Name: Phil Parnell MCIOB
Employer: Bovis Lend Lease
Project: The Bexley Wing, St Jame's Institute of Oncology, Leeds
The sheer scale of this project – it covered 67,000 square metres and consisted of over 3,000 rooms – required a construction manager equally exceptional. It found him in Phil Parnell.
Heavily involved in assembling the project team, defining roles with clear accountabilities and establishing clear lines of communication, Phil laid the groundwork for the excellent relationships with the client, consultants and subcontractors that made the project such a success. He ensured that issues were discussed in a open forum and achieved a spirit of partnership and teamwork that overcame the complexity of the project and the high number of specialists.
By taking the time to understand the radiological protection and equipment issues, Phil was able to engage the client’s consultants on highly technical matters. With £12m spent on the design, procurement and installation of specialist cancer equipment, this was a crucial move. His insight allowed him to integrate the issues into the initial design so that the kit – which included 12 linear accelerators, five simulators, two magnetic resonance scanners and five computerised tomography scanners – was right first time.
Phil put a great deal of his time into programme management, monitoring resource levels and ensuring key milestones were achieved. He engaged a full-time onsite planner and internally reviewed progress weekly.
Phil’s value-engineering initiatives demonstrated an incisive focus on programme and buildability benefits rather than a relentless cost-cutting. Particularly noteworthy were the use of extremely dense magnetite concrete for the radiotherapy bunkers to limit wall and roof thicknesses, the incorporation of two absorption chillers in the plant room where they could use waste steam, offsite fabrication of service modules to reduce installation times and improve safety, and pre-glazed storey-height cladding panels to enclose the building rapidly.
He also maintained rigorous cost control over the 100 trade packages involved. One of the many keys to success was that Phil passed on the design risk only when the subcontractor could clearly manage the design effectively.
Phil led his team to a cohesive and professional delivery – on time, within budget and to the immense satisfaction of client and users – of this vast, complex and challenging project.