10 Years – Our Story

In the first of our birthday posts I need to go back to the hole in the ground where it all began! In late 2014 I had the opportunity to join the Client Team at WRBC Development U.K. as Construction Director for 52 Lime Street (The Scalpel).

When I joined the team the demolition contractor was still on site, in a big hole in the ground and the main contract with Skanska was about to be signed.

After that I was fortunate enough to be involved throughout the construction, handover, fit out and then assisted with the disposal of the building in 2022. I learnt so much from delivering a project from start to finish, something so many of us working in Project Management don’t get to do.

I am incredibly proud of this building and won’t ever get bored of seeing it in person or on TV (it often appears in the background of shots on The Apprentice!) or the great memories of travelling around Europe visiting key suppliers in Italy, Spain, Portugal, Holland and Germany that appear regularly on my Facebook feed.

More 52 Lime St but this post is about fitting the building out.

A key challenge we faced when delivering 52 Lime St was fitting out 5 floors of CAT B offices for WR Berkley (owner, developer, operator, occupier) in parallel with completion of the base build. The floors were in the middle of the stack and included every type of challenge including facade openings for crane bases still in place while fit out progressed. We also modified the base build steelwork to allow installation of an internal staircase to 4 floors. Perks of being the developer and a tenant!

Skanska Fit Out were engaged to complete the works after an option within the Base build was exercised and completion of the fit out was completed within months of the base build.

Following completion of the base build, I procured and oversaw an Overbury contract to fit out 15 floors to CAT A that had not already been pre-let to external tenants.

One key detail replicated on every floor was the perimeter ceiling and strip lighting (including the top 10 floors of plant rooms) that ensured a uniform appearance externally.

Fit out of these floors was as equally challenging as the base build because every single floor was a different shape and size due to the varying angles of the building!

The next in a series of our birthday posts marks the start of my working with 3PM back in 2022.

I feel very fortunate to be asked by 3PM to assist them in delivering 10 New Bridge St for Atenor U.K. I acted as the Project Director from RIBA Stage 3 through to RIBA Stage 4 including securing Planning Consent and procurement of surveys, enabling works and construction contracts.

Achieving planning consent on this retained frame, cut and carve commercial office redevelopment was particularly challenging. However, through demonstrating, not only the visual improvements this scheme brings to the area, but the social value, urban greening and wider benefits, a unanimous approval was granted at committee.

Negotiations with neighbours were particularly interesting as 10 New Bridge St is adjacent to listed buildings including the St. Bride Foundation that houses a theatre (built on top of an old swimming pool), a library containing rare books and a printing museum!

Thanks to the 3PM Partners for the opportunity to support you on this scheme, and to the new colleagues and project team members I met along the way.

Following a successful collaboration with 3PM on the 10 New Bridge St project, I was asked to join their team bidding for the redevelopment of Bush House South West Wing at King’s College London.

3PM were successful in securing the project and since March 2023 I have been the Project Director on this landmark project for KCL. Reconfiguration, refurbishment and extension of an existing heritage building at the heart of the Strand Campus to create a Student Hub that incorporates teaching, informal learning and study and collocation of all student services.

With 3PM, I have led the design through RIBA Stages 2 and 3, main contractor procurement, planning submission and now commencing the PCSA and RIBA Stage 4 with the preferred contractor.

This will be the most energy efficient and sustainable development KCL have undertaken to date, not only targeting BREEAM Outstanding but also EnerPHit Certification (PassivHaus for retrofit projects). Credit must go to 3PM for challenging KCL to reach for higher standards and sustainability targets.

The site is constrained with challenging logistics and has complicated neighbourly matters, but it’s one I am enjoying being involved in.

Following on from a small engagement in 2022 to develop a delivery strategy for their Capital Works, the RVC appointed Projectum in June 2024 to deliver a Facade Repair and Window Replacement project at their Camden Campus.

Whilst this project is on a much smaller scale to others I have referenced above; it it’s by no means less important or challenging!

Although the majority of the scaffolding was installed before students returned in recent weeks, the main works (including replacement of existing single glazed steel windows with significantly better performing windows) will be undertaken during term time in an occupied and operational building which includes many sensitive laboratories and teaching spaces.

The external scaffolding was completed ahead of programme, which was as difficult to accommodate as it would have been if it was late! A realistic and achievable programme is critical to managing expectations in any live operational environment.

It’s a pleasure to be working with the RVC again and at the same time as KCL, it’s such a small world that so many of the same companies are working across both estates!

Here endeth my TED talk on what I’ve been up to over the past 10 years of Projectum! I cannot believe 10 years has flown by so fast, I didn’t even mention the C19 years which were so challenging on a personal and professional level, but I’m thankful to still be working on great projects, for great clients and with great people. Looking forward with hope to the next 10 years….