Kendal’s Café Bar, London, UK

NEC has been used to create a new, enlarged café-bar in a prestigious Grade II listed conference venue in central London. One Great George Steet in Westminster, headquarters to the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), let the £650,000 project to Claremont Group Interiors under an NEC4 Engineering and Construction Short Contract (ECSC). Work started in July 2022 and was finished on time and budget in September 2022.

The project involved enlarging the venue’s existing lower-ground-floor café-bar by removing the adjoining brasserie and absorbing an adjacent function room. All furnishings, fittings, catering equipment and mechanical and electrical plant were replaced to create a more flexible, efficient and attractive lounge and dining area for ICE members and visitors.

The facility has been renamed Kendal’s Café Bar to commemorate ICE’s first meeting venue. The Institution’s eight young founding members met in December 1818 at Kendal’s Coffee House in Fleet Street, London, though the café no longer exists. In November 1913 ICE moved to its new purpose-built headquarters at 1 Great George Street, which has since become one London’s leading conference venues – winning three ‘best venue’ awards in 2022 alone.

Experienced NEC user

Phil Ackers, head of building services, says One Great George Steet uses NEC contracts for all its significant building refurbishment contracts. ‘The ICE launched NEC 30 years ago as a more collaborative alternative to traditional adversarial contracts, so it is our preferred choice for all works to ICE premises’.

The largest NEC contract to date was a challenging £6 million refurbishment in 2011−12 of a neighbouring office building at 8 Storey’s Gate, where most ICE staff are now based.

Ackers says ECSC was chosen for the latest project due to its relatively small size and straightforward nature. ‘The contract worked well and the project was delivered on time, within budget and to a very high standard.’

He says the NEC requirement on the parties to act in a, ‘spirit of mutual trust and co-operation,’ ensured that all site meetings involved open and honest discussions. ‘Together with the NEC early warning process, this meant that when problems did arise, everyone was aware of them and worked together towards an effective solution.’ 

Benefits of using NEC

• NEC requirement on parties to act in a, ‘spirit of mutual trust and co-operation,’ ensured that all site meetings involved open and honest discussions.

• NEC early warning process meant that when problems did arise, everyone was aware of them and worked together towards an effective solution.

• NEC4 ECSC was ideal for this relatively small and straightforward refurbishment project, delivering the work on time, within budget and to a very high standard.