Lancaster Circus refurb complete
The £23m redevelopment of an office block in Birmingham has been completed 20 weeks ahead of schedule. The refurbishment of 1 Lancaster Circus by Wates Construction increased the council building’s employee occupancy from 800 to 2,000.
The refurbishment was completed in 72 weeks, ahead of the projected 92 week deadline, saving £340,000.
The building has now become the location for one of the UK’s largest ever chilled beam installations with 179 on each floor. This formed part of a huge overhaul of building services in order to make the property more energy efficient.
Wates cleaned and repaired the limestone cladding façade and replaced 527 windows to improve the building’s appearance.
Phil Harrison, Wates Construction’s managing director for the north and Midlands said: “This was a challenging project for us given the building’s city location and the innovative construction methods that were required to ensure minimal impact upon the building’s occupants.
"The fact that we were able to accommodate these constraints and still complete the project under budget and ahead of schedule is a fantastic achievement and even better that our presence proved to be beneficial to the local economy.”
The project was undertaken as part of Birmingham City Council’s Working for the Future programme.
