Ministry of Defence head office Whitehall, London
Tessera has supplied almost 60,000 square metres of heavy contract carpet tiles in a variety of bespoke constructions and colourways to the Ministry of Defence Head Office at Whitehall. The contract to supply the floorcoverings was part of a major PFI redevelopment and refurbishment project undertaken by Skanska to provide a more modern, efficient and appropriate working environment for some 3000 military and civilian staff who now work in the Main Building, responsible for directing Britain’s defence operations across the world.
Working with the Skanska design team, lead by the architects HOK, Tessera designed and manufactured the carpet tiles. The tiles have been used throughout the building, which has been transformed from a 50-year old design layout, characterised by cellular offices and a network of corridors, to airy and relaxed open plan office suites, conducive to improved team working, interaction and communication.
The majority of the carpet tiles installed were based on the textured loop pile tiles in Tessera’s Optimum Create range. Additional cut-and-loop pile tiles from its Ethos range and bespoke low-level loop and cut pile tiles were also specified to meet the various aesthetic and performance requirements across different areas of the building.
In order to facilitate convenient access to flooring panels, the tiles were of non-standard dimensions, cut to 60cm x 60cm. Certain areas also called for additional underfoot comfort and sound insulation and Tessera supplied these tiles with SoftBac® secondary backing.
Tessera Sales Manager Brian Pringle said the company had been absolutely delighted to be involved with the Whitehall project: “We’re used to supplying large and complex orders for public and private sector contracts alike, but this was a particularly exciting and prestigious contract for us.It was a major challenge given the sheer size of the task – a million square feet of office space; the diversity of the tile designs and constructions needed for different areas of the building, the need to phase manufacturing, delivery and installation over a six-month period, and the need to maintain Skanska’s high levels of security. Having total control of our own manufacturing facilities here in Lancashire was critical, allowing us to respond with the speed and flexibility our clients demanded”.
Brian concluded: “We are immensely proud to have provided the floorcoverings for the Ministry of Defence Head Office, but this was very much a team effort. Our successful contribution to the Whitehall project was the result of a closely integrated operation between Skanska, HOK, our own design, sales and manufacturing teams and of course the team from Loughton Contracts who installed our tiles throughout the building”.
The MOD’s Head Office is now being re-occupied with this major PFI project completed on budget and ahead of schedule providing some 3000 MOD staff a modern, functional and fit-for purpose office, virtually unrecognisable from the building they vacated before work began.
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