Creating the finest impression of Jersey

In January 2010 Camerons Interiors began work as main contractor on the internal fit out of Elizabeth Terminal, St Helier. Working closely with architect and interior design team of Design Plus, and quantity surveyor, HM Menzies, the work was completed one week before Easter, ahead of schedule and to the highest standards.

Commissioned by Jersey Harbours, the design and contracting team were required to undertake significant cosmetic improvements to the passenger terminal. Jersey Harbours recognised that as Jersey’s gateway from the sea, the terminal required extensive refurbishment in order to ensure visitors to the island would be met with the finest impression of Jersey possible. Like Jersey Airport, Elizabeth Terminal has the potential to leave visitors with a lasting impression of their stay upon departure. On reviewing the brief for the refurbishment works, Condor Ferries, which has offices situated in the terminal building, also commissioned the architect and contractor to refit their staff offices.

Eddie Caldeira, Design Plus, commented: ‘Having worked with Jersey Harbours previously, the Design+ team was familiar with the particular and specific security and operational needs demanded by the project and the client and from the outset, the aim was to deliver the very best possible design solution, within the client’s brief and budget, that would inject a new modern feel to the main public area of the terminal building.

‘The terminal building is the first sight of Jersey that visitors will get on arrival by ferry and it was important to ensure that it was welcoming, but also looked up to date. It was also important to consider the local public users and to the specific operational needs of Jersey Harbours, its tenants and other port users,’ concluded Mr Caldeira.

As the scope of the works included internal alterations and refurbishment of the Harbour terminal in both passenger arrival and departure areas this project required the specialist skills of Camerons Interiors – an expert team from within Camerons which specialises in completing fit out projects requiring quick turnarounds and in particular those which require the site to remain open to clients or customers during refurbishment. Works included remodelling offices, providing new AV installations and advertising boards, internal finishes, upgrading mechanical and electrical services and decorations.

New signage and light boxes were installed to ensure that all tenants were equally represented and that a unified professional and corporate image was established. The new signage is also much clearer and placed for best reference to those arriving in Jersey for the first time. New seating was introduced and small ‘breakout’ areas were included with moveable ‘fun seating’ to allow families with younger children to interact better while waiting to board.

Phil Horsley, project manager, Camerons Interiors, commented: ‘Although not a technically difficult project in terms of fit out, the client requirement for the terminal to remain open and operational throughout the three month duration of the refurbishment presented us with a number of challenges. We never compromise on safety issues and therefore had to be stringent while working in this live environment. Normally easy tasks, such as laying a carpet, became very difficult as passengers needed to be moving around the terminal during opening hours. By working weekends, through the night and bringing in extra staff, there were 15 of us on site at one point, we were able to surpass our client’s expectations and complete ahead of schedule.’

Working in a live environment was not the only challenge for the project team. On demolishing sections of the terminal it was discovered that the building structure was not as it was laid out in the plans – load-bearing walls were in situations where non-load-bearing stud walls were located on the plans. These discoveries had a profound impact on the project and required the contractor to work closely with the architect on site at all times, making amendments to the proposed design and lay out on a daily basis in order to accommodate the structure of the building.

‘Despite a challenging schedule and many interesting discoveries made on site, we are delighted with the end result,’ added Mr Horsley. ‘The terminal now looks modern, fresh and clean and will certainly give visitors to Jersey the right impression of our island.’

Camerons Interiors launches with Elizabeth Terminal project

The Elizabeth Terminal fit out is the first project to be managed by Camerons Interiors, a specialist team within Camerons, which complements the core services offered by the contractor. Camerons is a division of the Garenne Group, one of the Channel Islands’ leading construction businesses. Set up in response to customer requests for a specialist interior fit out service and in reaction to an emerging market opportunity, Camerons Interiors was officially established in January 2010. The set up of the organisation enables it to add value to design and cost efficiencies on behalf of those clients who value early contractor involvement. Made up of a team of specialists, the company is building on vast experience gained while operating under the Camerons banner. Past projects include: Lister Surgery, Benest & Syvret offices, Ogier House: 44 Esplanade, Co-op Grand Marche, Co-op Locale and RBC.

Camerons Interiors can undertake projects of any size or scope from a simple bakery fit out to complete store refurbishments, specialising in live situations in which businesses must stay operational throughout the duration of the fit out. This type of interior work brings with it different types of pressures – commissions are often smaller jobs with short deadlines and often require close working with architects.

Camerons Interiors offers a high quality, specialist service across a broad spectrum of industries including retail, finance, hospitality, office, transport and the public sector, offering clients a complete service including furniture, design services, and high class joinery through established partners.

Jersey Evening Post Friday 13th August 2010

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