Name: Noel Cafferty MCIOB
Employer: Willmott Dixon Construction
Project: University of Cambridge Centre for the Physics of Medicine
Contract: NEC option A
Innovative, stunning buildings have an unfortunate tendency to quickly bury the budget. But under the assured leadership of Noel Cafferty, undertaking his first − but undoubtedly not his last − mulitimillion-pound project, this scheme came in an amazing 5% below the budgeted cost.
Innovation is clearly Noel’s speciality. Of the many value-engineering savings he delivered − without, it should be said, tossing aside the design aspirations − probably the most important was his use of structurally insulated panels instead of composites. The SIPs brought considerable savings in time as well as cost, and their thermal efficiency was fundamental to the building achieving its specified BREAM ‘good’ rating.
The project gained hugely from Noel’s buildability insights. He was closely involved in the development of the striking sun screen on the main facade. The planned perforated metal panels evolved into a set of stainless steel tubes of varying diameters that brought important buildability gains. Likewise, he simplified the installation of the SIPs by helping design a clamp to wrap around the structural columns, to which winches were attached to lift the panels into position.
The achievement of the budget undershoot is even more striking given his refusal to engage in contractual wrangles to deflect costs. He maintained a genuine partnership philosophy even when commercially detrimental problems arose.
So when it emerged that plant items were unsuitable, he did not hide behind the NEC agreement, even though no clear contractual liability was apparent. Instead, he accepted the additional expense as the price of good client relations. Throughout the project, Noel dealt with the issues that arose in the same efficient and speedy way, informally and without fuss.
He led a team that mixed the experienced and inexperienced, assisting the latter to gain the requisite skills without alienating the former. Enthusiastic, motivated and focused, he inspired a team ethic of mutual trust and co-operation.
Value: £9.7m