project management

Tree house projected completed for Forest Holidays

Posted on by barques

Our project management experts have been climbing high in Cornwall and North Yorkshire, thanks to an unusual contract to oversee the design and construction of two fantastic tree houses for Forest Holidays at their Deerpark and Keldy resorts.

Commissioned by Forest Holidays, a joint venture with the Forestry Commission and The Camping and Caravanning Club, the luxury tree houses were completed within five weeks and now provide a unique additional bedroom for a number of the log cabins, which were refurbished earlier this year.  

“Our remit was to assist in agreeing a suitable location for the tree houses and coordinate their design with building control on resolving a number of difficult design issues,” said director Gavin Stephens.

“The fire escape was a particularly difficult issue but it was actually resolved by providing rope ladders from the tree houses, which are very in-keeping with the surroundings.

“We also undertook a value engineering exercise with the contractor to reduce the cost of the scheme with a view to constructing further tree houses at another site in Strathyre, Scotland.”

This was the third project we have been awarded by Forest Holidays, after the building consultancy project managed the fit-out of the national organisation’s new headquarters in Moira in Derbyshire, followed by 25 log cabins across three sites in Cornwall, North Yorkshire and Scotland.

“This was a challenging project and a first for all of the team. A flexible approach and the ability to apply a breadth of knowledge enabled us to create innovative and cost-effective solutions to achieve the desired result for the client,” said Gavin.

Richard Palmer from Forest Holidays added: “We are extremely pleased with the success of this project.  Delivering the  quality of tree house that we desired  within a tight budget was a tall order but they are a  fantastic addition to the log cabins  which are now fully booked for the next 18 months!”

We have now been appointed to provide project management advice on the second phase of the log cabins refurbishment programme and a further tree house at Strathyre in Scotland, all to be completed over the next six months.

Manufacturers are moving on with a helping hand from Fusion

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The demise of the Midlands’ industrial sector has been called so many times over the decades that many observers appear to think it’s happened.

Whilst low-cost rivals from Asia and Eastern Europe are an ever-present threat, a significant number of manufacturers are not only prospering, but expanding.

We have helped a dozen such businesses relocate to new premises in the last year, and have similar projects under way in the region and elsewhere.

“Many consultancies prefer involvement in glitzy moves to swish new Grade A office space, but whilst such work is enjoyable, it’s certainly not as demanding as finding a new home for an industrial business,” said director Steven Jelfs.

“If you’re looking for new premises for a firm of solicitors or accountants in the centre of Birmingham, you’ll usually have plenty of options.

“If a traditional manufacturing business needs to move from one industrial district to another, it will be much harder to find suitable space.”

Our latest industrial client, Birmingham-based MacDermid, exemplifies the challenges.

Its US parent wants it to relocate to new premises but the UK management team needs to retain its experienced and skilled workforce.

“They are based in Bordesley but cannot go out of town as they would be losing touch with their workers and some of their customers and their suppliers,” said Steven.

“They want around 80,000 sq ft of space, so it’s a fair-sized move, but we think we have found them somewhere suitable nearby.”

Our largest manufacturing relocation in the last year involved one of the region’s best-known metal-forming firms, Barton Coldform.

Founded in Birmingham during the 1930s, the business had subsequently moved to Droitwich, but decided to invest in purpose-built premises.

“They decided Stonebridge Cross Business Park was an ideal location but didn’t really know exactly what they wanted,” said Steven. “Stoford did the shell, then we did everything from designing and fitting out the offices, to putting in a canteen for the employees and installing the lighting, power and compressor installations in their warehouses.”

John Houseman, director-general of Barton Coldform, described the firm’s switch to Stonebridge Cross as a textbook study in manufacturing relocation.

“Barton had previously operated from several buildings at different levels, which was very inefficient, but now they are in purpose-built premises of which any plc would be proud,” he said.

“It makes such a difference when companies in our sector are able to invite customers, prospective clients – and even their bank manager – to such impressive offices.”

Houseman says such moves also enable manufacturers to re-engineer their operational structure.

“Typically, they will have been on their previous site for decades, perhaps even a century, and systems will just have evolved. Relocation gives everyone the chance to design both premises and processes from scratch.”

However, Houseman also counsels that such expensive moves must be fine-tuned.

“The chairman of a plc I used to work for always said that new equipment should never be put in old buildings and the opposite is equally true,” he said.

“There have been cases of manufacturers moving to new premises but not investing in kit and not establishing more efficient production processes, which is a disaster waiting to happen. You need advice and you need quality advice.”

Our reputation for understanding the needs of manufacturers has seen our client list spread swiftly from our Birmingham heartland.

Bognor Regis-based JCC Lighting appointed us to manage its relocation for its 50,000 sq ft regional distribution centre in the Midlands, as did Elster Metering to create a new 45,000 sq ft assembly and warehousing base in Stafford.

We have also won work in north-east Lancashire, helping an engineering firm to switch its 80,000 sq ft production centre and 24,000 sq ft office HQ.  This comprises the first stage of development of a 22 acre site, once occupied by Dutch TV tube maker Phillips.

The latter project underlines the need to avoid becoming obsessed by one type of location.

“Ambitious and growing manufacturers often think they need to find a greenfield site for their new premises to make a statement, which works for some people but not for others,” explained Steven.

“We have been successful with Fort Vale Engineering in Lancashire; the site is well positioned for motorway access, only a few miles from their original premises and much better value than a greenfield site, but which they hadn’t previously considered.

“It’s good to have a relocation strategy in outline, but you must always ensure that all the options for your move are then considered, as it is just too expensive a decision to get wrong.”

How to eradicate bad memories of buildings

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With an ongoing shortage of Grade A office accommodation in central Birmingham, demand for quality refurbishments continues to rise. Carried out properly, these premises can match and exceed their new build counterparts but expert planning and management is essential to ensure older means wiser.

Buildings, it seems, have memories. Not in a paranormal way, rather it is people who have long memories about buildings.

So when a prospective new tenant is weighing up their options for new office accommodation, certain addresses will be given short shrift, simply because of what they used to be like ten or 15 years ago. As in so many walks of life, a bad reputation is easy to acquire yet fiendishly difficult to lose.

Director Steven Jelfs explained: “Many potential clients are receptive to the concept of refurbishments yet need some convincing, especially when they only remember a particular building as a stuffy, outdated office they visited many years ago.

“Even before a client commits to a property, we can be called to visit the site on their behalf in order to appraise the opportunities of the property and to provide a vision of the finished product.” 

The changes required to upgrade a typical ‘tired’ office for modern needs are so profound that they will affect virtually every aspect of the building, both visible and behind the scenes. Yet if properly managed and executed, the outcome is a unique workplace, blending the comforts and convenience of the new with the style of the old: a workplace which impresses and performs.

A suitably qualified project manager will take you through each and every stage of development from structural appraisal of the existing building to the end users’ technological requirements.

“If you are new to refurbishment, the scope of work required can be quite daunting and that is before you consider some of the more fundamental structural issues.  Apart from the more obvious repair issues, there are often structural reconfigurations required to achieve modern spacial arrangements for occupiers.  These are all issues we deal with on a regular basis.”

Aside from our expertise in negotiating the complexities of refurbishment, a key reason why project management specialists are in such demand is the continuing shortfall in suitable new-build offices at the top end of the spectrum.

“There is plenty of demand for the best accommodation but simply not enough new product,” explained Steven.

“A number of quality refurbishment schemes are in the pipeline and will make a significant impact. In the meantime, some occupiers have been delaying their decision and taking their time to commit.”

We have been involved in a number of major refurbishment projects. Among them is Cavendish House, Waterloo Street – a highly distinguished office building in the heart of the city’s conservation zone;  Maple House on Corporation Street; and 33 Bennetts Hill, a former banking hall and outstanding listed building.

All have undergone comprehensive transformation to provide first-class 21st century accommodation. The question remains: will there be major new occupiers taking these, such as decentralised Government departments, or will it be a case of ‘musical chairs’ with existing companies swapping and upgrading?

Agents and developers are all anxious to see how the market pans out, yet they still believe the opportunities for quality refurbishment is set to remain buoyant either way.

Steven said: “It is inconceivable that sufficient new top grade office space will be available to meet all demand.  It just cannot be done within the core areas of the city centre. Whether we see a marked net influx of organisations or just a merry-go-round of existing occupiers, the demand for quality refurbishment is bound to remain high.

“Rather than bemoan this, occupiers should shake off any preconceptions and bad memories they might still have about older properties and realise that many gems exist in this city – and there are many specialists who can make them shine again.”

Taking the pain out of relocation

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We have played our role in ensuring the success of a £1 million business relocation for a leading energy consultancy.

Broadfern, one of the UK’s most innovative and rapidly developing energy consultancies, outgrew their offices in Oak Tree Park, Redditch, last year and bought a new office building, Ravens Court, on the nearby Ravensbank Business Park.

And to minimise the disruption to employees and the knock-on effect it would have on Broadfern’s diverse client portfolio, which represents every major industry sector including Cadbury Trebor Bassett, Sanyo, Levi’s and Morphy Richards, the company appointed us to take care of the entire relocation programme to this 17,500 sq ft facility.

“They needed to ensure the move was successfully completed but simply could not afford to take their eye off the business,” said director Steven Jelfs.

“The upheaval of relocating a modern, sophisticated business, with all its physical and technological complexities, can set companies back months, even years, if not properly planned and managed.”

Our brief was complex but certainly achievable.

“There were encouraging signs from the outset. First and foremost, the company looked ahead and bought themselves that most valuable asset – time,” said Steve.

Planning began well over a year before the move itself when we were hired as relocation project manager in 2004 and brought fully on board from January last year.

Though the distance between the old offices and new location was small, the logistics and sensitivity involved in uprooting a mature organisation and fitting out brand new 17,500 sq ft headquarters were considerable.

Steven explained: “Our tasks fell into four main categories: time planning, project costing, co-ordinating specialist contractors and IT integration in conjunction with the in-house team.

“More specifically, we had to bring two formerly separate offices together under one roof and ensure there is still room to expand in the foreseeable future.”

With such delicate yet vitally important duties to perform, the client / provider relationship is all-important. Steven says this key element was assisted by the client’s willingness to accept advice from the specialists.

“Personalities are clearly important, as we are working very closely together over a significant period of time. In addition, whether it’s domestic or business, moving ‘home’ is commonly acknowledged as a potentially stressful experience. It was therefore extremely good to work with a management team prepared to accept a vision and with the confidence to allow experts to take the right action at the right time.”

This view is shared by Simon Butterfield of Broadfern: “We took a strategic decision to appoint specialists and to give them sufficient responsibility to execute the brief. This enabled us to stay focused on our own affairs, knowing that the relocation was in good hands.”

“We agreed a project fee from the outset, together with key target dates for clearly identified tasks. The approach certainly paid off for us, with the move completed on time and within the set budget. Most crucially of all, we experienced minimal inconvenience and distraction as a business.”