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Category: Projects £0-4m Name: Paul Fitzpatrick Company: Parkeray Project: Central Library Level 3, Imperial College London Contract: NEC Education 2 1995, with corrections |
If managing a construction project is like playing a game of chess, then Paul Fitzpatrick must be a grand master. On this scheme, Paul pitted his wits against tough programme, quality and budget forces and emerged victorious.
Timing was the real bugbear. With procurement issues arising out of a developing M&E design, a realistic site start had to be six weeks later than planned, leaving just 10 weeks to the sacrosanct handover date.
With rationalisation of the suspended ceiling design a clear priority even to meet a 16-week programme, Paul now focused on that. From experience, he also knew that the proposed taped and jointed plasterboard ceiling could leave the client with maintenance issues. And there were the aesthetic disadvantages produced by the large number of access panels required for the services crammed into the tight ceiling void.
Paul and the design team found a workable solution in the Luxalon slatted ceiling. It gave better access, was faster to build and allowed other refurb elements to be dimensioned and procured early.
The ceiling solution bought Paul the time to procure the M&E and install the services for the completion date. It also minimised the amount of return air ductwork required in what was already a tight ceiling void, and offered financial and environment benefits.
While building the site works around the M&E, Paul also focused on getting buy-in from the other trades to work in a controlled but out-of-sequence manner on the congested floor. By including suppliers in the methodology and sequencing, he made sure everyone kept their spirits up and worked well together so quality never suffered.
Paul considered and managed expectations by building site mock-ups and benchmarking. By agreeing the details in advance, he was able to push the various works along in isolation from each other, safe in the knowledge that all the components would fit together, which also reduced installation time and potential snagging.
On the project Paul brought leadership, risk management and respect for the site team. He operated in an open, honest and inclusive manner, showing a healthy respect for the construction process while always maintaining a sense of proportion. His enormous contribution to the success of this scheme was the main reason the client has retained Parkeray for the next phase.
