6-minute read to discover how we prepare and deliver projects in hotels, restaurants, retail spaces, offices and other professional environments.

A PROJECT FOR A BUSINESS IS DIFFERENT

At Gorka Lomeña, we are a construction company specialising in renovation, refurbishment and fit-out projects.

We work with hotels, restaurants, shops, offices, medical practices and healthcare centres, workplaces and other professional establishments.

And we know that construction work in a professional space comes with different constraints from those of a home.

Behind every project there is a business activity.

There are employees, customers, suppliers, bookings, appointments, seasons, opening hours and, very often, a date by which the establishment needs to be operational again.

That is why, on this type of project, building well is essential.

But organising well is just as important.

We study, prepare, coordinate and execute each project taking into account not only what needs to be built, but also the activity behind it.

A PROFESSIONAL PROJECT STARTS BY UNDERSTANDING THE BUSINESS

Before discussing demolition, masonry or services, we need to understand the project.

What activity takes place in the space?

Will the establishment be closed during the works?

Is it possible to work in phases?

Is there an opening date that must be respected?

Which areas are the priority?

Which works can be carried out while the business remains operational?

Completely renovating a restaurant that will be closed for two months is not the same as working in a hotel that needs to keep part of its rooms operational.

Nor is fitting out empty offices the same as working in a clinic or medical practice that continues to receive patients.

The project must adapt to that reality.

That is why, before we begin, we study not only what needs to be done, but also how and when it should be done. Whenever possible, we make use of closure periods or quieter times to concentrate certain works and progress more quickly.

STUDY, PREPARATION AND EXECUTION

We have organised our company around three stages of the same project: Study, Preparation and Execution.

Our Study Department analyses the project, measurements, construction solutions and costs in order to prepare the financial proposal.

Once the project has been awarded, Preparation begins.

We review documentation, coordinate services, finalise details, organise supplies, schedule trades and anticipate execution requirements.

On a professional project, this phase is particularly important.

A material that fails to arrive, a pending decision or an installation that has not been properly coordinated can affect the entire programme and, in some situations, the activity of the establishment itself.

That is why we try to move as many decisions as possible into the preparation phase.

The more we resolve beforehand, the less we have to improvise during the works.

DO YOU ALREADY HAVE AN ARCHITECT OR A PROJECT?

Perfect.

We regularly work with architects, interior architects, interior designers, engineering firms and other professionals who develop projects for commercial and professional premises.

Our role is to study that project from the point of view of execution, prepare the works and turn it into a built reality.

We review solutions, coordinate the different trades and transfer the documentation developed by the designers into the construction phase.

And when we identify a detail that could create difficulties in execution, coordination or cost, we raise it.

It is not about changing the project on our own initiative.

It is about bringing our experience as builders to the table so that decisions can be made before they become a problem on site.

Good design and good execution need to work together.

DON’T HAVE A FULLY DEFINED PROJECT YET?

We can also study the starting point with you.

We are a construction company, not an architectural or engineering practice.

We have architects and technical professionals within our organisation because we need the technical capability to properly study, prepare and execute our projects.

This also allows us to produce simple drawings, layout adjustments, construction details or minor modifications when the scope of the works does not require a full architectural project.

However, certain establishments, because of their activity or the scale of the intervention, require specific projects, permits, building-services studies, accessibility measures, fire protection or other technical input.

In those cases, we believe the right approach is to involve the appropriate specialist professionals.

We can work with the technical team chosen by the client or put them in contact with professionals with whom we regularly collaborate.

Our role remains the same:

study, prepare and execute.

TIMING MATTERS

Timing is important on any construction project.

For a business, it can be critical.

A hotel may have a scheduled date to begin receiving guests again. A restaurant may need to open before a particular season. A shop may have an opening date and a medical practice needs to organise its appointments and activity.

We understand what every day of closure means.

That is why we believe that a serious programme is not simply about setting a completion date.

The project needs to be properly prepared beforehand for that date to be realistic.

Materials, decisions, services, trades, bespoke furniture, joinery and equipment all need to be coordinated before and during execution.

We cannot guarantee that an unforeseen issue will never arise.

But we can work to anticipate everything that can reasonably be foreseen.

WORKING IN PHASES

It is not always possible to completely close an establishment in order to carry out a renovation.

On certain projects, we need to work alongside the ongoing activity.

We can study the works by areas, floors, rooms or phases, agreeing with the client which spaces must remain operational and which can temporarily be taken out of service.

This requires more organisation.

Access, worker circulation, materials, waste, dust, noise, working hours and coordination with the establishment’s staff all need to be considered.

In some cases, it may be more efficient to close completely for a short period.

In others, dividing the works into phases allows a significant part of the activity to continue.

There is no single solution.

Planning must adapt to the way each business actually operates.

COORDINATING MANY TRADES

A professional renovation can involve a significant number of companies and specialists.

Masonry, electrical work, plumbing, HVAC, ventilation, plasterboard, painting, joinery, metalwork, glazing, finishes, lighting, professional kitchens, security systems, fire protection, furniture and specialist equipment.

And all of them need to work in the right order.

An installation that is ten centimetres out of position can later affect a piece of furniture. An HVAC decision can alter a ceiling. A change in lighting can affect electrical work, plasterboard and painting.

That is why our work is not simply about executing each individual item.

It is about making sure that all the elements work together.

And, for the client, simplifying that entire process.

Although many different companies and professionals may be involved in a project, we are the client’s main point of contact. We coordinate the different trades, organise the works and centralise the monitoring of execution.

The client does not have to manage each trade separately or work out how they should coordinate with one another. That coordination is part of our job.

Our site manager monitors the works and coordinates the different professionals throughout execution.

In addition, we have been working for years with many of the companies and specialist contractors who regularly take part in our projects.

That continuity means we understand each other’s way of working, coordinate more effectively and resolve issues more quickly.

HOTELS, RESTAURANTS AND OPERATIONAL SPACES

Some projects require particular sensitivity to the activity continuing around the works.

In a hotel, there are guests.

In a restaurant, there are customers and services.

In an office, there are people working.

In a medical practice or healthcare centre, there may be patients.

When we work in an establishment that remains partially or fully operational, the construction site needs to understand that it is not operating in isolation.

Organisation, cleanliness, protection, working hours, access and communication become just as important as the execution itself.

The objective is to reduce, as far as reasonably possible, the impact of the works on day-to-day activity.

WHEN A PROBLEM ARISES

In refurbishment work, unexpected situations can always arise.

Old services, structures that differ from the documentation, damp, deteriorated elements or incompatibilities that only become visible once demolition begins.

And on a professional project there is an additional factor: decisions often need to be made quickly.

When a problem arises, we study it, inform the client and the technical professionals involved, and look for a solution that takes into account both the construction itself and the consequences for the programme and the business activity.

Solving a problem technically is important.

Solving it on time is important too.

WHAT TYPE OF PROJECTS DO WE UNDERTAKE?

We work on the renovation, refurbishment and fit-out of a wide range of professional spaces: hotels and tourist accommodation, restaurants and bars, retail premises, offices, medical practices and healthcare centres, workplaces and other spaces used for professional activities.

We can undertake a complete renovation or substantial partial works within existing establishments.

We also carry out works during closure periods, phased renovations and projects aimed at updating spaces that need to be renewed after years of operation.

Every establishment has different requirements.

Our structure adapts to the project.

ONE BUSINESS NEEDS TO BE ABLE TO TRUST ANOTHER

When a professional entrusts us with a project, they are not simply contracting masonry, services or finishes.

For a certain period of time, they are entrusting us with an important part of their business.

We understand that responsibility.

We have the experience, the team and a way of working based on studying, preparing and monitoring every project with a high level of standards.

And when a problem arises, we work to resolve it.

Study. Prepare. Plan. Coordinate. Execute. Resolve.

Because behind a professional construction project, there is something that needs to start working again.

Our job is to make sure that, when that moment comes, the space is ready to do so.