Joe GallopSpecialist set builders Diagon, which built a stage for artist and stage designer Es Devlin at last year’s BRIT Awards, has created a new 3,700sqm workshop in Erith, South East London.
The new workshop comes after Diagon saw its turnover increase from £3.5m to £6m over the past year, following work with other clients such as George P Johnson.
The facility doubles its indoor footprint and will house specialist departments for carpentry, engineering, paint and CAD.
Diagon, which also provides services for the retail and exhibition sectors, has expanded each workshop department and invested in new equipment, machinery and storage including a new dedicated assembly area of 120sqm where clients can see work in progress or full test builds with tech integration.
Diagon said the workshop’s internal height of 7.5m gives it space for large scale builds with the addition of another 1,858sqm of hardstanding yard area for easy truck access and outdoor test build space.
Within the facility there is a dedicated area of 464sqm for client storage where sets and installations can be kept in a secure, dry area for future use.
Other improvements include large bed laser and plasma cutters in addition to two 3-axis CNC machines, a 3D printer for prototypes and modelling and a second spray booth for the paint department.
Diagon has also formed links with local schools and colleges. The company recently donated a set from a music awards ceremony to Canterbury Academy’s drama department. It is also taking on local students for work placements and apprenticeship schemes and working with clients to plan more set donations to nearby schools and theatre groups.
Diagon managing director Tom Sabin said, “This fabulous new facility marks a huge milestone for Diagon. Coming just after our 21st anniversary, we have doubled our fabrication capacity, created a new studio department with incredible draughting and design capability and added some fantastic staff to the team. With a busy summer ahead, we now have the ability to further step up the scale and quantity of projects we can take on.”