How Unibox clad a 14m high elevator shaft from design to install in under six weeks.
This story starts in late January 2024 and ends with a completed installation on April 6th 2024.
While that sounds like an appreciable amount of time for a project, as any architect, designer, specifier or anybody involved in a retail fit-out will know, these lead times almost always get eaten up and it takes close collaboration between suppliers and contractors to bring projects in on time and to budget.
Following some initial engineering proposals and visual concepts, we were given the go ahead for the project about six weeks prior to the scheduled completion of the installation, so the time window was already closing on us.
It starts in Paris
Our first site visit was on Thursday March 7th which meant a trip to the capital of France. It was only then that the complexity and time pressure on the project became apparent.
It involved working within an existing, and far from being a new-build, structure in the centre of Paris (the Champs-Élysées to be precise), working to French building and safety regulations – some of the toughest in Europe – and collaborating with Brand Tailors, the architects, and Broadwick Studio, the creative agency, to ensure that we would meet their expectations and bring their visions to life.
Working on so many levels
In brief, our job was to formulate an engineering solution that met the functional demands – it was a twin lift shaft that we had to clad – and which would enable imagery and graphics to be installed that blended with the other display materials that were to feature in the retail unit.
Another consideration was that the imagery and graphics, in both ridged panels and fabrics, were to be easy to change going forward.
Alongside these factors, there would be no time for amendments or rectifications on site, as the lifts and stairs would be blocked off during installation, effectively stopping every other element of the fit-out until the barriers and scaffolding could be removed.
Building relationships built on trust
It was a process that involved meticulous co-operation, and which also involved working closely with the main building contractor, installers and electrical technicians, and, above all, the brand whose name would be over the door and throughout the store.
In short, we had to earn the trust of all the other parties involved in the project.
One of the challenges we faced in earning that trust was co-ordinating our work around that of the construction of the building itself and the installation of internal fixtures, fittings and utilities.
Another was that our work had to include fire doors that not only met the appropriate regulations, but which also blended into the overall design of the shaft.
We devised an engineering solution that we could manufacture at our Manchester facility (where, as the UK’s largest lightbox manufacturer, we regularly make over 500 lightboxes and other products per week) and then ship them over to Paris, which could then be installed.
Critically, they were also made to allow for a degree of ‘flexibility’ for fine tuning on-site, and they would also tie-in with the overall interior design.
A combination of standard and bespoke
It’s a solution that called on our experience of manufacturing lightboxes of all shapes and sizes, and then applying our expertise in refining specifications to meet particular and precise requirements.
Taking ‘standard’ products and adapting them to particular applications: it’s a method of working that has allowed us to comfortably meet tight installation deadlines on many occasions.
Access doors integrated into the lightbox cladding
Planned to make installation easier
Better still, our solution allowed us to work in and around the existing timeframe for the entire project, which was achieved in a week from the arrival of the first pallets of materials to completion.
A tight timeline that often saw the installation team working through the night so as not to interfere with the other elements of the overall build and fitting out.
A process that also meant that there could be no hold ups in the installation, as no other works could be carried out while our scaffolding was up.
On time and no snags
The final result not only achieved the look the architects, designers and end client desired, but also meant that the date set for the store opening was achieved and that the end client could open the doors on time and to great effect.
A highly satisfactory result made all the more impressive by the results of the ‘snagging’ inspection which, as Matt Burns, our Design Director, observed: “We pride ourselves on our ability to get things right, and in a time-pressured project like this, no snags says a lot about the quality of our work and the added value our people bring to any job.”
The story, though, doesn’t end there. Adidas, the name above the door, have added our name to their list of approved suppliers.
We’ve earned our stripes, you might say.
Think outside the lightbox
If like the designers and other parties involved in delivering this project for Adidas, you value collaboration, quality, commitment and integrity, then contact us by emailing [email protected] or calling us on +44(0) 161 655 2100 and let’s work on a story together that goes beyond the product.
If you’d like to see for yourself what we are capable of, get in touch and we will happily arrange a site visit.
To find out more about what we do and what makes us the trusted name for so many clients, visit www.unibox.co.uk/projects
