I was transferred to this project from a school project at Britwell in Slough. The QS for WE Chivers had resigned and left the company. WE Chivers had taken on the project and during negotiations it was decided to move the entire building from the top of a hill to the bottom next to a lake. The two parties were not in agreement as to whether this move was a variation or included in the Contract.
The Simulation Unit was a pyramid shaped building that was for the study of crimes, riot control etc. The Home Office had made a mock up of the building in scaffold tubes and moved around this around the site to endeavour to ascertain the optimum position for the building.
The Simulation Unit was a pyramid shaped building that was for the study of crimes, riot control etc. The Home Office had made a mock up of the building in scaffold tubes and moved around this around the site to endeavour to ascertain the optimum position for the building.
The Works on site were very difficult, a dewatering system was in place and due to the move of the building the foundations had to be redesigned and this often meant that design was on the hoof. Relationships with the Design Team were difficult.
Subcontractor relationships were also strained with the groundworker as it was unclear whether the move of the building was included in his rates. There were considerable dayworks to contend with recording the numerous stoppages. I endeavoured to start sorting this matter out with the groundworker.
However, WE Chivers were clearly in serious financial difficulties by this time. Deliveries of materials were often delayed due to non payment. For the staff no salary increases that year were also indicative of the state of the Company. I had been made a good offer by Kier and therefore handed in my resignation. This meant that I only worked on this project for 2 months. However, two months after I left, WE Chivers ceased trading.
