Name: Kieran Gardiner ACIOB
Employer: Urban Splash
Project: Midlands Hotel Morecombe
Contract: Management
Renovation projects are notorious for encountering unforeseen problems in the historic building fabric. But on Kieran Gardiner’s scheme, to restore an iconic Art Deco hotel that had lain derelict for nine years, it wasn’t just the construction strategy but the client’s intentions that fell foul of some very nasty surprises. It was largely due to Kieran’s determination and drive that the project came to an ultimately successful conclusion.
The client planned to complete the shell and core works before undertaking the fit-out according to the operator’s specification. However, hotel chains, fearing a commercial white elephant, steered so unanimously clear of the project that the client, which was also the contractor, decided it would need to operate the hotel itself.
In the ensuing nine-month-long design review, it was Kieran who lobbied hard for the project not to be shut down during this time. Pointing out that a shutdown could lead to yet another false dawn for the hotel, he won the argument. The project remained live, with Kieran identifying areas of works that could continue without incurring extra costs or affecting the sequencing.
Even before the fit-out began, Kieran had shown exceptional construction and organisation ability. He pushed the project through the delays and additional costs resulting from the discovery of asbestos in areas such as specialist wall coatings, and maintained project progress despite constant design and layout reviews.
And as things went from bad to worse, with replacement rather than repair of significant elements such as the external staircase windows, he tirelessly co-ordinated the works and related trades. Enthusiastic, undismayed and energetic, he overcame the continual stream of problems that beset the programming and phasing.
He also fought hard to rein back the extra building costs imposed by the discovery of concealed asbestos and poor-quality original work, such as unbonded hollow clay block partition walls. Also far above budget were the costs of renovating the render finish − a process that involved stripping the overpainted render, and finding the right sample out of 35 that would match the original sparkle produced by mineral additions. Kieran’s ability to offset these costs by respecifying other areas was crucial to keeping the budget under control.
Value: £12.9m