Name: Paul Evans
Employer: Willmott Dixon Construction Ltd
Project: Canolfan Rheidol Ceredigion County Council Offices, Aberystwyth
Contract: JCT 2005
Paul Evans’ positive attitude restored his client’s faith in design and build contracts. Its fears of an obstructive or claims-conscious approach were rapidly dissipated by Paul’s open, communicative and collaborative management style.
The rapport he built with the client, professional team and supply chain was key to overcoming the project challenges, which kicked off with a £5m value-engineering requirement. By changing the design of the natural ventilation system from an inverted trough floor to a flat precast concrete slab, Paul substantially reduced the associated steelwork costs.
The 21m-high atrium also came under intense scrutiny. Paul looked long and hard at the acoustics, evaluating different materials to minimise costs and blend the finish with the rest of the construction.
Hand in hand with the value-engineering regime that made the scheme affordable went the ability to control costs on site while maintaining quality and finish to a very high standard. When a large plastered area in the atrium looked uneven because of sun shadowing at certain times of day, he ordered it replastered to a perfect finish.
Paul would stand back from time to time and come up with pragmatic, problem-solving initiatives that greatly benefited the client. He was quick to recognise areas where maintenance could prove very costly. For example, he relocated the atrium louvre actuators to make them more accessible. He also replaced the ceiling lighting with a low-level implementation. And he installed a sustainable urban drainage system to mitigate the risk of flash flooding in the extensive car park, which used porous block paving.
Value: £15.3m