Name: Derek Foster
Employer: Morgan Sindall (Construction) plc
Project: Suffolk New College, Ipswich
Contract: JCT
This wasn’t the easiest of projects to manage. Even before site start, Derek Foster faced a huge problem in that the scheme was £15m over budget and could not possibly proceed without substantial value engineering. It was a delicate exercise, not least because if any of the teaching departments or fundable floor area was lost, then the project’s finances would be even more constrained.
Derek could only achieve the budget by some outright despecification, such as omitting a sports facility, revising finishes in public areas to be more functional, and redesigning the completely glazed atrium roof to use large roof lights and a single-ply membrane. Yet he retained the essence of the architectural vision as well as the functionality.
His construction insights and innovations also achieved important financial benefits. For example, he changed the position of the building to eliminate costly ground-retaining structures. And he reconfigured the structures so they could be built without either tower cranes or external scaffold. Height access was gained instead through mobile cranes and scissor lifts.
Other major problems included a change in the structural steelwork supplier before the order was placed. Even worse, the groundworks and envelope subcontractors went bust. Having kept his ear to the ground, Derek was always on top of the issues before they turned into crises. The day after the envelope subcontractor went under, Derek had already restarted installation by employing its workforce direct. Within a week he’d engaged a new designer and all the original suppliers for the remainder of the cladding.
Value: £45.9m