Novus Property Solutions has reconfigured one floor of the Cunard Building in Liverpool to create a modern training facility which reflects the building’s heritage. Novus Property Solutions was appointed by Liverpool City Council, the building owner, to complete the extensive refurbishment and restoration project.
Originally built to house the headquarters of the Cunard Line, the Grade II Listed building now provides a range of flexible workspaces. Over the course of 14 weeks, a team of operatives from the contractor’s Liverpool office reconfigured the first floor layout from one large, open plan space, into seven individual training rooms and one kitchen area. While the brief was to ensure the training rooms would meet the demands of a modern workspace, it also needed to remain true to the heritage of the building.
Striking the balance between restoring the building’s original features while creating a practical modern space was one of the main challenges of the project. The team unearthed some issues with the ornate coving and cornices, which were to be a key feature of the project, while stripping out the existing ceilings ahead of the installation of the new service ceilings. Novus had to carefully repair and preserve the coving before repainting it as it was in a poor state of repair in places.
A specialist range of heritage paints was specified for the project to ensure the new training rooms toned in with the existing colour schemes used within the building. Grey undercoat and gloss was applied to the woodwork while vinyl matt emulsion, specified in white, was used for the walls to create a light, bright modern space.
In order to ensure the new rooms were fit for a 21st century training environment, the team carried out a full rewire and installing data caballing and LED energy-efficient lighting throughout in addition to the new service ceilings.
Since the project was completed, Novus has successfully tendered to complete an additional project within the Cunard Building for Liverpool City Council. This will involve refreshing and redecorating 10 rooms plus the corridor on the second floor as well as installing a new kitchen and laying new flooring.
