Leading consultancy Fusion Building Consultancy has handed over a new £4 million warehouse to a Coventry-based family firm after a 12-month building project.
The striking 80,000 sq ft building in Torrington Avenue, Coventry, features six-metre high copper fins, bespoke made for The Lawton Tube Co Ltd, which is the UK’s top independent manufacturer and distributor of copper tube.
Gavin Stephens, partner at Birmingham-based Fusion, which was appointed project manager, health and safety advisers, and quantity surveyors for the scheme, said it had completed the project on time and within budget for the local family-owned firm.
Fusion oversaw the demolition of a factory that had been on the site and remediation works before working with A&H Construction to manage the build of the new warehouse, which was designed by architects Pinnegar Hayward Design.
“It took a lot of work to prepare the ground prior to construction because of the previous industrial activity on the site and we also wanted to maximise the building size without encroaching on a nearby Severn Trent Water easement,” said Gavin.
“We are delighted with how the building scheme progressed and we worked very closely with the contractor and architect throughout to ensure that every step was completed smoothly.
“There are imaginative uses of copper throughout the building, such as handrails, electric sockets, sinks and taps, which provide a real harmony with the business.
“It’s always gratifying to hand over a completed project to the client, particularly when it looks as good as this. We’re pleased to have played to work again with Pinnegar Hayward Design and A&H Construction.”
The new warehouse stands opposite Lawton Copper Tubes’ existing premises in Torrington Avenue, where it has been based since 1937.
Oliver Lawton, managing director, said the new premises will enable the company, which was founded 98 years ago and is currently run by the fourth generation of the family, to be more effective, efficient and provide its customer base with an improved service.
“The new headquarters will secure the 70 jobs here in the Midlands and will provide us with the ideal platform for growth,” he added.
Lawton Copper Tubes, which makes and distributes plumbing, ACR, medical and engineering copper tube for many of the major blue chip national and independent merchant chains in the UK, has grown markedly over the last 20 years. It is proud of its links with the Scottish distillery industry, with whom it has worked for decades.