difficult to achieve due to the small space in the office, however we still had to produce drawings to satisfy Building Control and to determine exact positions of voice, data and lighting positions. The project included electrical work, decorations, air conditioning, construction of step, flooring, lighting design and carrying out the work in 7 days. We had to carry out a complete design and refurbishment of the existing space.1703 kingsley pike 11-10-05-Model

Design and Refurbishment work

We spent some time working out what was needed in the space and what we could get in. The beam was calculated, as the back wall to the shop needed to come out to widen the office space, the issue was that the wall held up the 3 floors above. One of the main problems was that the main beam was 6 meters long and it took 4 people to lift it into the shop from the main high street. The delivery vehicle had to leave the beams on the pavement whilst everything was prepared.

Construction Photographs

Completion photographs.

General Refurbishment and Fit out Work

If you need any advice or are thinking of an office refurbishment project please give us a call, we would love to talk to you, on 01380 738844

Categories
All Project Categories Mezzanine Floors Office Refurbishments Partitioning Suspended Ceilings

Office Expansion in Corsham for Coombe Castle

Office Expansion in Corsham for Coombe Castle

Client: Coombe Castle
Value: £48k

Office Expansion in Corsham

This project consisted of converting a storage unit in to office space in order to provide some much needed office expansion. The project would involve fire protecting a mezzanine floor as this is required by Building Regulations if you have offices above, steel work and a suspended ceiling.  Ventilation had to be put round a chiller and fire sensors had to be installed within the chiller as it could not be moved to fit the fire protected board. Office windows had to be installed to match the rest of the building.

Upstairs needed a complete office fitting, so a suspended ceiling, dry lining the outer walls, decoration of the outer walls,  some fire rated partitioning to create a fire barrier between the offices and warehouse, as well as demountable partitioning within. Full electrical work including CAT2 lighting, 3 compartment perimeter trunking, flooring and new windows were also required. As always we follow our process, so the first step is to understand what the client wants, and then to assess what they have by taking photographs, and drawing everything.

Existing Space Photographs

It is a bit difficult to see from the photos, but essentially we had several areas to deal with. Underneath the mezzanine and on top of it was the main area, but included absolutely everything we do.

Building Regulations

It is crucial to consider Building Regulations when looking at layouts for offices. In particular fire ratings and Building Regulations which is a legal requirement. This particular project needed offices to be fitted on top of a mezzanine floor and so this is why it had to comply to the law.

If you need more information about Building Regulations, we have written a few things here.

Construction and finished photographs.

Office Expansion?

If you have a problem with your existing office space and need it altering as you are running out of space then Cre8tive can help. Please give us a call on 01380 738844.

Categories
All Project Categories Suspended Ceilings

Suspended Ceiling in Melksham sub station

Suspended Ceiling in Melksham sub station
Other rooms had prismatic panels

Client: Melksham Sub Station
Value: £4k

We were called in to look at Melksham sub stations‘ meeting room and staff room as there were a few problems with the inside of the room. The existing ceiling at the sub station was just exposed to the roof. As well as looking unsightly, the rooms were generally noisy as any sound bounced off the hard surfaces of the roof without being absorbed. The sub station also lost heat through the roof space, so the requirement was to install a new ceiling in a couple of rooms which would solve these issues. Instead of the usual CAT2 louvred lighting we fitted LG3 indirect/direct fittings which reduce any shadow around the edge of the room. A suspended ceiling was the obvious answer.

Choosing the right suspended ceiling tile is important to get the right balance between how the ceiling will look, its performance, (often related to sound and insulation), and of course cost. Cre8tive usually presents some options with some recommendations which then the customer can chose the right combinations to the budget that is available. In this instance we did not believe in presenting the cheapest tile for the cheapest price, which is what many companies do, but for not very much more they got a massively different look to the ceiling. The client also spent a bit more money in getting the correct lighting sorted and ended up with exactly what they wanted.

Construction and finished photographs

Not sure what Suspended Ceiling to have?

There are many different types of suspended ceilings, and we have selected a good quality plain faced tile in this case, which will not bow if it gets a bit of moisture, and is nice a bright. The lighting was important, as traditional CAT2 lighting creates shadows around the walls, we chose LG3 which throws light back into the diffuser producing less shadows around the edges of the walls.

There are many different types of suspended ceilings and the range of tiles now can be quite baffling. The current trend is to focus on sound performance within the office and this can be dealt with by using a special tile.

Suspended ceilings are used for a number of reasons, they are quick to install and mean that all the services required for offices such as pipework for plumbing and air conditioning, as well as power and data can be hidden out of sight. Access to the services is also much easier than using a traditional plasterboard or MF type ceiling as the ceiling tiles just need to be lifted from the grid.

There are many offices with old fissured tiles, with sagging tiles and a mottled grey look they make the office look very dated. We like to fit nice white clean tiles to give a fresh look.

If you want to improve sound performance for a space, or want to hide some services, or have any questions about suspended ceiling types please give us a call on 01380 73 88 44