REL Electrical has been selected to help deliver a £7.7 million town hall refurbishment project in St Albans.

The company has won a £1.1m contract from Willmot Dixon to carry out mechanical and electrical (M&E) works as part of a project to turn the Grade II listed town hall into a museum and art gallery.

Designed by John McAslan + Partners, features include redeveloping the ground floor of the three-storey building into a reception and exhibition space, including a shop and café. On the first floor, the former assembly rooms will be refurbished into space for public events including heritage and art exhibitions, while a newly built basement will incorporate ambience-controlled gallery for hosting national and international exhibitions.


REL will carry out all M&E services for the scheme, including installing underfloor heating, boiler plants, ventilation, air conditioning, colour-changing lighting, and advanced security systems.

The new museum is expected to open in early 2018.

Simon Ramage, operations director at Willmott Dixon, said: "REL has worked with us on several projects from the outset, proving that it has the in-house design expertise to deliver M&E solutions which reduce costs and maximise efficiency.

"This is a complex project, which requires previous experience of working in historic buildings, so REL is well positioned to ensure it's a success."

Toby Buckley, Managing Director of REL, said: "This contract follows our work as pre-construction M&E designers for the refurbishment. Given the building's listed status and as it is in a conservation area, we had to work closely with the architectural, planning and heritage consultants to develop the design, ensuring modern services can be integrated into the historic property."

(LM/CD)