There are few names more synonymous with the North East of England than Barbour. Founded in South Shields in 1894, the brand has spent over a century building a reputation for quality, craftsmanship, and heritage – values that resonate well beyond its Tyneside roots. So when Barbour needed a team to transform a 1960s industrial unit back in their home town into a high-spec, sustainable flagship space, we were proud to be the ones they called.
The Barbour Paulsway project is one of the most rewarding schemes our team has delivered. It is a project that combines fast-track delivery, technical complexity, and genuine regional pride. It reflects everything we stand for as a facilities management and MEP contractor in the North East.
The Project: Transforming a 1960s Building into a Modern Multi-Use Hub
Working alongside principal contractor Brims Construction, Quora Group was appointed to deliver the full mechanical, plumbing, and ventilation services for the refurbishment of Barbour’s Paulsway site in South Shields.
The brief was ambitious. The building needed to be stripped of its existing services and completely reinstalled with modern, high-efficiency systems, all within five months. The finished space would serve as a showroom, photography studio, and office environment, ready to support Barbour’s Spring/Summer collection launch.
Before a single pipe was touched, our team completed a full concept feasibility design, including all plant and equipment selections, in just two weeks. That kind of pace, without cutting corners on accuracy, set the tone for everything that followed.
Scope of Work: What We Delivered
Our scope covered the full mechanical and plumbing installation across the building, including:
- A bespoke air handling unit (AHU) with heat recovery ventilation across all areas, with precision air quality and temperature control for the photography studio
- High-efficiency heat pump fan coil systems for heating and cooling throughout the showroom, offices, and studio
- Complete replacement of domestic hot and cold water systems, sanitary ware, and associated plumbing infrastructure
- Exposed services installation throughout, including the photography studio, requiring an exceptionally high standard of finish
- Off-site manufacturing to support programme efficiency and reduce on-site risk
Every system was designed with the building’s new functions in mind. Because the services were left on display rather than concealed, the quality of the installation had to be as strong visually as it was technically. Our engineers rose to that challenge.
Weekly coordination meetings with the wider site team kept the project on track, trades moving efficiently, and safety standards maintained throughout with zero health and safety incidents recorded across the project.
What the Finished Space Enables
The result is a fully operational, multi-purpose facility that gives Barbour everything they need to run their operations from a single, high-performance base.
The showroom provides a climate-controlled environment for hosting buyers and showcasing seasonal collections. The photography studio delivers the precision temperature stability that professional product shoots demand. The office space gives staff a comfortable, energy-efficient place to work year-round. Together, these spaces form a flagship site that reflects the prestige of the Barbour brand. The 30% improvement in energy efficiency means those benefits come with meaningfully lower operating costs and reduced carbon emissions compared to the building’s previous state.
A Project with Wider Significance for the Region
This project matters beyond the building itself. Barbour is a genuinely iconic business – one that has traded from South Shields for over 130 years and continues to invest in its home region. Their decision to refurbish and modernise the Paulsway site, rather than relocate, is a statement about the value they place on their North East roots.
As a facilities management contractor based in the North East, we share that commitment. Our regional base gave us real supply chain advantages on this project, supporting faster, more efficient delivery and keeping the economic benefit of the investment close to home. Projects like this one demonstrate what is possible when local businesses back one another and why that matters for the long-term strength of the region’s commercial landscape.
The shift from outdated fossil fuel systems to modern heat pump technology also reflects a direction of travel that we are seeing across the commercial sector. Businesses investing in their built environment are increasingly demanding energy-efficient, low-carbon solutions as standard. Barbour’s new flagship space is a strong example of what that looks like in practice.
How We Work: The Quora Group Approach
Barbour International summed up the experience well: “There was no compromise in safety or quality of install. The system was expertly designed and installed by a well organised, highly skilled team of engineers.”
That is the standard we hold ourselves to on every project. Fast-track programmes and complex briefs are not obstacles for our team, they are where we do our best work. The ability to move from feasibility design to full installation at pace, while maintaining the quality and safety standards a client like Barbour rightly expects, comes from years of delivering MEP and facilities management solutions across the North East and beyond.
We also believe that the best results come from genuine collaboration. Working closely with Brims Construction and the wider project team, we kept communication clear, coordination tight, and the focus firmly on the outcome the client needed.
Delivering for Brands That Demand the Best
The Barbour Paulsway project is a marker of what Quora Group can achieve. Complex scope, compressed timelines, high-finish standards, and a client with exacting expectations. We delivered on every count and we are proud of the space that now stands on Paulsway in South Shields. You can read the full Barbour Paulsway case study for a deeper look at the technical detail behind the project.
As demand for sustainable, high-performance commercial spaces continues to grow across the North East and nationally, we are ready to bring the same approach to the next project. Whether that is a full mechanical and plumbing overhaul, a fast-track fit-out, or a long-term facilities management partnership, our team has the expertise and the regional knowledge to deliver. Take a look at some of our commercial projects across the North East to see what we have delivered for previous clients.
Find out more about our services and what we can deliver for your project at quora-group.com/services/