Refurbishment of the east wing – Completed 2013

Green Templeton College officially formed in October 2008 via a merger between Green and Templeton colleges. The resulting institution majors on medical and life sciences and management studies. Monard Electrical has carried out several projects for the college recently, including rewires of college properties, maintenance and test inspections.

Praise for Monard’s work

“Green Templeton College embarked on sympathetically restoring the east wing of the grade 1 listed 18th Century Radcliffe Observatory. Whilst restoring the fabric and furnishings we took the opportunity to modernise the M&E services. A new BMS plant room, mains panel and lighting were included in the upgrade. As acting Project Manager I was very pleased with the skills, dedication and attention to detail provided by the appointed contractors. A special mention has to be awarded to Monard Electrical, who were very effective and professional in their role as Principal Contractor and remained within budget and met a tight deadline. On completion we invited all involved parties to a ‘thank you’ tea at which conservation stamped their seal of approval and the college Vice Principal extended her gratitude to Monard Electrical”

Steve Williams, Maintenance Manager, Green Templeton College

Electrical rewire and new installation – Completed 2014

Christ Church is a unique institution, one of the largest colleges in the University of Oxford and the Cathedral Church for the Diocese of Oxford. It has a world famous Cathedral Choir, large scholarly collections of books and art, and is enjoyed by numerous visitors and guests at conferences and Summer Schools.

This was a unique installation covering every aspect of electrical and ancillary services. We upgraded the submains and fitted a new distribution, complete with remote monitored metering. We added a network system of inscreed ducting and conduits designed to maintain a discreet and rewire-able electrical installation. A complete new lighting system, with LED tape to all the internal stone work featured individual addresses for multi configuration and end user operation. The lighting was wired through an inverter and change over relays, creating a non-standard, far from straight forward lighting circuit. A complete new fire and security alarm installation was also carried out, monitored exclusively by the Christ Church lodge.

We worked closely with the main contractors, Knowles and Son Ltd, to ensure the client's needs were met to everyone's satisfaction before, during and after the project. And we maintained regular communication with the electrical consultants CBG throughout the project so every technical and practical outcomes was achieved in exactly the right way. The electrical engineers dedicated to this project were present from day one through to completion, a way of working designed to ensure regular personal contact between the
main and sub-contractors.

Praise for Monard’s work

Our work was praised by Mark Brewster, CBG Electrical Engineer, Tony Morris, Clerk of the Works and Adam Jagger, Knowles & Son Ltd Contracts Manager.

Rewiring and relighting of galleries and storerooms – Completed 2010

In 2010 the Ashmolean Museum completed another stage in its transformation thanks to the opening of the Cast Gallery. This is one of the country’s biggest collections of plaster casts, taken from the monuments and sculptures of the ancient world. Now the Cast Gallery, once a separate building, is an integral part of the museum and has been completely redisplayed.

The Ashmolean cast collection began in 1884 and was displayed in its own purpose-built gallery in 1960. Until then visitors to the Cast Gallery had to leave the main museum building and go around to the back to get in, which was less than ideal for such an important collection. Now the gallery has been joined to the ground floor of the rest of the museum, and there’s a large break-through in the gallery’s external wall.

The project integrated the cast collection with those of the museum’s Ancient World Galleries, finally letting visitors see the sculptures of the ancient Mediterranean in their wider cultural and historical contexts. The collection is invaluable for teaching a range of subjects, vital for artists and for members of the public who, through these displays, enjoy access to sculpture from all over the world.

The refurbishment included gutting the original galleries, fixing the plaster walls and ceilings, sanding and sealing the beautiful parquet floors, major rewiring, installation of a security and fire detection system, plus gallery design and promenade relighting.

Praise for Monard’s work

“As a project on a tight budget, the Cast Gallery refurbishment had to be swift and accurate. The knowledge of Monard and the ability to work to the high standards of the University of Oxford meant that the project ran smoothly and was completed on time and on budget. The funding body was impressed with the results and has funded the Museum for other subsequent projects, which is essential for the Ashmolean to continue developing and refreshing its displays for its wide audiences.”

Victoria McGuinness – Ashmolean Museum Project Manager (2007-2014)

You can find out more in the media.

• The Ashmolean
• Oxford Mail
• All Art News

Refurbishment of a 17th Century property into a Museum – Completed 2013

Oxford’s Ashmolean Museum is the first public museum to open in Britain, respected for its focus on quality research and development and part of the University of Oxford. In 2010 the Ashmolean took the opportunity to work with Worcestershire County Council and other local stakeholders to transform the 17th century former coaching inn in the Cotswold village of Broadway, known as ‘Tudor House’, into a new Museum – The Ashmolean Museum Broadway.

The building itself underwent a major physical refurbishment to ensure every aspect met the highest museum standards. The work took several months and involved skilled contractors to install the new electrical and security systems, which had to meet national museum standards. Just like the Arts and Crafts Architect, C.E.Mallows, who carried out the last major refurbishment in 1908, we carefully maintained all of the building’s beautiful, fascinating listed features.

The historic house itself has its own history and stories, so the objects for display were chosen from the Ashmolean collections, expanding on the themes of the property itself and keeping a local Cotswolds relevance. The museum opened to the public in autumn 2013 and achieved the accolade of being the most significant cultural contribution to Worcestershire in a generation. You can see more here, on the museum’s website (link to www.ashmoleanbroadway.org )

Praise for Monard’s work

“With such a sensitive and important project, the Ashmolean knew it had to use a well trusted and experienced contractor to oversee the extensive refurbishment works. The building needed rewiring and a substantial security system upgrade in order to meet the National Indemnity Standards for museums. Monard can also claim to be the first company to install a fire alarm system into this property, which has an age of over almost 400 years!”

Victoria McGuinness, Ashmolean Museum Project Manager (2007-2014)

Check the project out in the press:

• Museums and Heritage
• BBC news
• Culture 24

Lighting Refurbishment Project – Completed 2014

The Oxford University Museum of Natural History houses precious scientific collections of zoological, entomological and geological specimens, widely known for its amazing displays of fossils and dinosaurs. Among its most famous features are the Oxfordshire dinosaurs, the dodo, and the swifts in the tower. The Museum itself is a Grade 1 listed building, renowned for its spectacular neo-Gothic architecture.

Monard was the main contractor for the main court's lighting refurbishment, responsible for a major upgrade of the existing perimeter lighting plus the installation of new architectural lighting for the newly-refurbished cast iron and glass roof.

We worked closely with Robert Gregg of University Estates Services and Zumtobel throughout the design process, as well as a joint project developing a system of unique bespoke magnetic mounts for fixing luminaries to the iron pillars, working closely with the Ashmolean Museum.

While the interior scaffolding was in place for work on the glass roof, the delicate cabling operation took place. Cables were sensitively placed so they wouldn’t interfere with the fabric of the building, while still providing enough power to illuminate the vast interior spaces.

Now the museum now has a state-of-the-art DALI lighting control system. It lets museum staff set different lighting according to the time of day, and for different events and exhibitions. The controls can be activated via mobile devices, making it effortless for staff to magically illuminate the museum at the swipe of a finger.

Photography: Redshift Photography

Praise for Monard’s work

Here’s what some of the people involved said about our involvement in the project.

“We could not have achieved this without the obvious commitment, passion and pride in the project displayed by the whole team, and I illustrate this with just one example – 4000 wiring terminations on the project and not a single, solitary loose connection or fault – extraordinary”

Robert Gregg, OUES Electrical Engineer

“I would like to express my gratitude for the professional way in which the Monard team managed and carried out this project. With Monard’s wealth of experience working in heritage environments, the team showed the sensitivity and awareness needed when working in a museum and a Grade 1 listed building.”

Professor Paul Smith, OUMNH Museum Director

“It was a pleasure to work with Monard in developing the innovative and creative lighting solution finally achieved in what is such a unique iconic building within Oxford. Working within a Grade 1 listed building with such a rich tapestry of history, has without doubt been an excellent experience and learning opportunity for all concerned. The final result would not have been possible if hadn’t been for the pride, passion and attention to detail shown by the entire Monard Team, hence the final result is second to none
and one for which they should all truly be proud”

Steve Downie LSC (Dipl.). Lighting Solutions Consultant, Zumtobel Lighting Limited

In the press

Check the project out in the press:

• CBGC
• Museums and Heritage
• Lux magazine

Electrical testing – An ongoing project

We were appointed by University College Oxford to carry out electrical installation condition reports, also called periodic testing.

The University’s works department has a really good schedule which lays out exactly when their buildings are to be tested, and we work closely with them to carry out the tests.
Like all Colleges around the University the emphasis is on the students, so we have to co-ordinate our work so it doesn’t affect their studies. This means we have to be completely flexible as well as sensitive to the areas we need to test and the needs of University personnel.

115 Banbury Road, Oxford – Completed summer 2018

When University College bought the building at 115 Banbury Road, part of the works we carried out for them involved installing essential safety systems. We handled the emergency lighting and fire alarms as well as upgrading the lighting throughout the premises.

After initially testing and proving the circuitry, we worked closely alongside Pyrotec to install the fire alarm system and make it visible from the main site lodge via a smartwatch system. We upgraded and altered all the lighting to take energy-efficient LED luminaires and, where required, fitted emergency lights. We also installed the wiring for CCTV and access control as part of the project.

The Library at 10 Merton Street – Completed winter 2017

After a temporary let to the Blavatnik School of Government, University College took the Library at 10 Merton Street back into the fold.

Part of the works we undertook involved changing the of use of some of the rooms, so we updated the lighting in the ground floor corridors and offices. We also updated and installed architectural lighting in the entrance lobby and carried out an essential lighting and power upgrade to the main library, where we installed LED tape light, chandeliers and bespoke luminaires.

The Ashmolean museum, at the University of Oxford, is the world’s oldest public museum and one of Europe’s most popular cultural tourist destinations. This is where you’ll find Oxford University’s legendary art and archaeology collection, visited by more than 850,000 people every year.

As you can imagine, the historic building needs constant care and attention to ensure it delivers the welcoming atmosphere the Ashmolean prides itself on, and meets the expectations of visitors. And this continuous refresh involves making sure essential lighting systems are man enough for the job.

The team at the museum has recently upgraded the lighting system in its gallery spaces and installed more than 1500 Concord Beacon Muse spotlights. When it came to redesigning the lighting scheme, the aesthetics and performance were equally important, as Harry Phythian-Adams, Executive Officer, Director’s Office at the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology, explains.

“We required a solution that provided the same lit effect as halogen but also delivered a better uniformity of light whilst bringing the vibrant colours in the galleries to life. Concord was able to adapt the Beacon Muse to meet our needs perfectly: it changed the colour temperature of the spotlight to 2700K warm white with colour rendering index of typical 97 and also provided us with a customised white bezel to better suit our interior décor.”

The project was instigated by Robert Gregg from Oxford University. The Ashmolean team worked with Concord to design the fittings, which were installed by Monard Electrical and commissioned by Ben Acton at Hoare Lea Lighting.

We installed Concord Beacon Muse spotlights at a high level within the space, positioning them in a way that reveals the forms and details of the diverse collection to perfection. The spotlights feature warm, high colour rendering LED bulbs, with the beam angle adjusted according to the effect required for each exhibit. As Harry Phythian-Adams says, “The lit effect of the Concord Beacon Muse is great but we are also impressed with the energy savings we have seen. Due to the unique design of the product, in addition to the LED energy savings compared to the previous Halogen lights, less heat is emitted and we have been able to reduce our air conditioning usage and save on our energy costs.”

Monard has installed 250 metres of LED tape as part of a new, greener and more efficient lighting scheme for one of the UK’s most iconic university library buildings, The Radcliffe Camera in Oxford.

A striking circular Neoclassical circular landmark, the Grade I listed library was designed by James Gibbs, constructed between 1737 and 1748 to house the Radcliffe Science Library and funded from the estate of local doctor and wealthy man John Radcliffe, who died childless in 1714.

We were asked to work on the installation of a new lighting scheme for the library’s ground floor, replacing the old fluorescents. The design came from Rob Gregg with assistance from CBG Consultants. Together we assessed a series of potential products before deciding on Osram tape with warm-white LEDs and a colour temperature of 3000K, plus Concords Beacon Muse LED luminaires, and Zumtobel’s super system and emergency solution.

Now the ground floor library features a series of eight pedimented projections alternated with niches with the central floor, divided into bays by coupled Corinthian columns. There are pedimented windows around the mezzanine level ,and the roof is a lanterned dome set on an octagonal drum with a balustrade parapet.

The LED tape is positioned around the stone cornicing and the tops of the columns as well as along the edges of the ground floor balconies, also illuminating the domed ceilings in the process. As a result the light bounces back down into the reading spaces. We’ve also retro-fitted the tape into the listed desk reading lights, with 30 desks in each of the eight seating areas, each light approximately 400mm wide and good and bright for comfortable close-up reading. The end result is as attractive as it is energy-efficient. In fact the new lighting scheme has resulted in a dramatic 5-fold increase in the library’s Lux levels, and the running costs have plummeted.