Finalist |
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Category: Projects £10-15m Name: Brian Foster Company: Sir Robert McAlpine Project: Lifestyle Academy, Newcastle College Contract: JCT 1998 with contractor's design |
Brian Foster is the paragon of a 21st century construction manager. He is intensely proud of every building he constructs – and so is everyone else with a hand in them.
Brian brought success at every level for this 7,500 square metre structure through awesome technical expertise and superb team leadership.
Like all colleges, the client had a non-negotiable delivery date: the start of the academic year. So when the groundworks produced a far larger volume of contaminated spoil than expected, Brian quickly closed out the risk by reconfiguring the basement to facilitate a larger external area for backfill, effectively absorbing the spoil quickly and cheaply onsite.
Concerned by the quality and programme implications of the proposed concrete frame design, Brian actively worked with the design team to find innovative solutions that matched their architectural intentions. His determination and ability were paramount in sourcing two systems that resolved the issues.
First, he proposed building the cores from precast sections for the lift shafts and traditional construction for the staircases. This offered the desired quality finish while significantly reducing onsite construction and shuttering costs.
Second, Brian achieved the architectural intent for exposed concrete soffits (with integrated services) rather than traditional suspended ceilings by using precast concrete planks to meet the quality standard. Even more importantly, he reduced the weight of the concrete frame which was of such concern by proposing the innovative BubbleDeck void-forming system.
By trapping hollow plastic balls in the concrete slab, BubbleDeck replaces up to a third of the volume of concrete without detracting from a slab's structural strength. Brian cast the BubbleDeck on top of a precast plank in a semi in situ installation that was ideal for this fast-track project. And building the top storey with a steel frame gave the lightweight steel roof the support it needed.
Brian allied his technical supremacy to a non-adversarial proactive management style that engendered a committed team ethic among the professional team and the subcontractors. The ensuing respect Brian won from the trades helped to overcome significant challenges that arose in the packages.
A consummate professional, Brian has notched up an overwhelming success with this project.
