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Category: Projects £7-10m Name: Ian Jones Company: Willmott Dixon Construction Project: St Woolas Orthopaedic Unit, Newport Contract: BE collaborative |
On meeting Ian Jones, the client project manager's first thought was whether so young a man could possibly manage such a complex and potentially risky project. Highly professional and extremely able, Ian has shown that, age notwithstanding, a large, high-profile healthcare scheme is well within his powers.
Built on top of an existing flat roof with live wards below and adjacent, this project had lots of potential to go entirely off the rails, but Ian managed the risk superbly.
With the foundations for the new plant room (built off a steel frame above the new hospital storey) having to be dug within landlocked courtyards, and requiring a 20-tonne excavator to be craned in over the live wards, Ian revisited the methodology. His investigation of piling alternatives led to the development of a design using a much smaller, two-tonne rig. The solution of a mini-pile, with arisings craned out and mini-tracked machines creating the pile caps, not only minimised risk but also saved on time and cost, generating more spend for the client.
With budget so tight and design only 75% complete at site start, staying on track financially was a tough nut to crack, and Ian had to engage in substantial value engineering and design changes. Several major instructions, such as a clean air canopy, were received that were not in the original budget or on the risk register, yet Ian completed them within the revised programme and cost estimates.
Drawing on previous experience of hospital schemes, Ian held an open weekly forum for all hospital staff and stakeholders to discuss operations. He used the meeting to set out the coming fortnight's works as well as the longer-term plan. He also put two people onto keeping walkways clean and tidy, monitoring noise levels and co-ordinating deliveries, which helped enormously in building an excellent relationship with hospital staff and users.
