ME Construction’s award-winning refurb of The Tabernacle, Notting Hill

A refurbishment of public facilities within a long-serving cultural arts and entertainment venue in Notting Hill has been completed by ME Construction, having been appointed via our DPS for Small Works.

The Tabernacle was originally built in 1887 to be an evangelical Christian church, replacing a temporary iron church structure built the decade before. The Grade II listed building boasts a curved Romanesque façade of red brick and terracotta, and towers with broach spires to either side.

During the 1970s, the building became a community arts centre to support the local community in Notting Hill, with the main hall going undeveloped until the 1990s when the venue was fully redeveloped. The building now serves as a cultural arts and entertainment venue, which includes a theatre, multiple meeting rooms, a music studio, art gallery, bar and kitchen, conservatory, and a garden courtyard.

ME Construction was awarded the project for Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea via our DPS for Small Works offering, with the work being recognised at our recent Pagabo Awards ceremony, winning the Best DPS Small Works Project under £1m.

As part of refurbishment works valued at £220,000, ME Construction renovated a number of public-facing facilities across the ground and first floors, including male, female, and disabled toilets, and baby changing facilities.

Throughout the works, the building remained in constant use from 9am until well into the evening, despite limited delivery times to early morning to avoid disruption. This, combined with a lack of storage on site, required careful planning to book deliveries of the right amounts at the right time.

The project team also had to work within a live environment, with the bar and restaurant areas in constant use, along with various classes and shows taking place throughout the building every day. This meant that constant communication was needed with the building management team to coordinate any noisy tasks and ensure no disruption to everyday activities within the building.

To achieve the tight programme and tackle the various challenges around time constraints, the project team implemented flexible working hours. This staggered the shifts so that multiple trades could complete their works, with early delivery slots, late evening and weekend work.

Despite the challenges, the scheme was successfully delivered in 12-weeks, providing The Tabernacle’s users with improved facilities on their visits.

Tom Retallick, our DPS Manager, said: “The Tabernacle is a really important venue in the local area, with a rich cultural history that includes connections with the world-famous Notting Hill Carnival – and indeed the Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd rehearsed there in the 1990s too.

“Cultural venues like this will continue to be important to our society, so we’re always pleased to be working with clients and suppliers to make sure that these spaces are the best they can be for their users. The project was delivered to the highest standard throughout a very challenging period for the construction industry, battling COVID-19 and a shortage of both skills and materials, so we commend ME Construction for a stellar, award-winning job done.”

Useful Information:

DPS for Small Works

Pagabo Case Studies