Nearly 140 networkers treated to exclusive view of stunning refurbishment

The refurbished St Martin-in-the-Fields church in Trafalgar Square proved a wildly popular venue for Phase One London last Thursday, with nearly 140 people cramming into St Martin’s Hall.

Building’s latest networking event for new professionals in construction was heavily oversubscribed with almost 500 people applying for places.

Lucky attendees had an exclusive look at one of the most stunning and complex projects of recent years, and heard from Robert Kennett at Eric Parry Architects, structural engineer Robert Westcott at Alan Baxter & Associates and project director Geoff Hunt at Costain on how the team managed to pull off numerous structural and logistical feats. The event was sponsored by JD Interiors, part of Shaylor Group, which gave away a bottle of bubbly in a free business card raffle.

The £36m renewal of St Martin-in-the-Fields was completed in 2008, and nominated for Public Building of the Year in this year’s Building Awards. The project team had to overcome the challenges of working with a listed building, reworking underground spaces and integrating new services, all without disrupting the church’s services to the homeless.

Building’s Phase One events are a unique opportunity for new professionals in construction, engineering, architecture and surveying to broaden their contacts and their industry knowledge. Our next event will take place in Manchester on September 3rd. It’s free to attend, but places are limited. Go to the Phase One website to register to attend or receive information on future events.