Willmott Dixon Interiors is to deliver the £4.4 million refurbishment of two historic buildings in Sutton, South London, as part of exciting plans to bring the town’s high street back to life. The leading fit-out and refurbishment specialist contractor will transform 137-145 High Street in Sutton town centre, on behalf of London Borough of Sutton. Willmott Dixon Interiors will protect the historic features of both four-storey buildings, while creating 20,000 sq ft of modern retail and business space. Upper floors will provide large, open plan floor spaces, while the basement and ground floor will be refurbished as separate commercial units. New M&E arrangements will also be installed. Formerly occupied by Topshop and Vision Express, the heritage buildings form part of a broader strategy to revitalise Sutton town centre, which is being led by London Borough of Sutton. The project was tendered via Procurement Hub and is part-funded by the government’s Future High Streets Fund, through which the Council secured £11.35 million to transform the town centre. Willmott Dixon Interiors has committed to investing in the local community as part of its delivery of the project. It is partnering with The South London Careers Hub and Construction Industry Training Board to promote career opportunities within the sector, with specific initiatives made available to students, women and care leavers. Simon Wilson, director at Willmott Dixon Interiors, said: “We are looking forward to supporting Sutton Council’s efforts to breathe new life into the high street. Our team has vast experience in transforming underused buildings for the benefit of local people and economies. This important refurbishment will not only deliver commercial spaces fit for the 21st century but has the potential to attract new occupiers that will encourage wider town centre regeneration too.” Carolyn Dwyer, strategic director for development, growth and regeneration at the London Borough of Sutton, said: “We’re excited about the progress being made to renovate this much-loved site. By protecting the buildings’ historic features and creating a space for new businesses, this will help to guarantee a bright future for our town centre and bring new exciting opportunities for everyone living in our borough.” Courtney Cole, client relationship manager at Procurement Hub, said: “The London Borough of Sutton has demonstrated its commendable efforts in revitalising their local high street by refurbishing the former TopShop and Vision Express stores, which emphasises their commitment to enhancing the vibrancy of the community, creating a dynamic high street that will attract increased footfall. The collaboration between Procurement Hub and Willmott Dixon Interiors has been instrumental in creating a harmonious dynamic from a procurement perspective, which will facilitate the smooth execution of the project.” Willmott Dixon Interiors has gained a reputation for the successful delivery of multi million pound town centre refurbishment projects. The contractor worked with Enfield Council to complete the CAT B fit out of flexible office and meeting space at Edmonton Library, and handed over a new children and family hub at Thomas Hardy House in Enfield, which opened last year. It has also recently completed the £18.8 million redevelopment of two vacant retail warehouse assets in Oxford to deliver Inventa, the first commercial science scheme in the city’s central science district. For more information on the regeneration of Sutton High Street, please visit: https://suttontowncentre.sutton.gov.uk/ Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

Office Principles North has been chosen to carry out the £1.7 million CAT A refurbishment of an office building in the heart of Milton Keynes’ business district. The office fit out and design consultancy will upgrade c.10,000 sq ft on the ground, second and third floors of One Grafton Mews, Midsummer Boulevard.  The new design will enhance tenant amenities through a brand new ground floor reception/welcome area, featuring social and collaborative spaces. Office Principles North will remove existing lift lobbies on the second and third floors to create additional, open plan office accommodation. New lighting will be installed, and washrooms and common areas will be refreshed.  Sustainability is at the heart of the refurbishment, which will see the installation of new energy efficient M&E systems. There will also be low VOC paints, sustainable flooring products and finishes, while existing doors and raised access floors will be retained.  New fire curtains will be introduced to ensure compliance with building control regulations.Office Principles North has been appointed to deliver the refurbishment following a competitive tendering process. The fast-tracked project will be completed in just 12 weeks by a team also featuring TFT, Burnley Wilson Fish and KJ Tait. Bray Fox Smith and CBRE are the letting agents. One Grafton Mews offers more than 20,000 sq ft of office accommodation and is part pre-let to Woodfines. Occupiers benefit from the use of facilities at The Pinnacle, an adjacent office development of 190,000 sq ft, home to MHA, Dentons and RSM. Tina Batham, joint managing director of Office Principles North, said: “We’re excited to be delivering this CAT A office refurbishment. One Grafton Mews is sited in a terrific location in the centre of Milton Keynes, right next to The Pinnacle, and within minutes of the train line. This project is all about making best use of that positioning by enhancing the arrival experience for occupiers and visitors, and maximising the building’s available space. We’re looking forward to the challenge of completing the refurbishment within an incredibly fast-paced programme.” For more information on One Grafton Mews, please contact retained agents, CBRE and Bray Fox Smith. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

Office interior design consultancy, Office Principles North, has completed the combined CAT A and CAT B refurbishment of a new Central Co-op support centre in Lichfield. The c.32,000 sq ft facility delivers a hybrid workplace destination over three floors of Central House, Queen Street and secures Central Co-op’s presence in the city. Its open plan design houses a variety of adaptable work settings to promote collaboration among teams and provide individuals with autonomy in how and where they work. Features include bespoke event spaces, themed meeting rooms and areas for focused activities. A breakfast bar and dining area doubles as social and entertainment space, while an outdoor terrace on the building’s third floor caters for meetings and events. The refurbishment has been shaped by Central Co-op’s commitment to the environment and social responsibility. Office Principles North has reused materials wherever possible – including reupholstering c.80% of existing furniture – while there is also new, sustainable lighting and external landscaping. Central Co-op has made a significant long-term investment in the infrastructure of Central House, including necessary roofworks, brickwork and new windows to ensure it complies with the latest building regulations. A focus on energy efficiency has secured an EPC ‘A’ rating. Office Principles North was chosen as delivery partner for the refurbishment following completion of an initial workplace consultancy project that involved Co-op colleagues. In addition to the CAT B works, the contractor has also delivered the CAT A refurbishment of 12,460 sq ft space that will be sublet by Central Co-op. Tina Batham, joint managing director of Office Principles North, said: “It has been a huge pleasure to work in partnership with Central Co-op to deliver its new Lichfield support centre. Together, we’ve created a modern, sustainable workplace that embodies the organisation’s culture and values and cements its place in the heart of the local community. The design has been shaped by Co-op colleagues and succeeds in fusing functional and creative spaces that promote both hybrid and collaborative ways of working. The project has undoubtedly enhanced Central Co-op’s existing property portfolio.” Liz Hanshaw, head of change at Central Co-op, said: “With sustainability being so core to our purpose, we couldn’t be prouder of what we’ve achieved, with a modern, light and airy space where colleagues can be at their very best to make a difference for Members and customers.  Not only have we created modern, convenient spaces where colleagues can work collaboratively together, we’ve also created a place where we can proudly host our events such as our Members meetings, in the heart of the city centre.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

Deanestor, one of the UK’s leading fitout specialists, has delivered its first project in the tertiary education sector – providing fitted furniture for the Clarice Pears Building which houses the University of Glasgow’s School of Health and Wellbeing. Built by Multiplex and designed byAtkinsRéalis, the £50m facility on the University’s Gilmorehill Campus brings together five academic teams from different locations across Glasgow. This has created a single multi-disciplinary centre for world-class research into improving health and reducing health inequalities. The building is named after Clarice Pears, the mother of the founders and trustees of the Pears Foundation which donated £5m towards the building’s construction. Deanestor fitted out 42 rooms across five storeys, manufacturing more than 700 items of fitted furniture and joinery which included the main reception desk in the entrance atrium, purpose-designed tables and benching to level 1, informal booth seating to encourage social interaction and quiet study, storage solutions, kitchenettes, and worktops. The choice of natural materials for the interior included extensive use of wood finishes to help promote a sense of naturalness and calm in the building. Bespoke, full height meeting booths in a maple wood finish with brightly coloured seating according to the zone, add to the aesthetic impact and were also manufactured by Deanestor. The booths were provided in different sizes and configurations and incorporate acoustic treatment with padded upholstery above head height to create a canopy that promotes quiet working in the inclusive study spaces. Each was fitted with power, data and charging facilities. Other booth-style seating arrangements were designed to encourage collaborative working and study whilst incorporating good acoustic performance with the use of upholstered screens. Ramsay McDonald, Managing Director of Deanestor in Scotland, said, “This scheme, uniquely, utilises our experience of delivering fitout contracts for state-of-the-art hospital and laboratory projects and also multi-school campuses that promote a high level of collaborative learning and social integration.” “The School of Health and Wellbeing at the University of Glasgow will help to address some of the greatest challenges facing society – in the UK and around the world – from tackling health inequality and disease to improving health and wellbeing. We are really proud to have contributed to this wonderful building that has created such an exciting global centre of research excellence.” The Clarice Pears Building is a prominent feature on a new central university square and accommodates over 8,000sqm of research, engagement and teaching space. It will be used to host workshops and knowledge exchange events, as well as to develop new multi-disciplinary postgraduate courses. The design of the building amplifies the spirit of the Institute and delivers a wellbeing and human-centric focused workspace in the city of Glasgow, which is also sustainable and uses natural strategies for light and ventilation. A welcoming and publicly accessible space has been created on the ground floor to promote knowledge sharing and public engagement. This is reflected in the informal booth seating provided by Deanestor. The project was a finalist at the recent Scottish Property Awards in the Development of the Year (Public Buildings) category. Deanestor specialises in high quality furniture and fitout solutions to construction clients and contractors for major healthcare, education, build-to-rent and student living schemes. Its teams offer both standardised and bespoke fitted furniture design, joinery, manufacturing and installation to meet specific project requirements. For further information, visit www.deanestor.co.uk, call 01623 420041 or email enquiries@deanestor.com. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals