As a bespoke joinery contractor, we know the finished space can look effortless even when the programme behind it is anything but.
That was definitely the case on the AO Arena redevelopment in Manchester.
Gariff was appointed by Galliford Try to deliver a specialist package for the Mezzanine Bar and VIP Lounge, working to designs by AHR Architects Ltd. Our scope included bars, wall panelling, banquettes and architectural metalwork, with an approximate project value of £1.2 million and completion in February 2024.
On paper, it sounds fairly simple.
Manufacture the joinery, get it to site, and install it.
But anyone who’s worked on a project with long-lead specialist finishes, multiple trades and a tight programme will know it rarely stays that simple for long.
The key was making sure the joinery package could keep moving while the wider build was still progressing. That meant close coordination, careful sequencing and making the most of what could be fabricated offsite.
The finished space may look calm, but there was a considerable amount of planning behind it.
Why a bespoke joinery contractor needs more than a good workshop
Of course, a good workshop matters.
But on a project like this, the value of a specialist joinery team isn’t just in what gets made. It’s also in how that work is planned around everything else happening on the project.
Our package brought together bespoke metalwork and joinery across the Mezzanine Bar and VIP Lounge. Each element had to work within the wider interior, coordinate with surrounding trades and arrive on site at the right point in the programme.
That meant asking some practical questions early on:
What information needs to be finalised before manufacture starts?
Which elements can progress offsite?
What has to be coordinated with other trades?
When will the site actually be ready for installation?
You won't see that coordination in the finished photos, but it's a huge part of delivering bespoke joinery projects successfully.
It means each element can be manufactured, delivered and installed when the wider project is ready for it.
The real challenge: keeping a tight programme moving
The biggest challenge at AO Arena wasn’t one individual piece of joinery, it was the programme.
Some of the bespoke and specialist finishes had long lead times, while builders’ work was continuing on site. If manufacture had waited for every stage of the build to be completed first, it would’ve piled even more pressure onto the later stages of the programme.
So the work had to overlap.
Detailed coordination with other trades allowed offsite joinery fabrication to progress while the builders’ work continued. The workshop didn’t need to sit idle waiting for site activity to finish, and the wider project didn’t need to pause while the joinery package was being manufactured.
For a bespoke joinery contractor, this kind of sequencing can be just as important as the manufacturing itself.
It’s also where in-house joinery manufacturing becomes particularly useful on commercial fit out projects. When workshop production and site activity can move forward at the same time, the programme has more flexibility than it would if every stage had to happen one after another.
It sounds straightforward when it’s written down.
In practice, real deadlines, multiple trades and specialist finishes mean that level of coordination has to be carefully managed.
Offsite fabrication only works when the coordination does
Manufacturing offsite doesn’t automatically make the programme faster.
Before work can progress confidently in the workshop, we need to understand dimensions, finishes, installation requirements and how each element connects with the surrounding work. As well as affecting the item being manufactured, a late change can have a knock-on effect on installation, adjacent finishes and other packages.
That’s why coordination was such an important part of our role.
As a bespoke joinery contractor, the Gariff team weren’t working in a bubble. Our package had to connect properly with the work around it and be ready when the wider project needed it.
This is where in-house joinery manufacturing makes its mark. Having manufacturing capability gives more control over the process, but that only becomes useful when it’s backed by clear information, communication and sequencing.
For anyone comparing commercial fit out specialists in Manchester, that’s worth looking for. Finished project photography tells you what a contractor can produce, but the story behind the photos tells you how they actually work.
Bars, banquettes and the details people actually see
Once the project is complete, very few people visiting a VIP lounge are thinking about programme sequencing.
Instead, they’re looking at the space in front of them. The bars, seating and finishes are a big part of that experience.
Bespoke bar joinery has to do more than look right. A bar is a large, highly visible feature that sits alongside other finishes and services, so accuracy and coordination matter from manufacture through to installation.
The same applies to a bar fit out more broadly.
To the person using the space, it’s one finished environment.
To the project team, it’s a lot of individual details that all need to meet in the right place at the right time.
Our package also included banquette seating within the Mezzanine Bar and premium experience VIP Lounge.
Fixed seating can look deceptively straightforward once everything is finished. In reality, it has to work with the dimensions of the space, surrounding finishes, upholstery and installation access. There’s very little room for uncertainty when something is being manufactured specifically for its location.
Treating the bars, banquette seating and surrounding joinery as one coordinated package helped everything work together, rather than as a collection of separate items.
Why hospitality projects need good coordination, not just good craftsmanship
Craftsmanship matters, but saying that on its own doesn’t really tell you very much. Every joinery company is going to tell you it cares about craftsmanship.
What matters just as much is how that craftsmanship is supported when the programme becomes more complex.
For a bespoke joinery contractor, that’s where technical and project awareness matter just as much as what happens at the bench.
For a hospitality fit out contractor or main contractor, specialist subcontractors need to understand that their package is one part of a much bigger picture. If one element slips, it can affect the next trade, the next installation and the programme after that.
On any bar fit out, good sequencing matters just as much as the finish.
A major Manchester venue, manufactured close to home
With our manufacturing operation based in Trafford Park, AO Arena is a particularly relevant example of the specialist work we deliver across Manchester.
It’s a strong example of bespoke joinery in Manchester being delivered for one of the city’s best-known entertainment venues.
It also gives prospective clients something more useful than a generic claim about experience. They can see what the package involved, what made delivery challenging and how the team approached it.
What should you look for in a bespoke joinery contractor?
If you’re appointing a bespoke joinery contractor for a hospitality or leisure project, the quality of the finished work should obviously be high on the list.
But it shouldn’t be the whole list.
Ask how the team manages technical coordination, plans around long-lead finishes and integrates offsite manufacture with the wider programme.
For projects involving bespoke bar joinery or other specialist manufactured elements, those questions can tell you far more about how the package will actually be delivered than polished photos alone.
A hospitality fit out contractor, main contractor or project team needs supply-chain partners who can slot into the wider programme, communicate clearly and solve issues before they become problems on site.
The finished space is only half the story
At AO Arena, our work on the Mezzanine Bar and VIP Lounge brought together specialist joinery, metalwork and careful programme coordination.
As a bespoke joinery contractor, our role covered the bars, wall panelling, seating and metalwork.
But the more detailed story sits behind those finished elements, in the planning and coordination that allowed the joinery package to keep moving alongside the wider build.
Yes, the finished work has to look right. That’s a given.
But it also has to be manufactured, coordinated and installed in a way that supports the wider programme from start to finish.
If you’re looking for bespoke joinery in Manchester, or need a bespoke joinery contractor for a hospitality, leisure or commercial project, get in touch with our team to discuss specialist manufacture and site delivery.