Name: John Birch MCIOB
Employer: Skanska Construction Private Sector
Project: Dashwood, 69 Old Broad Street, London EC2
Contract: JCT 1998
In the tough competition for this contract, John Birch tipped the balance with his “can do, will do” determination. He then went on to deliver exactly what he promised.
An encourager of collaborative relationships, John inspired trust. He set the tone for his team in meshing well with the designers and understanding the project’s fearsome technical demands: an effectively landlocked City site, the replacement of all internal services including lifts, the construction of three new storeys at height. He held team-building events with the client team, designers and key subcontractors that generated open communications and team spirit.
Nothing deflected John from his pursuit of the goal. He used the postponement of the site start to complete a value management review. The two-month delay generated total savings of £2m, including £250k in the cladding, £190k in supplier alternatives and £180k in finishes on two staircases. Equally substantial savings were achieved throughout the project, including forming a new fire-fighting lift shaft from an existing goods lift, and changing the finish of the internal cladding from shot-peened to polyester powder-coated aluminium.
He demonstrated a powerful grip of both strategy and detail, was predisposed to action and responded to the client’s desire to have problems explained succinctly in writing. He accompanied the client’s team on visits to the factories making the key elements, and supported the exploration of design changes at prototype stage to simplify and improve manufacture, transportation and site assembly.
John made the critical elements of the project − the lifts and the external cladding − look easy. The new-tech counterweightless lifts had never been installed in a high-rise before, and John took a keen interest in ensuring the design, manufacture and installation progressed to plan. And with the client appointing a cladding specialist that had not completed a contract in the UK, he paid numerous visits to the contractor’s factory and concentrated a large part of his management effort on making sure the critical trade did not jeopardise the programme.
Value: £49.7m