Under £4m

Silence in court is a judicial demand, but this project’s location below the flight paths of fighter jets from RAF Boscombe Down made it a challenging requirement. It was largely thanks to Mike Teasdale that the project comfortably passed its stringent acoustic tests.

Teasdale’s honest and direct approach commanded the respect of a strong project team which was always prepared to go the extra mile.

The roofing subcontractor, window manufacturer, dry liner, M&E installer and flooring specialist all co-operated in developing a joined-up design. They provided the high standard of workmanship needed to marry up the material junctions to minimise noise transference.

Teasdale took control of the project from the start. It was his presentation that won the tender for Mansell, respecting the client’s requirements, but also challenging them. He changed the orientation of the building to minimise the scale of the required new access road. And he replaced the original 40m2 roof light with a vaulted ceiling that simulated natural light. The proposals generated significant buildability and cost savings.

His direct and active involvement was critical. For example, when the carpentry firm doing the courtroom wall panels and furniture went bust, Teasdale drove two hours to persuade the director to release materials needed to complete the work.

Silver

Paul Fitzpatrick , Construction manager, Parkeray , Central Library Level 3, Imperial College London: conversion and refurbishment of library floor to language labs, completed in 10 weeks ,I £2.82m, NEC Education 2 1995, with corrections

If managing a construction project is like playing a game of chess, Paul Fitzpatrick must be a grandmaster. On this scheme, he pitted his wits against tough programme, quality and budget forces and won.

With procurement issues arising out of a developing M&E design, the site start was six weeks later than planned, leaving just 10 weeks to the sacrosanct handover date.

Fitzpatrick knew that rationalisation of the suspended ceiling design was a priority. He also knew that the proposed taped and jointed plasterboard ceiling could leave the client with maintenance issues. Plus there were aesthetic disadvantages from the number of access panels needed for the services crammed into the tight ceiling void.

The solution was a Luxalon slatted ceiling, which gave better access, was faster to build and allowed other refurb elements to be dimensioned and procured early. This bought the time to procure the M&E and install the services for the completion date.

Fitzpatrick managed expectations by building site mock-ups and benchmarking.

By agreeing the details in advance, he was able to push the various works along in isolation from each other, safe in the knowledge that all the components would fit together, which also reduced installation time and potential snagging.

He operated in an open, honest and inclusive manner, showing a healthy respect for the construction process while always maintaining a sense of proportion.

Highly Commended

• Nick Bent (Parkeray) for Floor 25, 30 St Mary Axe, London
• Gary Edmonds (Brymor Contractors) for Aspex Gallery, Gunwharf Quays, Portsmouth
• Nick Ford (Rok Development) for Stratus House, Exeter
• Hudson Fountain (formerly of Como Group) for Nationwide Contact Centre, Wakefield
• John Gothard (Crispin & Borst) for Gorilla Kingdom, London Zoo
• Stewart Johnson (Brymor Contractors) for Priory School, Southsea
• Stephen Kearney (Sir Robert McAlpine) for Aberdeen Marine Operations Centre
• Russell Scott (Ashe Construction) for Sarratt School, Hertfordshire