CMYA 2005

GOLD

Name Brian Peckham
Employer Sir Robert McAlpine
Position Project manager
Project Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff: Iconic, 37,000m2 leisure complex
Value £77m
Contract JCT 1998 with contractor’s design

One of the few instantly recognisable buildings in this year’s competition, the Wales Millennium Centre offered a massive design challenge to any construction manager. Two attempts to appoint a contractor ended in failure before Brian Peckham joined the Sir Robert McAlpine team to manage the ultimately successful design and build bid.

But getting the contract right was only the start. Having been working on the project since 1996, the designers were determined that the built design would remain faithful to their intent. They found their man in Brian, who brought practical solutions to the enormous technical difficulties presented by tapering the layers of Welsh slate for the facades to resemble the unique cliff formations on the nearby coast, and setting at an angle of 2 degrees a 15m-high brick wall; not to mention the stainless steel-encased theatre and the famous inscription wall over the curved and inclined main facade, where storey-height lettering through the walls lets the building’s internal lighting spell out a line of poetry at night.

Brian co-located the architects and the major subcontractor designers with the project team onsite, helping to build a very strong team. He took a rope access qualification so he could get onto the most difficult areas of the roof to support his engineers in the inspection process, and put a great deal of effort into co-ordinating the building’s complex M&E equipment – “like three-dimensional knitting”, he says.

He handled the site’s VIP neighbours (the Welsh Assembly lies next door) with equal aplomb. He kept noise and vibration to a minimum by rejecting post-driven piling in favour of continuous flight auger piling, insisted on the quietest compressors and site tools, and employed roadsweepers to keep the surrounding roads clear at all times. He even publicised his phone number at the site entrance, so anyone with concerns could contact him direct.

Brian wins the gold medal in this category for leading this once-in-a-lifetime project from successful bid to brilliant execution. He overcame a series of complex technical difficulties en route while staying true to the architect’s vision, and brought in the Wales Millennium Centre to critical acclaim, on time, and with an exemplary safety record. That the aspirations of so many other parties have been met is a great testament to his leadership.

SILVER

Name Tim Atkinson
Employer Bovis Lend Lease
Position Project director
Project Plantation Place. London: 47,000m2 of offices in 16-storey block with three basement levels
Value £127.6m
Contract Construction management

A framed £100 cheque hangs on Tim Atkinson’s wall – testimony to his winning a private bet he made early on with the client that he would complete this imposing glass-clad project on time.

Achieving the programme was just one of many challenges which Tim had to overcome. His swift action minimised early problems with the piling. By resetting objectives and displaying firmness and fairness, he defused what could have turned into a difficult contractual dispute.

Tim was adamant he wanted a scaffold-free installation on this confined City site, not least because it would impede progress on cladding the lower levels with 1.5m-wide storey-height panels interspersed with top-hung vertical stone fins every 3m. He encouraged the cladders to use cradles and a specially designed hoist to lift the fins and the glass cladding from the pavement direct to the point of installation. Unitised cladding on the upper storeys was also pre-assembled onsite before erection. The whole procedure worked efficiently, safely and was extremely productive.

Other innovations included taking on a large number of trainees, hosting a BBC documentary on a day in the life of a construction manager, setting up a permanent walk-in onsite clinic offering confidential health advice, establishing a safety incentive scheme, and insisting that key risk packages (top-down construction, steel frame and cladding) presented their methods statements to the Health & Safety Executive for thorough review.

To manage this huge project efficiently, Tim appointed a core management team and then separate teams to manage the different site and package elements of the project. This stimulated ownership and accountability and proved an effective way for him to maintain overall control. He also kept strict financial control, with the greatest success being the change request management system.

Tim chaired a weekly management meeting to review progress, walking critical areas after the meeting with the relevant team members to unlock issue and provide the support and advice needed to drive the project forward. It proved an excellent way to let individuals own their part of the building – and helped hang that cheque on Tim’s wall.

Tim wins the silver medal in this category for galvanising the project team to deliver Plantation Place to a challenging programme despite a mere six-week lead-in and a very tight site. He contributed the key technical ideas that assured progress, and demonstrated complete commitment, beginning as he went on by cutting short his holiday to lead his team’s selection interview.

HIGHLY COMMENDED

Matthew Cova (Skanska UK) for Moor House, London; Walker Hodgson (Laing O’Rourke) for Glasgow Fort Shopping Park