"Demonstrating value for money and certainty of outcome is critical for all public bodies. Budgets are limited, and the challenge is to maintain security of budgets during the entire process." Cliff Thomas, Director, Construction Division
An important element that Osborne brings to this sector is an understanding of the level of service our clients want to deliver to the public. We know they will be judged on the quality of the buildings and public spaces we construct for them. We pay attention to detail, so that we can deliver high quality civic buildings and amenities with minimum disruption to the local community.
This is something we understood very well when we were appointed by the London Borough of Hackney to build their new Customer Services Centre (CSC). This £43 million contract brings together a number of services under one roof and presents a modern, welcoming face to Hackney’s residents and businesses.
During the design and construction of the CSC we developed a prefabricated system for the underfloor services. This has helped to guarantee quality, improve the predictability of the programme and minimise interfaces between subcontractors on site.
A vital issue for all public projects is predictability – of budget, quality and completion date. This was particularly true when we built the National Armed Forces Memorial in Staffordshire, which was dedicated in the presence of the Queen in October 2007. The memorial commemorates servicemen and women killed on duty since the Second World War, and consists of a landscaped earth mound topped with Portland stone walls engraved with the names of 15,530 service personnel.
In West London, we are currently remodelling Isleworth Crown Court to form six new courtrooms and associated accommodation. The site is within a residential conservation area, so we are careful to ensure that our impact is positive, liaising with local residents, businesses and community groups.
Many of our civic projects involve improving urban public spaces, like our recent programmes of town centre enhancements in New Milton and Hamble, in Hampshire. In projects like these our priority is to minimise disruption to local residents and businesses.
Osborne carried out the construction of the initial building behind Hackney Town Hall, which is effectively an annex to the main building under construction as a single-stage design and build contract. The project was a great success and was completed on time and to budget. In recognition of their performance on the first build, we were keen that Osborne was given the opportunity to compete for the construction of the Customer Services Centre under a two-stage design and build contract. After a rigorous tender process Osborne won the contract. We have now been on site for some six months and are fast approaching the completion of the frame to programme. The remainder of the works are well planned out and pre-construction activities being progressed. Osborne has performed well in the management of the works and their approach to safety and welfare has been exemplary.” Andy Coyle, Client Construction Director, London Borough of Hackney
For more information please contact enquiries@osborne.co.uk
Recent projects include:
