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Category: Projects £25-50m Name: Michael Davy MCIOB Company: GDG Management Project: Oxford Castle Heritage Project, Oxford Contract: NEC Construction Management |
Turning this decommissioned prison on the site of a medieval castle into a landmark project required a cast of thousands brilliantly marshalled by an outstanding construction manager. Mike Davy put in heroic efforts over four long years in juggling the complexities and keeping the project firmly on track.
Mike showed immense dedication and skill in balancing the opposing requirements of the many stakeholders. The project drew in four firms of architects, archaeologists, the city council and the county council, English Heritage, the developer, the tenants (a hotel and eight restaurants, each of which had their own design team) and the funder.
Obtaining all the required planning consents in time and satisfying every one of the hundreds of conditions (on pain of an unlimited fine and two years in jail for a serious breach) was an enormous management task. The five-acre city centre site was a scheduled ancient monument, an area of archaeological interest and a conservation area. Some of the prison buildings dated back to 1071 and they included Grade I, II* and II listed structures.
Mike had to ensure every drawing and every revision to every drawing was signed off by three parties before using them in construction. Because some design decisions could only be made following demolition, opening up and exploratory investigations, the normal sequential stages of a project were largely collapsed into one and undertaken simultaneously.
Producing the tender lists, interviewing and shortlisting subcontractors (76 were employed altogether), negotiating contracts and procuring warranties was a never-ending task that Mike undertook with dedication and aplomb. He motivated and co-ordinated the trades with great skill, overcoming problems of restricted access, limited storage space and, given the site's high profile in Oxford , constant attention from the media and the public.
Mike's flexible and all-encompassing approach focused and harnessed the construction team, and ensured that stakeholder feathers were never ruffled for too long. His management of this project was as exceptional as the buildings he successfully constructed.
