The time eventually comes when an office fit out project is necessary for a building, modern or old, and needs a comprehensive mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) retrofit or total refurbishment. This article explains some of the typical considerations to make when embarking on such a project and how DL M&E Building Services Ltd approaches each unique challenge. We work closely with clients to provide a comprehensive Cat A and Cat B office fit out MEP service for all standards and designs of office spaces.
Contemporary office fit out design has come a long way in recent years, the high standards of which need to be complimented by outstanding, innovative M&E infrastructure. If your goal is the perfect delivery of M&E systems from inception, through design to completion, then DL M&E Building Services Ltd has the experience and expertise to deliver across every benchmark requirement at a competitive price point that doesn’t compromise quality and timeframes. Balancing these attributes is key to achieving a successful project outcome.
Providing MEP for over 20 years to the highest office fit out standards for many of the UK’s most recognisable companies, DL M&E Building Services Ltd offers reliable levels of certified mechanical, electrical and plumbing services for all modern and bespoke designed office fit out projects. We have designed and installed MEP building services into small and large multi-level office fit out projects across the UK’s major cities, including London, Manchester and Edinburgh. DL M&E has the expertise to deal with the challenging permutations associated with retail and office fit out projects, from small scale to £10m in size.
DL M&E puts all projects in constant focus, delivering through every detail from pre-construction to handover. With DL M&E’s in-house teams of estimators, quantity surveyors, senior mechanical and electrical designers, best-in-industry CAD and BIM operators and UK wide responsive site teams, clients can rely on responsive communication, tight budget tracking and consultation throughout the process. Our site teams are amongst the most hard-working, talented and efficient in the industry, enabling us to turn projects around at high speeds and standards that has built our reputation for meeting demanding commercial schedules.
Our approach to project management >
As a preferred MEP provider for numerous leading main contractors, DL M&E is trusted to deliver on cost, quality and reliable delivery to meet client goals on occupancy comfort and sustainability targets, future proofing buildings for government energy efficiency standards.
Need an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) A+ rated building? DL M&E can design to requirement and deliver. We recently handed over an outstanding A+ rated office fit out for Wates’ own Warrington offices, demonstrating our decarbonisation of buildings expertise.
Whether it’s across the commercial or public sectors, DL M&E’s approach to every project is safety first (especially for live environments), high quality standards that often exceed our clients’, and delivering every time, on time. Our office fit out clients include many of the UK’s major banking names and public sector buildings, including The Ministry of Justice Courts and Probation Service buildings, The Treasury, The Department of Work & Pensions offices and the NHS.
We’re a company trusted in working across live and secure environments protecting the interests of our clients and aligning with other trades through efficient collaboration and labour resourcing. We’ll seamlessly fit into our client’s processes, and through site surveys, inspections and consultations ensure DL M&E’s design and estimating team recommend the most cost and energy efficient system balanced with quality of performance for essential comfort levels for occupants. Our engineers are exceptionally qualified and deliver high levels of an office fit out service. You can find our accreditations here.
DL M&E’s services are adaptable to the client’s demands of the space required for their office fit out, whether it’s a Cat A fit out (working from the buildings empty shell) or a Cat B fit out (working within or towards a finished furnished space). The MEP engineering work conducted on these building spaces usually fit into two main categories:
Mechanical and electrical refurbishment typically means taking existing equipment already installed in a building space and replacing / upgrading significant parts of it, depending on age, condition and performance. The use of a building space can change, requiring a redesign of the existing systems layout, in which case new equipment may be necessary to service new occupancy levels and their changed positions. The goal will be to meet client goals on cost and energy efficiency, preventing the installation of unnecessary replacement equipment. Refurbishment is usually preferential in most projects where otherwise the carbon increase caused by a completely new replacement outweighs any long-term energy saving benefit. The removal of an entire system creates a carbon footprint, followed by the manufacture, transport and installation of a new system.
There are retrofit opportunities for an outdated existing system to be significantly improved through the addition of innovative new technology, which in doing so increases energy efficiency, occupancy comfort, staff performance, and reduces carbon footprint at little cost compared to full equipment change. An example may be the introduction of modern heat pump technology or adoption of equipment with lower global warming potential (GWP) and ozone depleting potential (ODP) refrigerants. Significant gains can be made on the energy efficiency of a system through retrofitted equipment. You can learn more about retrofitting here.
As a UK leading M&E office refurbishment and fit out company, we are experienced meeting the demand to integrate a bespoke approach to contemporary office design during fit out with MEP services. Our services mirror the ambitions of forward-thinking office design, moving with the times and today’s innovative possibilities for enhanced staff wellbeing, and especially accommodating the new approaches to design for neurodiversity. Office design and innovative M&E solutions have developed considerably over the last few decades. DL M&E offers design and certified installation for commercial electrical office fit out and mechanical office fit out, which includes:
With 1 in 7 people (more than 15% of people in the UK) considered neurodivergent, DL M&E is adapting to the contemporary changes in office design, which impacts how MEP services are designed and provisioned to meet this wider scope of office space use.
Here are some of the typical scenarios DL M&E can accommodate when working to neurodiverse office design:
These typically require independent lighting and temperature controls, working around acoustic dampening structures.
Controllable lighting to accommodate individual preferences to a wide variety of different spaces. This may include fine control of light brightness and colour, such as the localised ability to adjust to a warmer or cooler colour temperature light and make the space very dim or very bright.
Sometimes a space’s use is changed depending on the type of use at the time. DL M&E’s heating and ventilation design will consider an office design’s flexible working environment, meaning optimum control that can accommodate changes in occupancy use.
Understanding that neurodiverse individuals can sometimes struggle to regulate body temperature, individual control of their zone’s heating and ventilation is an important consideration to optimise their workplace productivity.
Unexpected changes in odours has always been a consideration for ventilation requirements (clean air is brought in and dirty air extracted), but it’s even more critical for neurodivergent individuals that are sensitive to any changes. Adequate extraction systems are required especially around café and kitchenette areas that are often open plan and adjacent to work areas.
These often have specific requirements for M&E work, and DL M&E are happy to work closely with the client to achieve the necessary outcome.
We recognise that neurodivergent design is essential for those that especially have conditions relating to autism on any given spectrum or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Considerate design of MEP systems can help provide long term retention of staff with neurodiverse conditions, adding a sense of wellbeing and boosting their productivity. What’s more, it will help those that have perhaps never been diagnosed with these conditions but find that neurodiverse friendly spaces dramatically improves their work life.
Managing over and under-stimulation for the neurodiverse is a major challenge for modern office design and installation, but is an opportunity to bring greater comfort, wellbeing and productivity to the entire occupancy of the building. Here at DL M&E, we welcome the challenges, keeping up with the trend towards creating better workspaces where everyone can thrive.
As well as providing comprehensive M&E building services for commercial office fit out projects, our experience spans across many other sectors including retail fit-outs. Our repeat business and long-standing reputation is testament to our ongoing commitment to our client’s need for a reliable, cost & energy efficient solution, installed to their quality and design standards and deployed and delivered at speed.
