We went behind the hoardings at West Cromwell Road.
Rising on one of the most constrained sites in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, this major mixed-use scheme will deliver 462 new homes across seven blocks, including a landmark tower reaching up to 33 storeys. West Cromwell Road showcases our team’s skill everyday as they navigate the complexity of this project.
For Jordan Lally, project manager, the challenge is scale, sequencing and people.
“This is the most logistically challenging project I’ve ever worked on. Everything impacts everything else. We’ll have six blocks running at the same time, with up to 800 people on site. Getting the sequencing right is everything. If you do that, it sets you up for success later down the line.”
With multiple stakeholders including Network Rail, Tesco, local residents and client teams, collaboration is not optional, it is essential.
Komeil Muraj, project quantity surveyor, sees the project as almost two jobs in one.
“The basement is effectively a civil engineering project, then once we hit the podium level we’re back into apartment fit-out, which is where Ardmore are in their element. The challenge is coordinating temporary works, groundworks and structural engineering while still providing cost certainty in an environment full of unknowns.”
Managing procurement strategy and supply chain capacity across such a prolonged and complex substructure phase has required flexibility, foresight and constant communication.
Public interface, inductions and relationship building are as critical as technical controls on a site like this.
Temporary works coordinator Grigorijs describes it as one of the toughest roles he’s undertaken.
“We’re supporting a live car park, cutting through slabs to introduce new columns, removing and rebuilding pile caps, installing massive A-frames, all while the structure stays operational. On top of that, we’re working adjacent to Network Rail, with extensive protection systems along the railway boundary.”