Dorset Chartered Builders, Greendale Construction Limited, has started work at The Tank Museum, Dorset, where work is being carried out to create new office space for staff, as well as refitting existing offices.
Based at Bovington, the main training centre for tanks in the First World War, The Tank Museum boasts one of the world’s best collections of tanks and live exhibitions, telling the story of armoured warfare from World War One to the present day.
The works, which commenced on 24 September 2019, and are due for completion mid-February 2020, will be carried whilst the museum stays open with minimal disruption to the visiting public, and includes the removal of an existing mezzanine level and stairs, strip-out of existing offices, the construction of a new mezzanine floor for the newly built extended offices, and a full refit of the existing office space. During the project, Greendale has the tricky task of working around half a tank stationed on the ground floor which cannot be moved for the works.
Chris Kane, Greendale Construction Director, commented: “Greendale loves a challenge and is experienced with working to tight schedules, limited space and tricky logistics, but it’s the first time our teams have had to work around half a tank! However, nothing fazes us, and we are proud to be working at Dorset’s largest indoor attraction and look forward to handing over the much improved office space in February.”
Director of The Tank Museum, Richard Smith, commented: “In the last 10 years The Tank Museum’s visitor numbers have doubled and our workforce increased – but our staff facilities remain the same size that they were in 1984. This development will address the issues of overcrowding and give our team a pleasant working environment.”