When you’re running a busy work environment that must remain operational but needs an urgent upgrade, what do you do?
Lots of businesses and public-sector service providers experience this dilemma, putting off vital works that could improve efficiency, productivity and staff wellbeing because of concerns over business interruption.
LST’s work for Hampshire Fire & Rescue Service proves that improvements can be made to a business-critical workplace while staff continue to get on with their jobs as normal.
Our team carried out a series of remodelling works and upgrades to building services at Hampshire Fire & Rescue Service’s control room suite in a three-phase programme, designed around the operational requirements of the client.
As the main control centre for all emergency call outs to the Fire & Rescue Service throughout the county, the control suite in Eastleigh must operate efficiently at all times. That includes ensuring that all electrical and data systems are up and running on a 24/7 basis.
Our approach was to strip out two training rooms and use them to set up a temporary control suite prior to the start of works. In this way, staff could be decanted to the temporary facility to enable 24/7 operation to continue throughout the project.
Phase 1 included electrical works to the training rooms to enable set up of the temporary control suite.
Phase 2 saw the LST team deliver the refurbishment of the control suite and
Phase 3 involved reinstating the temporary control suite area back to its original purpose.
By carefully phasing the works and designing access arrangements to avoid business interruption we were able to carry out all works without disrupting the vital services delivered from the building.
Not all workplaces have such mission critical business continuity requirements but all can be upgraded with the same intelligent approach to managing the construction programme around the needs of the organisation and its team. The vital ingredient is a contractor with experience of operational refurbishment, a can-do approach and a willingness to work with the client’s requirements.
