Crossweys House.
Crossweys House is a landmark building on Guildford’s historic High Street, located in the Guildford Town Centre Conservational area. It presents a selection of materials typical of the period, including red facing brickwork and brick arches, stone parapets and cornices and an oak storefront with marble cladding to piers. Approached through a new feature entrance, Crossweys has been extensively refurbished to provide an inspiring workspace.
Appointed by the main contractor Corley and Woolley before COVID-19 pandemic, CDC Engineering has been responsible for bespoke metal fabrication and joinery. The project involved the manufacture and fit of 6-floor mild steel powder coated staircase panels with welded fin details and a feature solid oak handrail with oak steps. Also, the new feature entrance and external black zinc cladding panels created the character and style of the building.
Fortunately, we carried out all of the site surveys before the site was shut for COVID lockdown. Our team used a 3D laser scanner to conduct a photographic record of the survey. Our Senior CAD Designer processed the data from the site and provided engineering drawing components that were used to manufacturer the required panels and cladding in the CDC Engineering workshop. We also managed to order the required materials which enabled us to manufacture the staircase and the cladding over the COVID19 lockdown with the skeleton staff working on the shop floor.
From the staircase manufacturing point, the workshop team has been challenged in maintaining the continuity of all the gaps between the panels due to the variation in the building floor levels and heights. The manufacturing process had to be very precise to create a flawless and seamless appearance, and also match different heights over the different floor levels.
As soon as the site re-opened after the COVID-19 lockdown, we were enabled to deliver and fit the staircase and cladding. Logistically we found it challenging due to the manual labour and without making any marks, as mild steel panels were 6mm thick and very heavy. Also, the site was opened up with only a one-way system with strict COVID-19 procedures in place and working safely in confined spaces was hard to adapt to. CDC’s Engineering team had to be extra careful because it was a white powder coat finish; the protection of the panels was paramount since other contractors were working at the same site.
Every project for our CDC Engineering team is important and we always go the extra mile to complete it to perfection. We enjoy challenging projects and feel satisfied when the job is finished and the client is happy with the result. Find more about this project here.
If you have new projects coming up and are looking for a reliable, trustworthy, bespoke metal fabrication company, look no further and get in touch with our team.