Skanska Construction’s CEO Keith Clarke and Chief of Defence Staff Admiral Sir Michael Boyce helped Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon demolish a wall of his old office in Main Building Whitehall to start the 1950s Grade 1 listed building’s redevelopment.
It comes just weeks after Skanska successfully completed one of London’s biggest de-cant operations to relocate over 3000 Whitehall based civil servants to four temporary new premises, which Skanska renovated and upgraded over the past year.
The redevelopment of the one million square feet inside the MOD’s HQ will take three years and create a modern, efficient and open plan environment for staff. It is also Skanska’s largest PFI project.
The scope of Skanska’s work includes stripping, upgrading and refurbishing interiors, plus overhauling M&E services and IT infrastructure. Most of the inside walls will be demolished to replace the existing small outdated modular offices with open areas. This will create space to accommodate approximately 20 per cent more staff as headquarter activites are concentated at Whitehall, allowing the MOD to dispose of five other buildings.