PROJECT
BANGOR COURTHOUSE
ARCHITECTS A rchitects Knox & Markwell were chosen by Open House Festival to retain the old Courthouse’s Victorian character while reconfiguring the layout to transform the space into a venue for Open House Festival. “The major challenge was achieving a positive outcome in the planning application changes, as it was a listed building,” explained Partner Clyde Markwell. “However, both consent application and approval were achieved within a reasonable time.” The old Courthouse building was the first one in NI to be transferred as a free asset from a government agency, and it was in very poor condition. “It was very satisfying to witness the magic of reconfiguring an almost derelict building to the client’s best advantage and bringing it back to life,” Clyde said. The Partner highlighted the client’s creativity and commitment to retaining the Victorian style, keeping the original mosaic tiling and all the character and exuberance
of that period’s colours on the walls. He commented, “It was a very creative and enjoyable project. It was great to be there from the outset, work on it and then attend a concert at the new venue and see it working in full swing. Clyde was all praise as well about the experience of working alongside Leo Matheson. The company coordinated all subcontractors in a positive manner, addressing technical challenges in reconfiguring the layout and preserving the historic content of the property while delivering the work to programme. “No task was too large or too small, from refurbishing the sash timber windows to the integration of a primary structural solution within the building fabric to facilitate the reconfiguration of the layout,” he said.
T: +44 (0)28 9145 6677 E: enquiry@akm.org.uk www.akm.org.uk
ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR
W ith a reputation of excellence in working on heritage buildings, WKK was an obvious choice to provide the electrical strip out and installation to the Grade B listed Bangor Court House project. In addition to the stripping out, the scope of works included: installation of a new switchboard, feature lighting, Bluetooth controlled lighting system (Casambi),
ventilation, data system, fire alarm system, intruder system, AV package and exterior lighting. “We managed to utilise existing chimney breasts and old risers to hide a lot of the cabling in most of the building,” said Gavin Thompson, Commerical Director, “but we couldn’t do that in the function room. Instead, we made a feature out of it, but that necessitated a very tidy and neat finish!” Commenting on the completed job Gavin said, “This was right up our street. We have a strong portfolio of heritage buildings and an excellent team on site who understood what is needed to deliver a top job.”
T: +44 (0)28 9030 8881 E: info@wkkelectrical.com www.wkkelectrical.com
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