Mobilising an Occupied Grade A Landmark Transitioning Building
180,000 sqft
Dilapidation periodÂ
101 Embankment, Manchester, M3 7FB
101 Embankment is a modern commercial office building located in the heart of Manchester. The 10 storey, 180,000 sq ft building provides flexible workspaces with stunning panoramic views of the city.
The Situation
Hemlow were appointed as the M&E contractor for 101 Embankment, responsible for delivering all M&E building services. The contract was to begin on the same day of completion of the building sale.
Once sold, all hard and soft services had to be replaced on the day of completion. For a short period of time, a portion of the sale was set aside within a retention pot from the previous owner to cover any unknown or potentially costly issues that might arise after completion.
During the tender process, the available information on the building’s systems and services was limited, all costings and estimations of the building were based on a one-hour site visit completed less than a month before sale completion.
Challenges & Solutions
Challenge 1:
We needed to ensure that any potential liability to the Landlord was identified early during the contract period. Money from the retention pot could only be used for a short period of time after the completion of the sale. We were aware there were issues with services, especially with the central heating and cooling systems, but we had limited detail on the extent of the issues. The client required a full list of issues and repair costs to recover money from retention pot.
Solutions:
On the day of sale completion, our Technical Services Team, comprising of mechanical specialists, completed a full review of services, including the boilers, chillers, FCUs, strainers and pipework. We also instructed our water treatment specialist to attend site and carry out a full BSRIA-specification analysis of the closed water systems. At the same time, our Technical Support team attended site to begin the condition reporting process, asset verification and compliance review within the same week as contract start. We delivered an enhanced condition report, incorporating the results of front loaded servicing of key central plant, including closed water sampling, boiler and chiller maintenance. We also provided repair costs for all identified issues to the managing agent. This enabled the Landlord to recover a significant amount of money from the retention pot.
Challenge 2:
The contract had no confirmed start date and required mobilising within a month of the tender being issued. With limited building information available, there was a risk to tenant services, so quick site familiarisation was essential.
Solution:
We prepared early by completing the internal handover, engaging subcontractors and assembling a team ready to mobilise on completion. Engineers were assigned for two days per week, the Contract Manager was on site from day one, and senior staff attended to confirm responsibilities and lines of demarcation.
