Interview with Syd Green (part 2)
Syd comments that the rectilinear grid design of the Shopping Building made life easier for detailed design; he produced working drawings like a series of maps, with grid references. He notes that the sites for all the services were included: ‘…ventilation …electricity … drainage, everything’. He comments that normally ‘contractors do the detailed design of the services; but it was all done for them in advance’. He notes particularly the clever design by Keith Barrell of the huge sprinkler pipes, and the ‘Common Trench’ agreement outside the building with other authorities like water, gas, electricity: ‘… it worked a dream’.
Chris Woodward concentrated on design, Syd was appointed project architect; he praises Chris for the high quality of his designs. Syd visited several manufacturers and material producers: a brick factory visit led to a change of brick choice; a visit to Middlesborough steelworks led to the discovery of ‘upward teeming’ of steel, which ensured smooth columns where the steel was exposed. They produced ‘a little book of tolerances for everything: what would be acceptable’ and every exposed column was inspected for alignment by team members.
Later, as project manager, Syd notes that he ‘ran the job as the coordinator of the team on a very tight programme’. Syd also pays tribute to Brian Gross, who was responsible for the funding aspects, ensuring that costs related to the income from Post Office Pension Fund and the government : ‘a very complex business’. Syd then describes his management of the on-site team and his system for keeping the programme under control. He recalls his anger when, at a meeting of EMC (Executive Management Committee of MKDC) when he was reporting progress, someone accused him of ‘creative accounting’. He says: ‘ …If he only knew the work that went into it to make sure that that job was still within budget’.
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