Constructed in the 1870s, the Grade I listed Royal Courts of Justice in Westminster required five outdated security doors and a security acoustic screen to be replaced with modern equivalents. This challenging project would require bespoke products to be manufactured to the required levels of protection against forced entry, while also incorporating a heritage design in keeping with the historical building.

Building on its long standing relationship with the Ministry of Justice, Building Solutions (the construction arm of VINCI Facilities) was appointed to conduct the works. Due to the specialist nature of the project, Building Solutions partnered with Stafford Bridge - a world-leading manufacturer of high-security building solutions and part of the Surelock McGill Group of physical security companies.

Now complete, the following aspects proved vital to the project’s success:

Designing a suitable solution: The entire range of products, including doors, acoustic screen and associated ironmongery were manufactured in-house by Stafford Bridge, enabling every aspect of design to be tightly controlled. Developing a suitable design for the products required Building Solutions and Stafford Bridge to:

Create various design options for the client in order to assess which design would be most visually suitable while also being able to achieve the necessary security certification.
Create sample panels and sample ironmongery for English Heritage to review in order to ensure the finish, colours and details were appropriate for the facility.
Regularly visit site at the design stage to rigorously inspect dimensions and ensure the manufactured systems would fit perfectly into the existing apertures

Security: To safeguard security standards, all personnel from Building Solutions and Stafford Bridge secured the necessary clearances from the UK government, including Security Check and Developed Vetting - the highest standard possible.

Health and safety: With each product weighing up to 850kg, it was essential that they could be manoeuvred safely on site. To ensure this, the manufacturing process saw a steel lifting plate installed within the core of each product along with a concealed lifting eye at the top, enabling a Genie lift to hoist them safely into position. Efficient logistics: In order to minimise disruption to users of the building, all of the works were conducted during evenings and weekends, while all materials were stored in a secure compound within the car park.

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