Unfailingly courteous and instinctively collaborative, Simon Byford also has the courage to stand by his convictions.

His resistance to the imposition of the suggested 12-month construction period as unrealistic won this contract for Sir Robert McAlpine in the first place. His scrupulous honesty in the face of some hideous subsequent structural surprises pulled the team together in identifying and implementing solutions.

To restore this 200-year-old building to its former glory, Byford had to remove a floor inserted into the original great hall along with other mezzanine additions. He also took out nine lifts (none of which served all eight floors), replacing them with an all-floors duplex model.

The unexpected is only to be expected in such an environment, but nasty surprises happened on a regular basis on this project.

The discovery of asbestos brought the programme to a crashing halt for six weeks. It transpired that the great hall’s southwest pier was not supported below floor level. Chimney flues were found to riddle vertical masonry elements so extensively that they were effectively hollow. In the face of each horror, Byford remained unfailingly calm and rational, ensuring that the impetus of the project was never threatened.

And it wasn’t just his quiet assertiveness and complete control that brought this project through. It was also his innovative approach to technical problems that persuaded the client that extra budget and programme were needed to carry out the stunning internal transformation it sought in its iconic building.

It was Byford who proposed building the duplex lift shaft off a transfer structure at ground level while simultaneously starting work on the basement level. His solution brought enormous programming and buildability benefits.

Being over budget and over time (even when it is no fault of the contractor) is enough to damn many a project as a failure. That Byford concluded this one in triumph, to the praise of client, architect and every other interested party, is a tribute to his construction manager excellence.

CM caught up with winner Simon Byford after the awards ceremony to get his reaction

How are you feeling?
I am still shaking… I feel very proud. This is just tremendous. It’s a team effort. This is for everybody on the project. It is for them.

Are you surprised that you won when the job was over time and over budget?
(Bristles slightly) We had so many problems on site that we had to overcome. But we settled the final account three months before the project finished which is very unusual… and I hope we have a very satisfied client.

Why construction?
I liked it as a kid and I did civil engineering at university. I worked with Sir Robert McAlpine in the summer holidays and joined them in 1979.

What’s so good about restoration?
Expect the unexpected. And we certainly got lots of that. I’ve never done such a satisfying job in my life.

Surely all those unexpected things make life hairy and stressful?
Maybe we are in this job for hairy and stressful things. I have done more straightforward jobs…

How did you get over the problems?
You can only get to the conclusions by working together. You find a problem, you sit down and discuss it and you come up with a solution together. You have to adapt as you go along.

What was the nastiest surprise?
One of the four main piers in the corner of the Great Hall was full of chimney shafts so had virtually no structural strength. We had to put in temporary supports while we sorted it out.

Would you recommend construction to your children?
(Laughs) I have two daughters who are both at university studying medicine. So I don’t think they would be interested. They’ve probably heard me talking about it too much. But they would be proud of me now. I’d better ring them…

Simon Byford, Project manager, Sir Robert McAlpine

HBOS, The Mound, Edinburgh: major refurb of grade A-listed building, completed in 82 weeks

£17m

SBCC with quantities and contractor’s design

Source

Construction Manager