‘I want contractors to make a living, not a killing’

“With Passivhaus, you know that what you will get at the end of the project is what you set out to get at the beginning,” she reasons. “As a client, that is a huge benefit.”

Makkreel sits on CIOB’s client steering group, formed in 2023 to share knowledge and best practice among construction clients, with the ultimate aim of raising the bar in areas like quality and sustainability. She sees procurement as central to that goal and the Passivhaus process is part of her thinking.

The University of Oxford has had a policy of delivering all buildings over £1m to Passivhaus standards since 2017, but Makkreel says the decision is made on a case-by-case basis.

Benefits rather than the badge

“We did not want certification to drive everything, because it might not make sense,” she explains. “But it does make sense to build in the principles of low energy in use, reducing and removing cold bridging, and improving thermal performance and comfort for users. We focus on the benefits rather than the badge.”

Achieving the high levels of airtightness required by Passivhaus, calls for far more rigour than might be applied in a standard project.

“The attention to detail during design and delivery has to be there; you cannot cut corners,” says Makkreel. “You must have honesty and transparency with your workforce. If something goes wrong, they need to put their hands up.”

Any client seeking a contractor which can meet the exacting demands of a Passivhaus project should take a close look at the attitudes and values of tendering companies, says Makkreel, in addition to assuring their experience and competence.

“Bring in a contractor who shares your values on the quality aspects because, if that’s where they are, they will take their supply chain on that journey and will spur the workforce on to deliver,” she adds.

However, that honest and transparent approach required in those delivering must be part of a client’s DNA too, believes Makkreel.

“If you insist the contractor takes a no-blame approach, you need to take the same approach, otherwise it’s never going to work. It has to be you and your contractor together against the problem, rather than working against each other. Although, that does not mean that you do not hold each other to account.”

The right contract

The University of Oxford favours JCT two-stage design and build contracts for the projects in its capital works programme of circa £160m annually – with a total programme value of up to £1bn – including many large-scale and high-profile projects. Makkreel doesn’t believe that any specific contract naturally lends itself to Passivhaus projects; what matters is how it is written.

“It’s not about the type of contract, it’s about making sure it’s written to deliver transparency and that it isn’t ambiguous,” she counsels.

Makkreel has strong views on contract costs and the need to pay contractors fairly. “There is still a challenge within the industry because contractors work on such low margins, in part because clients insist on it,” she says. “At times that drives the wrong behaviours, like contractors squeezing their supply chain.

“Contractors are professional companies. I want people to be able to make a living, not a killing, but a living.”

Clients also have a responsibility to support innovation among contractors and their supply chains, says Makkreel. “If I am not part of solving the problem, I am part of the problem,” she says citing the example of using extensive offsite construction for the Schwarzman Centre to reduce travel, long days and carbon emissions associated with delivery to site.

Makkreel also thinks clients should be pushing for new ways to use digital tools in the pursuit of net zero, creating intelligent buildings where the data from multiple sensors and systems can be assimilated and analysed so that built assets can be better managed.

“We are at the beginning of that journey, but there are lots of opportunities,” she says.

But what enthuses Makkreel most about her role is the people she works with. Looking out of the site office window at the Schwarzman Centre, she says: “I don’t think many people get to do something this exciting in their career. I am contributing to a building that will be here for an extremely long time, that has never been delivered before in terms of its performance.”