PROJECT
PWCHQ, MERCHANTSQUARE, BELFAST
PWC’S GLOBAL FLAGSHIP FIT-OUT DELIVERED BELOW BUDGET AND ONE MONTH EARLY… PROJECT AND COST MANAGEMENT
I n February 2019, Gleeds was appointed by PwC to provide Project Management and Cost Management services on the firm’s new offices located in the former Royston and Oyster House buildings on Merchant Square, Belfast. PwC took occupation of the completed offices in June 2021, one month ahead of programme. The project comprised the Category B fit-out of the 200,000ft 2 building, which can accommodate up to 3,000 people. A striking reception and lobby area leads to a series of distinct spaces located across nine floors, with a restaurant, café, wellbeing area and meeting rooms complementing the office areas. A particular feature of the building is the Spanish staircase, which rises over two upper floors and is used for informal gatherings. Merchant Square has become PwC’s global flagship for its offices of the
future and is a reflection of the firm’s focus on looking after its employees and their personal wellbeing. As well as Gleeds, the project team comprised BDP (Architect), TB&A (Services Engineer) and Hasco Europe (Principal Designer). Adhering to the budget and meeting the programme were key objectives for the project team, as well as ensuring that the level of quality required by PwC was met in terms of both design and construction. A thorough and extensive briefing process between the project team and PwC, with frequent and effective communication, ensured that PwC’s requirements were clearly understood. Gleeds’ Project Manager, Russell Green, put processes and procedures in place at the outset of the project which ensured that the right information went
to the right people at the right time and that informed decisions were effectively made. With the volume of information that flowed between the project team, PwC, and the developer’s team, effective information management was essential, and this was central to Gleeds’ project management strategy. Stringent cost management procedures were developed and implemented by Jeff McCreanor of Gleeds. A key part of the cost management process was advising PwC on the cost implications of alternative design solutions and, where applicable, any programme implications. Not only did this cost advice allow PwC to make informed decisions, it also helped to ensure that the cost budget was accurate and reliable. After a thorough procurement process was completed, Gilbert-Ash was
“We had tobuild the budget fromfirst principles, and it proved tobe incredibly accurate.”
38 | NI BUILDER
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