[ Project focus: The Shard ]
elements of the build team. Mace’s MEP project manager, Paul Connolly, says: ‘Working side-by-side means that decisions are made quickly, and when there are issues to resolve we all get around a table and hammer out a solution there and then.’
Efficiency drive As part of its drive to be as innovative and efficient as possible, a significant proportion of The Shard has been constructed using pre-fabrication and off-site assembling methods. Outlining the rationale behind this decision, Connolly
explains: ‘Having experienced the benefits of pre-fabrication before, we analysed every element of this project to see whether it could be made off-site. Once we had gone through this process, we recognised that there wasn’t much that couldn’t be delivered in this format. In fact, we have changed our whole approach by only asking what can’t be pre-fabricated – we just assume that it can be until we are informed differently.’ Labour is still the biggest cost on a modern construction
project, so anything that can reduce this while enhancing the quality of the finished installation is welcomed. Jeffery adds: ‘The difference that pre-fabrication makes to the number of operatives we have at The Shard is incredible. The quality of the products is awesome, the assembly is quick, and we have found that there is very little accidental damage to what has already been installed. In my view, it has also made a significant contribution to our enviable health and safety record.’
Safety first Testament to the high standards of welfare and working practices that are expected and enforced on-site is the fact that since work on The Shard began, the MEP delivery team
This approach is radically different to how a project of this magnitude is usually delivered
July 2011 ECA Today 31
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