The application of the high performance coating was proposed by award-winning painting and decorating contractors McLaren & Company Ltd of Aberdeen. Working closely with main contractors, Bowmer & Kirkland, they were contracted not only to decorate the interiors of the 22,000m2 building but also to carry out all the required Ames taping work beforehand.
The new BP office complex was designed by Andrew Lett Architects to house over 1000 employees and contract workers who support the company’s offshore operations. The three-storey building features seven distinct wings connected by a nine metre high, light and airy atrium ‘street’. Bold accent colours were specified in every part of the building to enhance the fresh, bright and contemporary ambience.
Once McLaren had completed all the Ames taping they applied Clean Extreme Scrubbable Matt in almost every part of the building. The two exceptions were the boardroom where wallcoverings were used, and on the towering structural steel columns which were coated using an International Coatings system
Only eighteen weeks had been allowed for all the decorative work to be completed. At any one time there were up to twenty-four McLaren decorators and four apprentices (including one adult female) fully employed on the project, working alongside and around numerous other tradespeople on site. The McLaren team had to work at weekends and during the night in order to hit their tight deadlines. Due to the design and scale of the building, three hydraulic platforms were needed and were kept in constant use throughout the period.
Ralph Skene, Chairman of McLaren said: “This was a challenging project particularly since we were working around so many other trades, all equally anxious to meet their own schedules. The decorators were also required to work at great heights, often for prolonged periods at a time, so Health and Safety concerns were always uppermost in our minds. Despite the difficulties involved in a job of this scale and complexity, by meticulously planning and co-ordinating every aspect of the work we were able to complete the project on time.
“Everyone involved had to have complete confidence in the products we were using. Our client wanted an exceptionally tough flat matt finish that would stand the test of time in a busy heavy traffic environment. My team wanted to use a high opacity coating that was pleasant to work with, easy to apply and that delivered consistently flawless results.
“This was obviously a very prestigious project to work on and we staked our reputation on Crown Trade Clean Extreme Scrubbable Matt. I’m delighted to say that it met everyone’s expectations. My team were more than satisfied with its application characteristics and opacity, and most importantly of all, the client is very pleased with the finished results.”
For further information please contact the Crown Trade Customer Relations Team, tel: 0845 389 9583 or click on www.crowntrade.co.uk.
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