British Gypsum and its
specialist supply partner Nevill Long, part of the Encon Group, has supplied
materials for a multi-million-pound regeneration of the Queen’s Hall in Dunoon,
Scotland.
The £12 million
refurbishment project marks the culmination of an exemplary working
relationship between client, contractor, manufacturer and supplier.
During the year-long
build, the team had to overcome a number of challenges to ensure the renovation
was a success.
In particular,
delivering products to site in a cost-effective and timely manner became a
major logistical issue that British Gypsum and Nevill Long worked closely
together to solve.
Nevill Long was first
approached by the contractor at the specification stage of the project.
Included in the client’s renovation plans were a number of complicated acoustic
and fire performance upgrades that were difficult to achieve with standard
drylining products.
As such, Nevill Long
began to look at specialist performance products that could attain the desired
levels of performance. During a consultation with the contractor, the team at
Nevill Long recommended a number of British Gypsum’s innovative drylining solutions,
including Gyproc SoundBloc and Gyproc Habito plasterboards, for use in the
auditorium.
Speaking about the
decision to recommend British Gypsum’s products, Willie Main, Business Unit
Manager of Nevill Long, commented: “We have developed a strong working
relationship with British Gypsum over many years and this project reaffirmed
why we consider them such a trusted partner. The company’s bespoke boards were
an ideal solution for the client, who was looking to overcome some of the
difficult challenges associated with the build. It’s important for a specialist
distributor like us, to be able to recommend unique products to meet every
design challenge and British Gypsum’s innovative product range really helped us
to achieve our goal.”
Outside of the
architectural and performance-related challenges, the project at the Queen’s
Hall faced a number of logistical issues. The hall is located in the small
Scottish town of Dunoon and sits on the south of the Holy Loch, a large body of
water which the auditorium overlooks. Most visitors reach the town via ferry,
as accessing the area by land involves navigating long, narrow country roads.
Given the size and
scale of the products that needed to be delivered to the project, it was
decided that transporting the materials over land was not viable. Instead, the
joint team at British Gypsum and Nevill Long elected to supply the goods to
site via ferry. Working in an effective partnership model, the team routinely
loaded up the materials and shipped them across the lake, with further team
members waiting on the other side to unpack and deliver to site.
Speaking about the
delivery process, Willie Main continued: “Once the products had been specified,
we had to focus on ensuring deliveries could be made in the most time and cost
effective manner possible. In total, more than 3,500 m2 of Gyproc Habito plasterboard alone was delivered to site. This
undertaking normally requires the use of large vans, however the roads that
surround the town were inaccessible for that type of vehicle.
“After careful
consultation, we felt that the ferry offered the best solution to reduce the
time and financial burden. It was a real joint effort with British Gypsum to
ensure we were able to fulfil the order with minimum fuss and provide a smooth
service for the customer. The partnership was a great success and helped
resolve something that could have put a serious strain on the redevelopment.”
The project at Queen’s
Hall is helping to transform Dunoon and make it a more appealing destination
for locals and tourists alike. Working closely with its specialist supply
partner, Nevill Long, British Gypsum has once again reaffirmed its ability to
turn a client’s ambitions into reality. The redevelopment of this historic
building has helped to breathe new life back into the town and with
high-quality products installed throughout, the Queen’s Hall looks set to live
on for generations to come.
