Back to the bare bones for a former headquarters-style office building in Birmingham city centre whilst redistributing thousands of items to the benefit of local charity.

It is becoming more common for large commercial buildings and office spaces to be stripped down to their bare structure, to be repurposed in the future. In response to this, we provide a complete range of services for structural alterations and strip-outs.

Our teams are well-equipped to handle the meticulous process of removing non-structural elements from a property. Whether it be fixtures, fittings or any other non-essential components, we take great care to ensure that the work is carried out safely and efficiently, leaving the property ready for future development.

We were appointed as the Principal Contractor to carry out the extensive internal strip-out of the headquarters-style office building located at 120 Edmund Street, in the heart of Birmingham city centre. The 8-storey building with two basements, covered a total area of 139,644 sq ft.

Our task was to remove all general fixtures, fittings, false ceilings, floor coverings, data floors (which were to be stacked and saved for the client), doors, and partition walls from all floors. The site team accomplished this using only lifts, despite significant space constraints in the basement for skip storage.

Additionally, we removed all M&E equipment, plant rooms, lifts, and roof-level chillers to prepare the building for future redevelopment. Cawarden handled all service isolations during the process.

98% of all materials from the project were either redistributed or recycled.

Night Works

We enlisted additional support from a specialist crane contractor and a 72-tonne hydraulic mobile tower crane to remove the large roof-level chillers, air-conditioning units, and various amounts of scrap metal that could not be removed via the internal lifts.

To minimise disruption to the surrounding area, the operation was carried out during three consecutive night-time road closures starting at 7pm and was successfully completed within the time window, opening the road again by 5am without a hitch.

The entire operation was a resounding success, and we are proud of our team’s skills and expertise in executing such a challenging project.

Championing Sustainability & Community Wellbeing

The strip-out works not only prepared the site for redevelopment by the client but also paved the way for a positive social impact.

Located close to the project, Nightlife Outreach, known for its commitment to providing a safe and inclusive space for the most vulnerable members of the community, is currently in the process of relocating its community centre. The support from Cawarden came as a timely boost, significantly enhancing the facilities and resources available to those seeking assistance.

The donations included essential items that had been carefully saved from the office building by the site team and included thousands of carpet tiles, various types of lighting, hundreds of roof tiles and even a fully equipped kitchen complete with appliances and serving counters.

With over 3,000 items donated, it is estimated that the donations saved the charity more than £10,000. Not only this, but the environmental savings were in the region of 13.122 tCO2e deferred and more than 13,000kg of potential waste diverted from landfill.

Award-Winning Performance

Cawarden is in the running for an International CSR Award, acknowledging our commitment to social responsibility. This recognition is due to our work at Edmund Street and our charitable efforts through the redistribution of items that would have otherwise been discarded. The awards ceremony will be held in July 2024 at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, where we will discover whether we have won the Bronze, Silver or Gold award.

The meticulous preparation carried out by Cawarden has put the building in good stead for future redevelopment by the client.