Fit out over £15 million

Gold

Keeping the station on track

When Laing won the £40m contract to redevelop the concourse at Manchester Piccadilly Station, Railtrack wanted Terence Williams on the job. Williams had spent three years working on the £28m station regeneration project there and had developed a good relationship with the client. One of Williams’ main tasks was to keep the 65,000 passengers who used the station every day moving. He created a new concourse base under areas which were in use and opened it before demolition of the existing building. Since work progressed concurrently in several areas, Williams set up a dedicated site manager and planner for each area. The managers reported to the construction manager and the planners to the design planning co-ordinator, both of whom reported to Williams. He created team spirit by encouraging open communication channels with client and subcontractors. Railtrack asked Laing to consider less costly alternatives to the proposed glass for the concourse roof. Williams proposed an ETFE membrane, as used on the Eden Project. He had been involved in the Chelsea and Westminster hospital project, one of the first projects to use this technology, and arranged a visit for the client to view the product in situ. This membrane was eventually chosen and has proved successful. Quality control and a zero defects policy were essential because returning to areas that had been handed back to the client for public use was a no-no. Health and safety of the workforce and the public was also paramount, which Williams monitored against railway standards as well as HMRI. He managed health and safety extremely well. Union representatives were welcomed on site, and made an important contribution to the project. As with many rail-related projects the work was carried our during the night. Laing had to monitor noise nuisance due to the proximity of residential and commercial properties. No work commenced without a thorough risk assessment, which included a consideration of environmental issues in order to identify a method that achieved the least nuisance and best productivity. During the project there was no disruption to any of the services: trains, taxis, buses, freight and the tram line which runs below. That is something to be proud of.

Silver

Grace under fire

Interior won the competitive tender, put forward by construction manager Geoff Brookman, for the £23m fit out of meeting rooms, bar and restaurant at Diageo’s prestigious new office building in Park Royal, north west London. It was a construction management contract, the final element in a five-year programme. Despite very careful forward planning, there had to be numerous timetable changes, and considerable rescheduling of resources, well in excess of what could reasonably be expected on this kind of project. Brookman rose to the task of working under the very considerable pressure that these problems created. He kept his site clean and tidy at all time, a sign that it was well-managed. He maintained an impeccable safety record, with no reportable accidents, despite having over 250 operatives on site at any one time. Brookman commanded respect and support from everyone: his colleagues from the Interior team, the many consultants, the subcontractors and, above all, his client. He ran critical fortnightly client meetings and used diplomacy to ensure the team delivered to his requirements. Brookman was totally dedicated to the project, able to make difficult decisions, defend his position, deliver when he said he would and be mindful of the consequences of cost variation. And he was able to manage and deliver to the client’s expectations. Following practical completion, he held meetings with Diageo to resolve any issues, which continued until the client was totally satisfied.

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