Name: Joseph Schembri
Employer: Kier London
Project: 129 Wilton Road, London SW1V
Contract: JCT 1998
Having already successfully delivered one major project for this client, Joseph Schembri outperformed all expectations on this one. He did it so convincingly that it has put Kier in an excellent position in its negotiations for another two large schemes with a valued customer.
Joe’s huge enthusiasm, pride and passion infused this project, motivating the team and setting the highest of standards. His keen eye for detail, refusal to take short cuts over quality, and can-do attitude proved infectious. Expert and confident, he set out to make the workplace an enjoyable experience where everyone was fully committed and enjoyed a sense of achievement. By allocating individual ownership and ensuring difficult aspects were approached with the right mindset, he set realistic targets for success.
His strong leadership and identification of common goals promoted trust, honesty and confidence that the project would make progress even against the inevitable setbacks. And it did.
When a late planning requirement arrived for a 10% reduction in energy demand through the use of renewable sources, Joe met it. He overcame the major implications for the construction strategy and programme of incorporating ground source heat pump technology with its requirement for two 140m-deep boreholes. He quickly grasped what the geothermal subcontractors needed, and gave it them; his forward thinking paved the way for the works to take place surrounded by the other substructure trades.
On a typically tight central London site, he thought through the construction logistics of demolishing the existing building and redeveloping the new one. And with an existing building on one side and another development simultaneously under way on a second, he successfully brought non-adversarial diplomacy to the intricate deliberations on party walls.
Joe also prevented some fraught crane oversailing negotiations from stalling. He repeatedly restricted contract risk and minimised costs by maintaining programme despite last-minute changes to the tower crane. And he value-engineered the method of construction along a party wall to minimise the loss of additional floorspace.
Value: £21.6m