NEW BUILD / REFURB 10M - 15M

GOLD

Critical delays from the start of work on this project did not knock Peter Fisher off his stride. Gathering his team together, he re-examined sequences and construction details and pulled together the subcontractors so effectively that not only did he hit the completion date, he actually handed the project over two weeks early.

As soon as Fisher arrived on site, big issues emerged that threatened to derail the programme. An intrusive asbestos survey that could not previously be carried out discovered substantial quantities of asbestos, while the 1960s decommissioning of the old underground petrol storage tanks was shown to be only partial when four tanks still containing fuel oil and water were exposed.

Both problems greatly increased the amount and degree of contamination that had to be dealt with before construction could start. It was then discovered that the planned soakaways to deal with surface water drainage would not work because the ground was not permeable enough.

Fisher overcame these problems through an ability to focus his team on solutions and drive them through. He reprogrammed and resequenced demolition and groundworks to preserve the all-important steel erection start date, and replaced the soakaways with a very large attenuation tank, installed after the steel frame went up so as not to restrict access for the steel erectors.

Overcoming the initial horrors gave the team a momentum that Fisher then exploited to subsequently drive improvements. He persuaded the steel subcontractor to agree a phased handover of 40% of the structure four weeks into erection, and started decking and concreting before their original dates, which in turn allowed an early start to brickwork and roofing.

Aware from his discussions with managers of other Sunrise projects undertaken by Wates that finishes were critical from quality and time perspectives, Fisher continued pressing for the earliest possible start to finishing trades.

The result was a high-spec project delivered a fortnight early.

SILVER

A great deal of the credit for the successful completion of this world-class research building must go to Sev Cataldo after the project stalled four years earlier because of funding problems. His insight, leadership and skill pulled together a construction team vitalised by his clear definition of project success: a quality structure that was enjoyable to build, easy to maintain and a positive contribution to its surroundings.

Cataldo was involved in all levels of design development, ensuring that subcontractor cost and design advice was forthcoming, best value achieved, buildability guaranteed, and risk discussed, quantified and minimised. Rather than designers safeguarding the aesthetic while the contractor focused on profit, he promoted a mutually co-operative environment, delivering a robust contract sum and programme that not only challenged the university’s expectations, but also solved the
key issues.

For example, although a post-tensioned concrete ground slab would have been cheaper, he chose flat-slab construction, which greatly speeded up construction by removing the need for downstand beams and also provided the correct vibration characteristics for the building. He also used the curtain walling framework to support the brickwork, which eliminated the need for external scaffolding as the bricklayers worked off mobile access platforms.

Cataldo encouraged the site team to discuss and resolve all issues face to face, reducing the time-consuming correspondence that can fuel adversarial relationships.

Prepared to go outside the normal realms of contracting to help the client, he rightly identified that the university’s intention to transport the clean rooms and plant it had bought direct to site was a significant risk because of the site confines, which would have made storage and servicing hazardous. He therefore negotiated a temporary storage and servicing area on a nearby farm, moving the equipment to site as and when required.

The result is a building which designers and contractors enjoyed creating, and of which they and the client are proud.

HIGHLY COMMENDED

Colin Clark (Sir Robert McAlpine) for Redevco, Princes Street, Edinburgh; Richard Dobbs (Miller Construction) for the Peepul Centre, Leicester; Matthew Garnett (HBG Construction North East) for Wharfedale Hospital, Otley, Yorkshire; Mark Jones (Wates Construction) for Sunrise Senior Living, Edgbaston, Birmingham; Clifford Perks (Laing O’Rourke) for Stapleford Health Centre, Nottingham; James Welsh (formerly of Mowlem now with Stewart Milne Construction) for Skypark, Glasgow; Mark Winter (Verry Construction) for Ideas Store, Whitechapel, London.