Services
Our services are particularly valuable if you’re contemplating a one-off project, if you develop on an occasional basis, or do not maintain in-house expertise. That said, many clients of all kinds and experience can and do benefit from my independent, unbiased, advice. We also offer advice to designers and contractors, which is outlined below.
You’re welcome to get in touch at any stage. However, you’re likely to achieve best value when I can advise you early-on in your project.
Please contact us, or call or email Charles Rich at + 44 (0) 20 3813 09777 to find out how I can help you fulfil your needs.
Charles Rich Consultancy Limited is a company registered in England and Wales under the number 05842031. Registered office address 167-169, Great Portland Street, London W1W 5PF.
Help for Architects
The Consultancy advises over 40 architectural practices both very large and down to one person organisations, both on a regular or as-and-when-needed basis. Please click the link for further details.
Please contact us, or call or email Charles Rich at + 44 (0) 20 3813 09777 to find out how I can help you fulfil your needs.
Charles Rich Consultancy Limited is a company registered in England and Wales under the number 05842031. Registered office address 167-169, Great Portland Street, London W1W 5PF.
Buildability
The construction of a building is dependent on the contractor’s methodology, which can affect the building design. Quite often, the contractor is not appointed until design has taken place, or design has been completed. The opportunities for best value are frequently lost because of this.
Clients are hesitant to forego a competitive tendering process and appoint a contractor early in the design process. Fortunately, myself and my associate, John Greene, are experienced construction professionals, we recognise this dilemma, and can do much to overcome this lack of practical know-how.
Whilst contractors will always have a final choice in methodology, John and I can advise on practical and economic logistical solutions, including Modern Methods of Construction (MMC), for sound design and project tendering.
The way a building is put together is critical to its success. How tonnes of materials are produced, fabricated, brought to the site, and incorporated into the building calls for a sound logistics plan.
Please contact us, or call or email Charles Rich at + 44 (0) 20 3813 09777 to find out how I can help you fulfil your needs.
Charles Rich Consultancy Limited is a company registered in England and Wales under the number 05842031. Registered office address 167-169, Great Portland Street, London W1W 5PF.
Construction Logistics
Construction logistics are important to any project; the benefits far exceed the cost. Early pre-planning is essential.
Key logistics considerations include:
Analysis of traffic routes
Access and the effective use of construction plant
Works phasing for optimum efficiency
The implications of including off-site manufactured and prefabricated components
Materials handling from factory to workface
The establishment of necessary resource levels
The implications of current industry lead times on the project
Just-in-time Construction
The Egan Report envisaged the construction process being more like manufacturing, this can be achieved through just-in-time management (JIT).
I can provide advice on the implementation of the logistics, particularly how to trade and subcontractors’ materials can be delivered to the workface on a daily as-needed basis. Packaging and other waste materials are removed and recycled and there’s also a significant reduction in the lorry and van journeys. The reduction of waste is phenomenal.
To get the maximum benefit from these techniques construction methods and material handling need to be integrated into the design from the earliest stages, which is where we come in to provide that key input.
Please contact us, or call or email Charles Rich at + 44 (0) 20 3813 09777 to find out how I can help you fulfil your needs.
Charles Rich Consultancy Limited is a company registered in England and Wales under the number 05842031. Registered office address 167-169, Great Portland Street, London W1W 5PF.
Independent Project Reviews
We believe that a technical design review is as important as an aesthetic review to ensure that the design is on-track, buildable and deliverable. Regular reviews save time and money by avoiding re-working of designs.
Therefore, we facilitate regular project design reviews. The reviews cover all aspects of the project to help identify progress and problems and is an important part of ensuring quality and minimising risk.
It is important that the reviews are as productive as possible, so the attendance of the full design team and cost consultant is important, Clients and other stakeholders can attend, if appropriate.
The objective is not to provide an audit, but to allow the team to take a short break from the day-to-day pressure of producing the design, allowing them to step-back and see the project in a wider perspective and to work together for the benefit of the project.
Please contact us, or call or email Charles Rich at + 44 (0) 20 3813 09777 to find out how I can help you fulfil your needs.
Charles Rich Consultancy Limited is a company registered in England and Wales under the number 05842031. Registered office address 167-169, Great Portland Street, London W1W 5PF.
Timing
The reviews are carried out at the following key stages with the aim of minimising any rework. Each review lasts up four hours with a further two hour follow-up session. The key stages for the reviews are:-
End Stage 2 Concept Design
Mid Stage 3 Spatial Coordination
Mid Stage 4 Technical Design
End Stage 4 Pre-tender review
The output of the design review is to provide confidence that the project is on track and to see that any potential problems are identified and are dealt with at an early stage.
Often a contractor is not appointed until the design is well advanced. This means that the opportunity to benefit from the contractor’s experience and input is not available. Decisions taken in the early stages of the design are crucial to the way a building is constructed and can have a determining effect on the development’s success.
During the development of the design, we advise on its buildability, the management of movements and tolerances, and look at how the design can be built in the most efficient and economic manner.
Please contact us, or call or email Charles Rich at + 44 (0) 20 3813 09777 to find out how I can help you fulfil your needs.
Charles Rich Consultancy Limited is a company registered in England and Wales under the number 05842031. Registered office address 167-169, Great Portland Street, London W1W 5PF.
Design Management
I have been delivering design on projects for over 40 years, achieving excellent results on a multitude of projects; including Nigg Oil Terminal, headquarters for HSBC in Hong Kong and London, Trident Submarine Base, Scotland, Albion Riverside, Wembley Stadium and many other projects. I spent 18 years at Foster and Partners supporting the project teams in delivering the design.
I advise on how to set-up and run suitable management systems which allow the designers to get on with design in a controlled environment, without stifling their creativity. I also provide monitoring services on a regular, or ad hoc, basis as well as the independent project reviews.
The establishment of a project plan which identifies programmes, resources required and deliverables for each stage is an important tool, which I can help to provide.
I understand how to manage design in all aspects, from taking the brief to Practical Completion: on all building types both in the private and public sectors, and I know how to manage client aspirations, achieve design excellence and manage contractors’ information requirements.
My extensive experience on many diverse projects throughout the World and in other industries, including process, oil and gas and nuclear industries gives us the ability to understand all the party’s goals and aspirations and to manage the design process for everyone’s enjoyment and benefit.
I have extensive knowledge of the management and implementation of BIM and am a Senior Lecturer in MSC in BIM Management at Middlesex University
Please contact us, or call or email Charles Rich at + 44 (0) 20 3813 09777 to find out how I can help you fulfil your needs.
Charles Rich Consultancy Limited is a company registered in England and Wales under the number 05842031. Registered office address 167-169, Great Portland Street, London W1W 5PF.
