Name: David Rowsell
Employer: Wates Construction
Project: Perivale Primary School, Perivale, London
Contract: JCT 1998
David Rowsell ticked all the right boxes with his leadership of this project to build a replacement school within metres of the existing one before demolishing the latter.
It was very clear that David was there to lead. He had a clear vision of what needed to be done, and he mobilised his team effectively. He made sure team members knew their individual roles and delegated responsibility while always remaining aware exactly what was happening in every facet of the build.
He personally managed the design process. He helped develop the ground-source heat pump within a small external footprint, while co-ordinating the bore positions with drainage runs and services routes to the plant room. By boosting the performance of the pump and the yield, he reduced the number of bores needed, providing the client with a cost saving.
David coped admirably when the intended route of the permanent combined drainage through a private driveway was vetoed by a resident. As the foundations were being cast, the drainage exit route had to be reversed, leaving the project without the correct substructure design information. David overcame this major setback by reprogramming around the reissue of revised information.
He also constructed a mockup room at the earliest opportunity as a benchmark. And all samples were approved before procurement. To manage the fit-out, he agreed sequences and timings with the subcontractors. Progress was reviewed every week by a meeting of all the trades that David chaired. This forum was one of the key drivers of his handover of the project ahead of programme.
Value: £6.95m