We recently completed strip out and make good works to the former Department for Child Protection offices in Midland. The offices took up 75% of the building, over two floors. First impressions from the site visit were that it was a rabbit warren, with small offices and corridors everywhere, dark paint and carpet and barely adequate lighting, as seen in the pictures below.
We priced three options for the Client. The first was the strip out, keeping the existing ceilings and carpet. The second option was to install a new ceiling in the ground floor and the third was to replace the carpet throughout. The Client decided to take the whole package. The new ceiling introduced some problems, as the existing slab soffit was the ceiling, giving just 150mm depth at most to the new grid ceiling. In places the depth was down to 75mm, giving the electrician an interesting challenge to get the light fittings in.
The pictures above show the strip out proceeding. The pictures below show the ground floor cleared and the new ceiling grid installed.
The end result was an enormous improvement, dramatically opening up the space, and producing lettable areas as good as any you would find in Perth.
One of the interesting aspects of the project was the removal of the security measures needed for the previous use. The courtyard stairs were fitted with gates and barriers to control access to the upper floor offices. Removing these security gates made a remarkable improvement to the flow and appeal of the courtyard entry (below)
The project ran smoothly and was completed to the satisfaction of the Client, the designer and the Services Consultant.