Name: Harry Dhanjal MCIOB
Employer: Willmott Dixon Construction
Project: Shrewsbury Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury
Contract: JCT 2005
Substantial archaeological intervention can make mincemeat of the best planned projects, fatally arresting momentum and undermining the concentration of the construction team. On this one, though, Harry Dhanjal’s determined management kept the site team and the subcontractors focused and on track. He resequenced the works so the archaeological investigations under the fly tower could be carried out unhindered and project progress maintained, ultimately delivering a fine building to a delighted client.
Harry’s teamwork ethic and partnership approach underlay that success. His relationship with the client was characterised by openness, transparency and honesty. He kept the client fully informed of issues and problems throughout the build so there were no nasty surprises.
He managed a difficult site in a safe, responsible and proactive way. Bounded by the River Severn’s flood defences, a main road and listed buildings, the tight brownfield site was within a heavily residential area. Vehicle manoeuvring was a particular nightmare, and Harry did everything to make all deliveries to site offroad.
Project finances were a recurring problem, with the original contract sum exceeding the client’s budget. Harry reviewed the envelope and internal finishes, developing alternative specifications to reduce costs but maintain quality. His reconsideration of the building services, replacing the planned standby generators with uninterruptible power supplies, also yielded substantial savings.
And when the unforeseen archaeological dig brought additional costs, he again went down the value-engineering route. He secured a large saving in the cost of the theatre seating by investigating alternative products.
Throughout this project Harry kept his eye on the ball. The client praised his project management excellence, which included professional and level-headed dealings with all parties including subcontractors.
Value: £19.3m