Phelan’s fit-out and refurbishment of Whitworth Locke (originally the Atrium), the 160 room Apart-Hotel in central Manchester, has shown to be head and shoulders above the rest, having won the “Project of the year (£10m-£25m)” category at the prestigious National Building Awards 2019! Headlined by Global Leader Liebherr and held at none other than Wembley Stadium, on the 22nd June.
The National Building Awards were made up of 17 categories and gave any successful business in the world of building the opportunity to highlight their work and achievements and be judged by a panel of national experts.
What made Whitworth locke so deserving of a National building award win was the customer-orientated communication and approach, demonstrated in our nomination submission. Phelan’s project team, led by Senior Contracts Manager John Townsend, worked towards establishing the needs and expectations of the client and their team from the Pre-construction stage, and from there set out to meet and also exceeding these expectations in the delivery of works agreed in the programme.
Due to the scale of the project and time restraints, the project team had to be very well organised logistically, at a few points, as managing a massive volume of works and staff on site is a challenge. As explained by Senior Contracts Manager, John Townsend “The sheer pace and workforce required for the job was the main challenge. There were points where we were asking, for example, 30 plumbers to come in at one time. It’s a big ask of any company. At various stages, we had over 250 staff on site”.
The Phelan team finished Whitworth Locke with an excellent 77% H&S score, costs managed transparently with the client, the project being on time, and no significant snags coming to light since the handover, we’re confident in the quality of the project and are hopeful of a lasting relationship with the client.
We at Phelan, are so thrilled that our efforts on this fantastic project have been recognised and celebrated by the National Building Awards. It demonstrates that no matter how complex the project, the Phelan team will always place the focus on the customer experience and their needs – the foundation of a successful project.