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Old War Office, Whitehall
Oakdene Finishes are delighted to have been given the opportunity to be the Principal Decorator for the £1 billion makeover of the Old War Office on London's Whitehall, working for Ardmore Group on another prestigious Central London masterpiece.
Having spent over three years on site, the project is heading towards completion in mid-2023 with one final push by the team to get the project over the line. Using our expert knowledge and experience of delivering high end projects, the team have been able to deliver efficiently and safely. Having worked successfully alongside Ardmore on major projects such as Ten Trinity Square in the past, Oakdene have been able to showcase our expertise in painting, decorating and polishing.
The contract involves the sensitive restoration of the Grade II* listed historic building to include a 125-room, world-class Raffles hotel, and 85 luxury residences which range from studios up to 5-bedroom apartments. The hotel has seven floors below ground and seven floors above. Accompanying the hotel rooms and luxury apartments, there are nine restaurants, three bars, a swimming pool, spa, gym, and ballroom.
The Old War Office, spread over 770,000 square feet, was built in 1906, using 26,000 tons of Portland stone, 3,000 tons of York stone, hundreds of thousands of Roman cube mosaics and more than 26 million bricks.
With its Ionic columns, triumphal arches, and flamboyant turrets, it was one of the last great architectural masterpieces of the Edwardian age, shaped in the form of a trapezium, with its four frontages all a different size.
The Grade II* listed Old War Office building is steeped in history. Formerly the site of the original Palace of Whitehall – home to monarchs between 1530 – 1698, this architectural masterpiece has witnessed world-shaping events whilst influential political and military leaders including Winston Churchill, David Lloyd George, and Lord Kitchener held office.
It was also John Profumo’s base when he was Secretary of State for War and inspired Ian Fleming to write the Bond series after working for Britain’s Naval Intelligence Division. The building has been used as a film location in five Bond films.
The team at Oakdene have worked alongside Dulux from the beginning of the project to ensure that the client’s decorative requirements have been met. Dulux were able to assist with colour matching the original spec, and with providing high quality products that exemplify the high-end finish seen throughout the building.
Operating on site with up to 120 painters, decorators and polishers at its peak, the project has thrown up several difficulties along the way, including working throughout a global pandemic. Protecting the building’s Heritage status was a huge priority so the team had to work with Ardmore Group to ensure that areas of significant heritage were always protected, while ensuring that works were completed safely, adhering to a very tight project timeline.
Dulux provided the vast majority of materials for the project, using a wide range of paint products including Vinyl & Diamond Matt, Diamond Satinwood, Weathershield, Metalshield, Mouldshield, Diamond Eggshell, and many more. Prior to applying the finish, there were hundreds of man days prepping surfaces. Some surfaces required the safe removal of layers of lead paint, on mobile towers, in areas of significant heritage…… just a small example of the challenges we faced daily.
As well as painting, the project required miles of wallcovering, and restoration to century old oak panelling. The team of Paper Hangers and French Polishers have played their part in the overall success of the project. The end product is set to be mind-blowing…. A real gem in the heart of London.
Oakdene Finishes’ Managing Director Dan Higgs and Operations Manager Dan Sankey have guided the team daily on site, liaising closely with Ardmore’s Project Managers to ensure that the project was moving along as efficiently as possible. The office team of Tracey Miles, Gemma Hall and Lisa Riordan ensured the team had the materials they needed to provide the high-end finish placing orders for hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of materials and tools. Surveyor Paul Gallant has been instrumental in the success of the project, and James Bowmer has provided Health & Safety and Project Management tools for the team to meet targets as safely and efficiently as possible.
Having spent over three years on site, the project is heading towards completion in mid-2023 with one final push by the team to get the project over the line. Using our expert knowledge and experience of delivering high end projects, the team have been able to deliver efficiently and safely. Having worked successfully alongside Ardmore on major projects such as Ten Trinity Square in the past, Oakdene have been able to showcase our expertise in painting, decorating and polishing.
The contract involves the sensitive restoration of the Grade II* listed historic building to include a 125-room, world-class Raffles hotel, and 85 luxury residences which range from studios up to 5-bedroom apartments. The hotel has seven floors below ground and seven floors above. Accompanying the hotel rooms and luxury apartments, there are nine restaurants, three bars, a swimming pool, spa, gym, and ballroom.
The Old War Office, spread over 770,000 square feet, was built in 1906, using 26,000 tons of Portland stone, 3,000 tons of York stone, hundreds of thousands of Roman cube mosaics and more than 26 million bricks.
With its Ionic columns, triumphal arches, and flamboyant turrets, it was one of the last great architectural masterpieces of the Edwardian age, shaped in the form of a trapezium, with its four frontages all a different size.
The Grade II* listed Old War Office building is steeped in history. Formerly the site of the original Palace of Whitehall – home to monarchs between 1530 – 1698, this architectural masterpiece has witnessed world-shaping events whilst influential political and military leaders including Winston Churchill, David Lloyd George, and Lord Kitchener held office.
It was also John Profumo’s base when he was Secretary of State for War and inspired Ian Fleming to write the Bond series after working for Britain’s Naval Intelligence Division. The building has been used as a film location in five Bond films.
The team at Oakdene have worked alongside Dulux from the beginning of the project to ensure that the client’s decorative requirements have been met. Dulux were able to assist with colour matching the original spec, and with providing high quality products that exemplify the high-end finish seen throughout the building.
Operating on site with up to 120 painters, decorators and polishers at its peak, the project has thrown up several difficulties along the way, including working throughout a global pandemic. Protecting the building’s Heritage status was a huge priority so the team had to work with Ardmore Group to ensure that areas of significant heritage were always protected, while ensuring that works were completed safely, adhering to a very tight project timeline.
Dulux provided the vast majority of materials for the project, using a wide range of paint products including Vinyl & Diamond Matt, Diamond Satinwood, Weathershield, Metalshield, Mouldshield, Diamond Eggshell, and many more. Prior to applying the finish, there were hundreds of man days prepping surfaces. Some surfaces required the safe removal of layers of lead paint, on mobile towers, in areas of significant heritage…… just a small example of the challenges we faced daily.
As well as painting, the project required miles of wallcovering, and restoration to century old oak panelling. The team of Paper Hangers and French Polishers have played their part in the overall success of the project. The end product is set to be mind-blowing…. A real gem in the heart of London.
Oakdene Finishes’ Managing Director Dan Higgs and Operations Manager Dan Sankey have guided the team daily on site, liaising closely with Ardmore’s Project Managers to ensure that the project was moving along as efficiently as possible. The office team of Tracey Miles, Gemma Hall and Lisa Riordan ensured the team had the materials they needed to provide the high-end finish placing orders for hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of materials and tools. Surveyor Paul Gallant has been instrumental in the success of the project, and James Bowmer has provided Health & Safety and Project Management tools for the team to meet targets as safely and efficiently as possible.