30 April 2015 

When the Carnegie Library and Art House in Wakefield looked to implement the final element of its extensive refurbishment programme for its Grade II listed facilities, Quartzelec’s Manchester based building services and electrical contracting business was again brought in to deliver the £700k M&E element of the contract; extending its working partnership with York based lead contractor William Anelay Limited, one of the UK's longest established construction companies that specialises in the conservation and restoration of listed and historic buildings. 

Situated directly adjacent to the existing Phase 1 of the Art House building, that was completed in 2008 to provide artists - with and without disabilities - an accessible building with 14 managed studios and workshop spaces as part of Wakefield Metropolitan District Council's ten-year Renaissance Strategy. This final phase took a little over six months to complete and potential tenants are currently being sought for the imminent opening of this unique space for use by artists, businesses and the public.  The new phase adds a further 34 rentable artist studios, a multi-use space, a learning area and a permanent link to the current Art House building via an impressive double-height glazed extension that also forms a new public entrance on Mulberry Way. 

One of the key elements of this project was the architectural lighting solution developed over several months by Quartzelec in collaboration with London based Atrium Lighting so as to achieve the desired and highly flexible solution. Quartzelec was also responsible for designing and implementing other elements of the electrical installation including the integrated CCTV, fire and intruder alarm systems that work in conjunction with the FOB based access solution.  From a mechanical perspective, all the above ground utilities including hot water provision and other plumbing, plus the waste water / drainage requirements were also part of the overall specification. 

“We are delighted with the final outcome and delivery of this project,” explained Bob Martindale the project manager from William Anelay. “Nothing was ever too much trouble for any of the Quartzelec team that worked on this challenging project.  Should a snag arise all the stakeholders got together and quickly developed an appropriate solution and then set about delivering it.  The lighting was a key element of the whole project as we wanted to create appropriate lighting moods in which to display various art installations but at the same time didn’t want it overly bright or for the place to appear dark or dingy. Adding absent/ present sensors also means greater overall control can be achieved and energy is only consumed when a room is occupied. What we’ve achieved is a flexible and extremely creative environment and the customer is delighted with the finished result.” 

“We have an excellent relationship with William Anelay and were delighted to work with them again on the prestigious Carnegie Library and Art House project,” added Martin Broughton, General Manager of Quartzelec’s Manchester business.  “An extremely tight schedule was just one of the challenges on the project but everything came together as planned and the work was completed on time and budget. We’re now looking forward to confirming our next project with William Anelay but in the meantime we have a number of other demanding M&E project contracts both in development and delivery.” 

Quartzelec continues to secure a steady stream of sub £1m M&E design, delivery and support contracts plus is now successfully competing and winning an ever increasing number of large, prestigious projects.  Each typically includes delivering complex and integrated heating, electrical, water, ventilation, communications, building management and lighting systems. Recent wins include: a £4.6m contract from main contractor Morgan Sindall plc, its largest ever contract to date, that covers four significant new framework schools projects located in Preston, Widnes, Birkenhead and Blacon Cheshire; a £3+m M&E design and installation contract for 135 bespoke homes for the over 55s for Wythenshawe Community Housing Group (WCHG) in South Manchester; a £1.4m project for the new Wirral Met College Campus at Wirral Waters; a £1.6m refurbishment contract for Manchester Metropolitan University; the sympathetic £700k refit of the Green Howards Regimental Museum in Richmond, just north of York; and a £1.58m 10-floor housing development at One Smithfield Square in Manchester’s fashionable Northern Quarter.