Two contracts, together worth £22 million, have been won by Kvaerner Construction. They are for the refurbishment if 18th century MoD barracks and the construction of a modern office development.
At the Ministry of Defence’s Brompton Barracks in Kent, a £10 million contract has been awarded for the refurbishment and modernisation of four barrack blocks. The first ten weeks of the contract sees the refurbishment of the Wildfire block to provide temporary accommodation for 221 men while work on the remaining blocks takes place.
The facade of the blocks, which are all listed buildings, will be maintained while internal refurbishment will bring them up-to-date from their current 1960s standards and will significantly reduce future maintenance costs once building work is completed at the end of 2000.
Each block has been designed to provide various types of accommodation, ranging from modern-style flats to single en suite rooms, for both long-term and short-term students and for staff living on the site permanently.
Meanwhile, in Staines Kvaerner Construction is starting work on a £12 million modern office development for Clerical Medical Investment Group. The project includes building a five-storey office building with a two-level car park basement.
Kvaerner won the contract after offering a unique sheet piling solution to completely waterproof the basement of the building which is below Staines’ notoriously low water table. The building, which is due for completion early in 2000, will be concrete-framed and predominantly glazed, with brickwork, stone banding and metal cladding. Internally it will feature an entrance atrium and will be finished to a high quality specification for a prospective client.