Isambard Kingdom Brunel is famed for his achievements as a legendary and prodigious engineer – but how did the great man rate as a project manager? Jim Dale investigates.Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s genius and engineering achievements need little introduction. He built the first high-speed railway, so flat that it was affectionately known as Brunel’s billiard table. He built the longest tunnel, the first tunnel under a river and countless spectacular bridges and buildings.During his relatively short life of 53 years, Brunel also found time to construct the first flat-pack hospital and build...
Bechtel has been awarded the overall programme management contract of the King Abdullah project for Waad Al Shamal City development by Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Ma’aden).Bechtel, which developed the megaproject’s master plan, will oversee the engineering and construction of the planned city and industrial complex, near Turayf in northern Saudi Arabia. The company will also perform the front-end engineering and design of the planned city.This article first appeared in Project magazine. APM members can read all feature articles from Project magazine over recent years by accessing...
Pegasus Link Constructors, a joint venture from Balfour Beatty and Fluor, has been named as the preferred bidder on The Texas Department of Transport’s Horseshoe interstate highway connection project in Dallas.The £500m project will see Interstates 30 and 35 in downtown Dallas connected and the construction of two new bridges.The firm is responsible for the design, construction, utilities and right of way for the project and construction is set to begin this year.This article first appeared in Project magazine. APM members can read all feature articles from Project magazine over...
Dayner ProudfootWednesday, January 2, 2013 - 10:09
AECOM has been selected to provide general engineering consultancy services for local roads and drainage projects in the south of Qatar.The technical and management support services provider was awarded the work by the country’s Public Works Authority (PWA), as part of the larger $14bn programme to develop the city’s infrastructure.John Dionisio, AECOM chairman and chief executive officer, said: “This is an exciting time for Qatar and its residents. Our talented team of transportation experts takes great pride in collaborating to solve the challenges that a project of this scale and...
Road projects were the biggest winners of the chancellor’s Autumn Statement in December, as George Osborne announced that an additional £5.5bn would be injected into infrastructure.The chancellor announced that £1.5bn would be invested into Britain’s roads – £1.2bn before 2015 – in a number of schemes including the widening of the A1 to Newcastle, the dualling of the A30 in Cornwall and construction of the A5-M1 link.Several other schemes, announced as part of Prime Minister David Cameron’s initiative to cut red tape on projects, will also benefit from the investment in roads. These include...
Dayner ProudfootWednesday, December 19, 2012 - 17:20
Participants are being sought for a new research study, which aims to better understand post-project legacy in schemes that have been led by an independent interim manager, rather than a permanent employee.The initiative is being organised by recruitment firm BIE Group and the Business School of Nottingham Trent University.Nick Diprose is the managing director of interim management at BIE Group. He explained the idea behind the research: “In project management, everything typically revolves around successful project completion; people and teams focus on that then often disband at the end....
Prime Minister David Cameron has told business leaders that the government will embark on major reforms to speed up the way it takes key decisions and help boost economic growth.Speaking at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) Annual Conference in November, Mr Cameron said that a multifaceted approach to “eliminate bureaucratic rubbish” and dismantle some of the procedures that had slowed down economic growth was key.He told delegates that he plans to reduce government consultations, cut back on judicial reviews, simplify European legislation and stop the gold plating of legislation in...
The world knows her as Tanni Grey-Thompson. In fact, her parents named her Carys Davina but her sister referred to her as "tiny" when she saw her for the first time, pronouncing it "tanni" and the name stuck.Born in Cardiff, Wales, Tanni is best known for being one of the most successful wheelchair racers in history. In the years since her retirement from sport, she has successfully made the switch to television personality and now a baroness in the House of Lords. Something she says has been a natural transition.“As I am a crossbencher in the House of Lords I have nobody telling me how to...
The number of female project managers entering the profession continues to rise. Andrew Hubbard speaks to some of British Airways’ practitioners to see what attracted them to the profession.The increase of female practitioners delivering high-profile projects is helping to break an outdated stereotype of old men in suits at the top of the profession.More and more women are getting into project management. This is linked to a number of developments including a proliferation of degree courses, the growing demand for project managers in a wider range of sectors – including those with...
In the past 12 months we have seen skyscrapers soar, sporting successes, technological triumphs and lasting legacies. Project looks back on 2012: a year to remember.Much has been said and written about the success of Team GB. The triumph of our athletes was mirrored by those leading the projects that enabled us to host the Games in the first place.These projects were always going to attract headlines, but there is much more to celebrate from this past year which has been packed with project management excellence.Here, we look back at five of our favourite projects from 2012 and we’re keen to...
