Rap Interiors wins Ancestry London office fit-out after five-way tender

Rap Interiors has won the contract to fit out Ancestry's new London office, beating four other contractors in a tender run after interior design practice Corgan produced the initial design, the contractor said on 29 October.

Ancestry is relocating its London office and Rap Interiors is delivering the construction and fit-out works, according to a release distributed by Pressat on behalf of RAP Interiors Ltd. Ancestry approached the contractor to tender once Corgan's concept had been developed.

Construction is already under way. Rap Interiors said new partitions had been installed and the building's infrastructure was taking shape.

Parry Anderson, Director at Rap Interiors, said: "We're delighted to have been appointed by Ancestry to deliver their new London office, working alongside their team and Corgan to translate the design into a finished workspace."

The scope

The new office will include an entrance and touchdown space, open-plan office areas, flexible meeting spaces, breakout areas, a large tea point and washrooms, the contractor said.

Rap Interiors said its in-house team had developed Corgan's design so that it responds to the building's structure, with attention to finishes, buildability and value management. The team is supported by project management and health and safety expertise and is overseeing the works from design development to delivery.

Anderson said: "Our focus is on delivering a high-quality fit out, ensuring the design is implemented effectively, and every detail is carefully considered throughout the construction process."

The release did not give the address of the new office, its floor area, the contract value or a completion date. Rap Interiors' own news page carries images of the design for the Ancestry London office fit-out, one captioned as Corgan's office design and another showing an entrance lobby.

The firms involved

Rap Interiors describes itself on its website as having more than 30 years' experience transforming interiors across London and the UK, and says the company was founded in 1988. Companies House records the legal entity, RAP Interiors Ltd, with a registered office on Medway City Estate in Rochester, Kent, and shows it traded as RAP Office Contracts Ltd until 24 August 2017.

The business changed hands within the family in a handover announced on its website. Founders Rick and Julie Anderson passed ownership to family members Parry Anderson and Martyn Pilcher, while both founders kept a seat on the board of directors.

Corgan's London team works from Triptych Bankside at 185 Park Street, SE1, near the South Bank, according to the practice's own locations page.

Rap Interiors said it was working with the project team as the space takes form, with new partitions installed and the building's infrastructure taking shape on site.