When Marks & Spencer—the British luxury retailer—planned to open its second-largest store ever and its most eco-friendly outlet to date, the company chose to document the process on video, from ground-breaking to ribbon-cutting.

Wirral, England-based NW Systems Group’s Remote Manager video solution was used by the Lincoln -based construction firm Simons Group to monitor and retain a visual record of the construction of Marks & Spencer 195,000-square-foot Cheshire Oaks site, near Liverpool.

The store—officially opened by actress and author Joanna Lumley and Marks & Spencer’s Chief Executive Marc Bolland on August 29— is a showplace for the retailer’s Plan A, a set of 180 environmental commitments. The retail space has been constructed under the strictest green guidelines—for example, using a wave-like Glulam timber roof which, from the inside, looks like a huge wooden jigsaw puzzle. The impressive exposed beam ceiling, which is held together by huge bolts, has a recycled aluminum ceiling that is covered by a material made out of 100 percent recycled glass bottles. Roof lights also will maximize northern light and cedar wood panels on the sides of the building have been strategically angled to make the best use of natural light.

Earlier this year, Clem Constantine, M&S director of UK and International Property and Store Development, told the Mail Online, "We are very pleased with how the store is progressing. It not only puts the area on the map for having the most carbon- and energy efficient, full-line M&S store; but it will also be a great boost to the local economy … and deliver the very best of M&S for our customers in Cheshire.”

Remote Manager was used to help Simons Group and its customer Marks & Spencer to monitor progress of the flagship store’s internal construction and build-out. NW Systems used Remote Manager from November 2011 to June 2012 to monitor progress of this groundbreaking development, ensuring that environmental targets for recycling and use of green materials were being met and monitoring key building.

Remote Manager is a video monitoring service specifically designed for the construction and development industry. It is an all-in-one platform, offering system design, installation, wireless connectivity and full hosting of 24/7 time-lapse video recordings for the entire length of any construction project. A total of eight Mobotix 3-megapixel network cameras were installed internally to provide HD resolution video on the Marks & Spencer site’s construction progress over a six-month period.

Ed Dixon, environmental champion for the Simons Group, commented, “Remote Manager gave us a very impressive user interface, diligent installation operatives, excellent customer support and personable account management from key staff.”

Frank Crowel, managing director, NW Systems Group, said, “We are very proud to have played a part in supporting such a ground-breaking green construction project as M&S Cheshire Oaks store. This is currently M&S’ flagship ‘Store for the Future’ and it is great that Remote Manager helped keep the project on track and on schedule.”

To view a time-lapse video movie of the fitting out of Marks & Spencer Cheshire Oaks please click on this link.

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