Clays

Transform the ground floor and basement of a new build office building into a new socially competitive laser clay pigeon shooting experience, including bar, kitchen and various back of house facilities.

Aside from a tight budget and inheriting a building not really suitable for such an offering, this project was delivered during the pandemic which bought procurement and labour issues that impacted the timeline. The programme to deliver on-site ran efficiently, but the lead-in was cut from 3-4 weeks to 2 days due to legal proceedings. This meant that the contractor had to work with what was available at the time, but didn't have the luxury of having them start in the right order. Designs were fluid, as were the specifications, as items became unavailable or lead times increased meaning significant changes were made just to keep the project on track. Due to this, congestion was pushed to the end of the timeline requiring collaboration and effective communication from all parties to deliver the project on time. There was an added difficulty of negotiating to bring in a leased line and new water supply not provided by the Landlord as part of the base build as well as the plant having to be located 7 stories up.

To ensure the budget was maintained, we were heavily involved in the initial estimating and high level costing during the design stage. This helped to keep the design realistic. It is as important not to over budget and kill a project as it is to under budget and find the problem lies further down the line and the money runs out. We believe we strike this balance well. Time was a problem and, as we didn't have the luxury of tendering properly, we engaged a trusted principal contractor and negotiated cost and programme to ensure we were all confident the project was feasible at an early stage. Working closely with the contractor and directs, we were able to navigate the various issues which arose and keep the project on track. Long hours and a can-do attitude from all parties made it possible to get the Client open on the night it needed to in order to fulfil promises to the Client and their investors.

A striking venue that has been incredibly popular since the doors opened. Investors are suitably impressed by the offering and keen to support further projects.