Finalist |
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Category: Projects £7-10m |
It was not an auspicious start for Rob Reid. Coming onto this scheme after the previous site manager had emigrated to Australia with the site entirely under scaffold and first-fix barely commenced in some units, Rob found a client understandably concerned. The development was a complex one, blending rented apartments with units for private sale as well as a learning centre that the client had limited experience of developing, and ongoing funding depended on meeting fixed deadlines.
From the very first meeting, Rob breathed confidence back into the client, displaying a cool head and construction experience and expertise. He devoted himself to resolving the outstanding specialist design information, funnelling site resources where they were needed to progress the works.
During the early design stages, the programme and the budget came under severe pressure with a requirement for extensive archaeological investigations to all blocks. Rob negotiated hard to get agreement on a substantially reduced site dig that left existing soil layers largely intact by redesigning the foundations to incorporate beamless slabs sitting directly on top of fewer, large-bore piles.
This in turn forced Rob to change the construction of the learning centre from structural steel frame to masonry core and a lighter perimeter steel shell. The financial savings generated by this significant redesign (and the use of bio-remediation rather than moving soil offsite) were passed onto the client.
Despite the frustrations caused by substantial alterations to the internal layout, facilities and fittings, Rob always remained upbeat. Attentive to detail, he ensured quality was never compromised for short-term programme benefits or ease of construction. He dealt with issues firmly and professionally, and his enthusiasm for reaching a solution focused the whole team on the issues and reaching agreement on the way forward.
This, plus Rob's never-failing dry humour, kept the team positive and together throughout the contract, and successfully delivered a project that could easily have gone belly-up without his all-round expertise.
