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.