Name: Frank Walsh
Employer: Urban Splash Build
Project: Fort Dunlop, Birmingham
Contract: Design & build
After four years living and breathing this project, Frank Walsh can look back with satisfaction on bringing a derelict giant back to life.
Ironically, the enormous popularity of this landmark building made Frank’s task far more challenging. An astonishing 2,500 people attended the launch of the building, when the project was still deep in its construction phase. They snapped up the office space so enthusiastically that Frank had to bring operations forward and re-engineer the build sequence to support a phased occupation development.
Aware of the importance of rapid office space letting to the success of the project, Frank constantly amended floorplates and the programme with gusto. He ensured the site always had safe routes for viewings, was typically on hand to share his passion for the building with prospective tenants, and still managed to keep project morale high by getting the whole team together to share ideas on how best to meet reset construction targets.
Frank had been onsite a year before construction work started to control the high-risk enabling works, such as demolition of the sixth floor and roof structure, and repairs to the concrete. He used the time to pre-plan works, establish close working relationships with the client and design team, and engage the main subcontractors whose buy-in allowed him to make the key buildability decisions.
The biggest decision of all was how to support the east elevation, which contributed 40% of the whole building’s stability, while the new hotel was built. Reluctant to pay £250,000 for temporary bracing, Frank hit on the much cheaper solution of encasing the hotel steelwork in concrete to act as permanent bracing, and removing the elevation in sections.
Frank’s mastery of modern methods of construction underlay the hydrojetting of structural openings inaccessible to other equipment, and an online auction for raised floor access, which saved 15% on costs. He also used an Oktopus suction device to lift all 1,327 individual panes of glass, 1.4m wide by 3m high, into position, which speeded up work and reduced the risk of manual handling errors.
Frank’s finished project is a runaway commercial success, built on time and to budget. And the armful of design awards it has won is a testament to its first-class quality.