Opera North are undergoing an exciting and impressive refurbishment with new build extensions to accommodate their future aspirations.
To aid the major contract work phasing whilst maintaining Opera North’s day to day activities ESC was appointed by the Leeds based national opera company due to their ongoing relationship with ECS and EMS. We have assisted with interim staff moves into temporary accommodation, so as not to affect their extensive ‘behind the curtain’ needs to keep performances and tours on track.
As well as the expected relocation works, specialist equipment had to be decommissioned, moved and re-installed into their temporary home within an exacting time critical program of events.
Works undertaken were:
- Re-creating the consistent and specialist lighting levels within each department as previously required.
- Dismantling existing fixtures and fittings at the current location, transporting them to the new location, and reinstating them in the new premises adapting them as necessary to suit the new layout.
- Full re-decoration, replacement flooring and finishes.
- MEP and specialist services.
The challenges that we faced included:
- Ensuring that the programmes for these departments remained unaffected.
- Enabling the Costume Department to be relocated to the new location whilst the refurbishment/conversion works were still underway.
- Ensuring the disruption to the existing building fabric is sympathetic, to minimise risk of reinstatement costs that the landlord could impose on the second phase of relocation back to their original home.
- Absorbing client changes which were unavoidable during the 6 week contract period.
Even though we had limited timescales to get these departments disconnected and re-connected during their busy production’s schedules, we have beaten the program with minimal disruption to the departments concerned.