The Piece Hall is the only remaining Georgian cloth hall in the world. The story of this iconic Grade 1 listed building, at the heart of Halifax city centre, began in 1779 when it was a Cloth Hall for trading woollen fabric. Today it is a thriving destination where visitors can experience history, discover independent retail, food and drink venues and major events. Renowned artists have chosen to perform in the open-air courtyard including Blondie, Tom Jones, Bryan Adams, Gary Barlow, Simple Minds and Olly Murs.
Our task
Core was commissioned to introduce state-of-the-art networking and technology to bring the digital and events capabilities of this culturally and historically significant venue right up to date.
With a packed 2025 season ahead, The Piece Hall needed the work to be turned around quickly by a team with extensive experience of complex IT infrastructure requirements.
The Challenge
The Piece Hall chose Core for our technical IT capability and up-to-the-minute knowledge of this rapidly evolving sector. They also benefitted from our experience of working on heritage sites, which meant we could manage the challenges involved in installing 21st century tech in a way that would meet the strict planning requirements of a Grade 1 listed building. Our teams had to think creatively about where to position hardware with detailed health and safety planning to ensure our teams could work safely at height and in tight spaces.
How we helped
This project involved lots of scoping project management.
The structure of Core’s business facilitates agile working, with support from our central in-house pricing, buying and finance teams. With internal cross-team working and our strong relationships with suppliers across all the sectors we work in, we are able to secure the best value and service for our customers.
Our teams keep themselves abreast of advancements in networking hardware and software, the rise of software-defined networking (SDN) and the emergence of Wi-Fi 7. This allows us to plan and implement the most current infrastructure and make sure it can easily be upgraded as new technologies emerge.
By staying ahead of the curve, we help our customers make informed decisions about which technologies align best with their immediate and long-term goals.
Results
The Piece Hall now has the very latest networking infrastructure, with back-up systems throughout, giving them vastly improved digital performance, enhanced security and reliability. Everything has been implemented with a view to meeting their needs now and being able to accommodate future growth and change.
The deadlines for completion were tight and involved working both within and outside operational hours to minimise tenant and internal downtime – something that was only possible thanks to our experience in IT infrastructure planning, project management and delivery.
What the customer says
“Core went beyond the brief to produce a solution that puts us ahead of the game as a venue, giving us robust networking capabilities that will help us meet the widely varying demands of all those who visit and work at The Piece Hall. The team at Core anticipated and overcame challenges, with exemplary project management at every stage. They designed in back-up systems, state-of-the-art security and scalability, giving us confidence in them from the outset. During installation, which by necessity had to be completed in and out of hours, they worked to very tight deadlines and in full collaboration with the individual businesses that operate from the site. The day to day operations of The Piece Hall were completely unaffected by the works. Core has truly exceeded our expectations.” Mikey Green, Venue & Facilities Manager, The Piece Hall
