Project Snapshot
- Client: Grant Thornton UK LLP
- Contractor: Oktra
- Location: 17th Floor, 103 Colmore Row, Birmingham
- Type: Office Fit-Out
- Value: £2.7 million+
- Area: 13,000 sq. ft
- Dates: 2022
Key Highlights
Scope
This sits among one of the more prestigious flagship projects that I’ve been able to work on as of late, which involved transforming the 17th floor of the legendary 103 Colmore Row building into a sophisticated and functional workspace for Grant Thornton.
Special Features
One of the more noteworthy things that occurred during the project was having to make innovative design adjustments on the fly. When I first came onto this project, I immediately noticed that the original designs could not work. The as-built designs that I had to work with at the start had some inaccuracies which couldn’t achieve the acoustics and accommodate the wall types that we needed or wanted.
Thankfully, with some elbow grease and my handy trade background and experience when it comes to joinery, partitions, and ceilings, I quickly made changes to the design of the ceilings and walls to get what we wanted out of it. While it did take some valuable time off the whole project, I still managed to deliver it on time, while also achieving both the acoustics and style that we were looking for.
Challenges
While I was happy with the results, this project wasn’t without its challenges:
- At the time, 103 Colmore Row was a hugely complicated and hectic building to work in! There were 24 floors being developed, but during this project for Grant Thornton, there were 6 other construction companies present, working across 14 different floors at a time. Yet, we all had to share just one small loading bay, and one small goods lift. Navigating and sharing logistics in that capacity wasn’t easy, and it added a lot more complexity to the project.
- Strict time constraints were another thing I had to deal with, in more ways than one! While it was a 13-week programme, the total time allotted was consequently reduced by 3 weeks right off the bat. This slight delay was reserved for fixing the aforementioned issues with the project’s original design. On top of that, it takes a whopping 72 hours to get a hot works permit, and 5 working days to get the access permit that I needed for mechanical works on the roof.
- Once the mechanical validations were complete, I had roughly just 9 weeks to get this project finished! Many miracles later, as well as early starts and late finishes on the project site, I was still able to increase this project’s already healthy profit margin by 10%. In addition, Oktra was tendering for 3 different projects in the building for me to get involved in, delays meant that I stayed on with Grant Thornton on the 17th, as both the project manager and site manager.
Result
Despite the many challenges this project threw at me, and more than once, it put me between a rock and a hard place, I still delivered it on time, within budget, and it was managed without incident! Having far exceeded expectations, it led to more work down the line with Oktra and Grant Thornton. Moreover, the completed office space was nominated for prestigious awards, including the SBID International Design Awards, as well as the Mixology Awards!
My Role
- Position: Site Manager and Project Manager
Responsibilities
As the on-site project manager and site manager for this office fit-out for Grant Thornton and Oktra, some of my responsibilities included:
- Establishing the site and managing daily operations, with a particular focus on the 17th floor on 103 Colmore Row.
- Coordinating with sub-contractors, and navigating shared resources with other construction companies working side-by-side in the building, as well as resolving logistical challenges.
- Revising and implementing several new design solutions, mainly concerning aesthetics and acoustics, to help address the inaccurate as-built designs.
- Building strong relationships with the client (Grant Thornton) and the contractor (Oktra) to ensure that their needs were prioritised, and their experience remained positive.
By leveraging my trade background and project management skills, we created a standout office space, despite numerous hurdles. So, if you need someone who is capable of delivering impactful results under challenging situations, feel free to contact me today to discuss your needs!
