Name: Tim Hare
Employer: Sir Robert McAlpine
Project: New Street Square Buildings 2,3,4,5 and 6 New Street Square, London EC4
Contract: JCT 1998
With a gross floor area of 100,000 square metres in the form of a pavilion and four office buildings between six and 20 storeys high sitting over a common basement and set around a new square lined with cafes and shops, the enormous scale of this development is equalled only by the achievement of the man who built it: Tim Hare.
Specifically requested by the client following his success on another of its projects, Tim showed sublime leadership. By offering respect for all and emphasising the development of solutions rather than the apportioning of blame, he created a positive team spirit that encompassed the subcontractors as well as the professional team. His hard work, technical expertise and wealth of experience combined with a calm temperament and ability to orchestrate a large team to bring the project through some difficult moments without anyone losing their composure.
He dealt with major setbacks with character and skill. Whether it was adverse ground conditions taking seven weeks out of the programme, an eight-month delay in getting electrical supply, the collapse of a crane jib, the spalling of the post-tensioned concrete, Tim kept the team motivated while minimising the impact on the project.
He saw optimising the programme and achieving a high level of quality as carrying far greater value than cost savings for a development that had been mostly pre-let at record City rents and was on an extremely tight site. As a result he put his value-engineering effort into looking forward, completing outstanding design and steering it in the most programme-efficient way, and building quality in rather than inspecting it in.
The final project displays none of the shortcomings that can afflict conventional design and build. He chose subcontractors for their performance rather than their cost and learnt the lessons of previous contracts for the client. He also drove robust quality processes such as samples, prototypes, surveillances, joint inspections, prior sign-off of work to be covered up, a protection regime and a realistic approach to tolerances. The rapid letting of all the offices and retail spaces, plus the cavalcade of awards the project has won, point to his success.
£207.4m