Month: May 2017

Coombs have been selected to help reinvigorate Zurich House so Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU) can expand its offering in Tunbridge Wells.

The development known as Meadow Road is the latest in a long line of projects delivered in partnership over almost two decades. Our work with the University which has transformed a variety of buildings on their main Canterbury campus, Broadstairs campus as well as the Grade II listed St Gregory’s Church for the benefit of their some students.

Meadow Road will once again see us working in partnership with Betteridge & Milsom, HMY and Evans & Langford to transform this 5-storey former office block into teaching, library and support accommodation. Our works include internal alterations, including new Mechanical, Electrical and data, Partitions, Ceilings and other internal refurbishment within an existing 5 storey building. Works also include external area improvement for DDA and repairs to the building envelope.

The new central site will allow easier access for students, CCCU having run a postgraduate centre on the Salomons estate for more than a decade as part of its psychology, politics and sociology course.  The University has announced that the building will also accommodate part of their Business School to offer degree level courses to working professionals – offering hope and ambition for those who already work for a living and want to expand their skills.

Initially the project came about through discussions with Kent County Council asking CCCU to design and deliver a programme to support engineering companies who were struggling to find high quality staff and meet their training needs locally.  However, CCCU’s Business School has greater ambitions for a wider corporate audience such as the many finance and insurance companies based in the region who at the moment the only option for their staff is to train in London.

Folkestone HEART –  a centre for Heritage, Education, Art, Regeneration, Tourism which tells the story of Folkestone’s history was officially opened on the 25^th May.

The opening ceremony marks the culmination of years of hard work to create a new museum for the town and secure the future of Folkestone’s heritage bringing together Folkestone’s collection which had been dispersed across the county.

A range of exhibition pieces from archaeological digs detailing the town’s past from fossils through to early settlements and art collections will be on display as well as pieces that had been held by Kent County Council since the 1970s.

Our works involved the refurbishment of a Grade II listed property to create the new exhibition spaces to display the town’s civic collection for adults and children alike to enjoy. As well as the creation of a new multifunctional suite including a Council Chamber and a small cinema.

Works were sensitively planned and flexibly delivered as they were undertaken within an occupied building with visiting members of the public, cinema goers and regular Council meetings taking place.

The new museum is part of a Folkestone Council project with an aim to improve the cultural and historic assets of the town and in doing so boost tourism and support regeneration. More information can be found here

The new neon lighting, as part of the famous vertical Dreamland sign, are lighting up the skies of Margate once again following restoration as part of our works at the heritage theme park.

Local artist Tracey Emin was the guest of honour at the official switch-on event, which marked an important milestone in the revival of Dreamland.
The neon signage once again brings a sense of grandeur and glamour back to Margate’s iconic seafront having been given great care and attention to accurately light up the past. Our latest phase of work, on behalf of Thanet District Council, involved the renovation of the Grade II* listed building that was formerly home to the Sunshine Café which before it was acquired by Thanet Council it had been neglected for many years.

A specialist historical lighting technique enabled the original colours of the sign to be accurately replicated and involved working with Historic England, the public body that looks after England’s historic environment.

The ‘new’ signage is a hybrid of glass neon tubes, for the DREAMLAND letters and the strips on the front of the fin, whereas LEDs have been used for the strips on the fascia, fin and along the tops of the walls as these are more vulnerable to vandalism.

Dreamland dates back to the British railway boom of the 1860s and is considered to be the oldest-surviving amusement park in the country. Our second phase of works at the theme park will contribute to Margate’s growing reputation as the new capital of British cool.

For more information click here.

The first steps of The Canterbury Journey have been completed with our works to create the Contractor’s Compound.

The compound works are the start of a 5-year programme to conserve and safeguard the Cathedral and its heritage for future generations.

During the course of The Canterbury Journey, the western end of the Cathedral is being restored and enhanced with repairs to the West Towers, Nave roof and Christ Church Gate. Furthermore landscaping improvements will significantly improve access and bring visual coherence to the South Precincts.

To enable the conservation works, we formed a new Site Compound, consisting of a level deck to provide flexibility and full accessibility by fork-lift vehicles for the transport of materials; a single storey timber frame sectional building for the Cathedral’s craftsmen and creation of a new temporary Welcome Centre and Canterbury Cathedral Shop Store to maintain the visitor experience ahead of permanent facilities.