Name: Chris Woods
Employer: Kier Southern
Project: Village Hotel Elstree
Contract: JCT 1998
Having led the construction of the business park where this project is sited some seven years before, Chris Woods enjoyed a certain advantage when he returned. He put it to very good use.
The original design routed the foul drainage to an unused spur laid down during the estate’s initial infrastructure works. Aware that the spur was 7m deep and would require extensive excavation and spoil removal, Chris exploited his knowledge of the business park’s services layout to reroute the drainage to a more recently installed manhole on a neighbouring property. His initiative saved 20 lorry movements and £20k of the client’s budget.
It wasn’t his only innovation. He replaced the traditional blockwork in the areas between curtain wall elevations with panels made of lightweight steel, cement board and rendered polystyrene blocks. It reduced manual handling and generated substantial savings as MEWPs could be used instead of scaffolding.
Chris seamlessly integrated the design team into the construction effort through regular workshops aimed at establishing best value, common practices and value engineering. He also offered the high level of support and management required by the client-appointed specialist subcontractors.
By bringing the groundworks and services forward, he allowed the external works to be developed far earlier. By week eight, the main drainage, street lighting, ducting and incoming services had all been installed, and a base layer of Tarmac laid across much of the site. As well as gaining project momentum, it offered a superb working environment and onsite car park facilities that were equally welcomed by neighbouring tenants.
And when it went wrong, he showed nifty footwork to bring it all back together. For example, the client’s supplier of bedroom furniture ran into difficulties, giving a nasty check to site progress and suddenly putting the bedroom block on the critical path. Chris just calmly reversed his build sequence, expanded site resources and lengthened the working day to recover the delay.
Value: £15m