Choosing a commercial renovation contractor

What to look for in a London office fit out contractor

London is one of the most competitive office markets in the world. Across Mayfair, the City, Soho, Kings Cross and Canary Wharf, businesses need workspace. It must perform and adapt. It must represent the brand properly. It is not just space that photographs well.

Office fit out is no longer desks and partitions. It is strategy, coordination and execution, usually inside a building that is still occupied.

This article sets out what separates a strong commercial contractor from the rest. It also sets out how NU Projects works.

What defines the right commercial renovation contractor

At the top end of the market, the differences are not speed or cost. They are these.

• Design and build under one appointment, so nobody is translating between two firms
• An understanding of how people actually move through and use a workplace
• Mechanical and electrical coordination that is done before the ceilings close
• Programme certainty in a live or constrained building
• Finishes chosen to age well, not to look new for six months
• A method for keeping the business trading while the work runs
• Commercial control you can read: a cost plan, a change process, one accountable lead

Ask any contractor on your list to show each on a finished job. Ask for the client’s telephone number too.

How NU Projects works on commercial

NU Projects approaches office fit out with the same discipline as prime residential work. The firm has been building in London since 2010, which is sixteen years. The commercial side is led by our MEP director, Wayne Hockham. He has over twenty years in prime residential and government mechanical and electrical work.

The work covers:

• CAT A and CAT B office fit outs
• High end commercial refurbishment
• Mixed use and occupied buildings
• Structural reconfiguration and services integration
• Premium finishes and interiors built around the brand

Senior people stay on the job from start to finish. That is what makes a decision quick and a risk visible early.

How we think about an office

An office is a long term asset rather than a transaction. Over ten years, performance, durability and how it feels to work in matter. Those are what the design is tested against.

We would rather deliver better offices than more of them.

In short

London has no shortage of office fit out contractors. Fewer combine design, construction and senior accountability in one appointment. That combination is what the checklist above is really testing for.

Planning a commercial renovation in London?

From concept to completion, under one contract. Tell us about the building, or read more about our mechanical and electrical work.