University of Warwick - Westwood Campus Refurbishment

Warwick is one of the UK’s leading universities, with a widely acknowledged reputation for excellence in research and teaching. It is located on the outskirts of Coventry, and on the border of Warwickshire.

In 2017 - following a comprehensive tender process - J Tomlinson was appointed to undertake various construction and refurbishment works across the university’s Westwood campus. The project entailed the refurbishment of the Westwood cafeteria, the Centre for Lifelong Learning, as well as the creation of an editing suite, green room, family room, toilets and drama room within the Avon building.

Works included decoration, mechanical and electrical installations, joinery and fire-stopping.

Since completing the works, J Tomlinson has been appointed to undertake multiple other projects across the university, including a £4.2m student accommodation refurbishment scheme.

Live university environment

With over 25,500 students currently studying at the University of Warwick – the majority of whom are based on campus – health, safety and environmental quality was a particularly critical consideration throughout the project. Prior to the commencement of works, a comprehensive risk assessment was undertaken by J Tomlinson’s site team, identifying, quantifying and recording - and forming a plan to mitigate - associated project risks. The most prominent risks were associated with working adjacent to occupied buildings, electrical works and minor demolition.

All efforts were made in order to minimise disruption to the university’s operations. Works were phased in order to minimise disruption and maximise safety whilst working on this live university campus, with the refurbishment of the campus’s busy cafeteria completed during the summer holidays, and the remainder of works completed afterwards.

Additionally, our site manager monitored the implementation of a rigorous traffic management plan, which ensured deliveries were made via an agreed route outside of the university’s peak times.

Long-term partnership

Throughout the project, we enjoyed a productive working relationship with the university, during which we worked to gain a detailed understanding of its people, processes and values. We focused heavily on helping to maintaining the university’s excellent learning environment. Since completing the works, J Tomlinson has been appointed to undertake multiple other projects across the university, including the refurbishment of two student accommodation blocks, as well as the replacement of windows within the university’s conference centre.

DETAILED SITE KNOWLEDGE - throughout the works, we developed an intimate knowledge of the layout and daily operations of the university, including the university’s Westwood & Science Park, central campus, and surrounding areas. This was achieved through careful, unobtrusive research, analysis and relationship building across the campus

PHASED WORKS - J Tomlinson ensured minimal disruption to the university’s daily operations by undertaking the refurbishment of Westwood campus’s busy cafeteria during the summer holidays, with the remainder of the works completed afterwards

A COLLABORATIVE & LONG-TERM WORKING RELATIONSHIP - close collaboration between J Tomlinson and the university, which took the form of regular meetings and a transparent approach, ensured that all parties were kept abreast of programming and operational updates, and any changes that were required due to university activities

Since completing the works, J Tomlinson has been appointed to undertake multiple projects across the university - a testament to an excellent relationship between the two parties