Name: Mike Gorman MCIOB
Employer: Wates Construction
Project: The Headrow, Leeds
Contract: JCT 1998
Until Mike Gorman came aboard, this project was going nowhere. To achieve the new floor plates around 10,000 tonnes of concrete rubble had to be removed in the extensive remodelling of the seven existing floor levels. This level of spoil removal, coupled with the construction of three 45m-high reinforced concrete cores and three further storeys, seemed to demand a formal closure of the access road for the city centre site. But opposition to this move from neighbours was furious, vocal and sustained. Solicitors became involved and agreement remained as far away as ever.
At which point Mike arrived on the scene. As soon as Wates was awarded the contract, he launched a charm offensive. He liaised directly with the neighbours and compiled four different presentations in as many weeks to argue that the road could be safely shared as a main construction access route. His forceful and persuasive intervention won agreement, dismantling what had been an impassable roadblock for the project.
Everything about this scheme was high risk. It involved asbestos removal, heavy demolition, working at height and steel erection.
Mike made early and crucial safety decisions. He maximised the use of robot equipment to undertake demolition remotely. He appointed a full-time site-based safety manager to coach, train and influence behaviour rather than act as a policeman. Daily safety surgeries were held.
With safety leadership pivoting around managerial visibility, he instructed the use of blue hi-vis vests by all managers. And he designed a high-impact site induction in two separate parts: the first was a safety video; the second a meeting between the safety manager and operatives to reach an agreement on safety rules rather than laying down the site law. His approach, which resulted in zero accidents, is now being used on other Wates projects.
He continued to innovate right through the project. With the existing 1930s-built concrete floors having no support at mid-span, the structural engineer judged that extra steel was required simply to take the preloading requirement of heavy demolition plant, rubble and work platforms.
Mike smartly overcame the profound time and cost implications by loading the floors with water beds (at 60 tonnes per bay) to measure their deflection. With the resulting figures showing that only a small number of floors required extra steel, his investment paid off handsomely.
He also demonstrated total mastery of planning and programme. Midway through the project, the client replaced the new-build roof-level apartments with an office village, with huge implications for the construction programme. Mike galvanised the team into a major structural redesign and resequencing, quickly establishing the acceleration required to deliver the four major retail units that supported the project’s business case. By implementing a design that was faster to build and reduced the risk of roof leakages, and introducing night-time trades early, he delivered the first phase on time.
Value: £42m