From Europe’s largest concrete roof in 1936 to a multi-storey suspended skate park in 2022, chartered company Jenner Group has a 150-year history of tackling complex projects. Nicky Roger reports
Whether it’s delivering an affordable housing complex on a tight budget or creating feats of engineering with concrete, Jenner Group relishes challenges.
Starting life as decorators and builders, regional contractor Jenner Group is celebrating 150 years in business, a milestone the company says is the product of good management, a positive attitude and a desire to provide clients with best value and exceptional service.
These core values have seen the company grow into an award-winning 160-people-strong business and become the largest and longest-standing regional contractor in Kent, with a group structure that encompasses many disciplines.
Diversification isn’t something new. In the early days, the drive to explore different skills and markets saw the company turn their hand to coffin-making at one point.
From its early roots, Jenner was never one to shy away from the complicated. In 1936 the company secured a contract to build the Folkestone Rotunda development, which housed the Palace of Amusements and Boating Pool, and was famous for being Europe’s largest clear-span, self-supporting reinforced concrete roof structure. The concrete was batched on site and the roof was poured in one continuous operation that took 24 hours to complete.
Today the company is still drawn to the complicated, having recently completed Shoreline, a development of 60 apartments, 20 interconnecting townhouses and four duplexes – a project that marks the initial phase of an ambitious 1,000-unit masterplan for Folkestone seafront and harbour. Serendipitously, Shoreline is built on the old rotunda site, so is something of a homecoming for Jenner.
Requiring more than 200 piles, driven 27 metres deep, featuring a mix of convex and concave curves and facing the English Channel, and therefore subject to the best and worst of British weather, it’s a project that would test the best. The finished result shows refined craftsmanship with attention to detail.
In contrast is F51. Located a stone’s throw from Shoreline, F51 is the world’s first multi-storey skate park and another complex scheme. A feat of engineering – the first floor features a two-metre thick suspended concrete skate bowl – it comprises three floors of skating and the third tallest climbing wall in the south-east of England. The building also grows out of the site, increasing in size as it rises: a huge parallelogram that cantilevers up and out towards the sky. Jenner installed 485 bespoke facade panels – all while working under Covid restrictions.
Both of these schemes owe much of their success to two experienced project managers, both members of the CIOB.
Nigel Griffiths, responsible for F51, was shortlisted as a finalist in CIOB’s Construction Manager of the Year Awards in the Public and Leisure category in 2022. Later that same year Chris Page, who managed the complex Shoreline development, was crowned Community Champion at the national Leading Lights award as part of the Considerate Contractors scheme mid-way through construction.
While Jenner doesn’t shy away from the complex, its core work sits firmly within private and affordable housing, care, education, health and community sectors. However, its problem-solving approach is something that is paying dividends across these other sectors.
“Relationships and reputation are everything, and an embedded family ethos and people-focused culture, that has witnessed the business handed from trusted leader to leader, is intrinsic to our present day and most importantly to our future”
“We’ve built a team that can deliver the highly complex and take this experience and use it to add value to projects that, while more straightforward on the surface, have their own intrinsic challenges,” commented Martin Sandall, Jenner Group’s managing director.
“Often, we need to apply an element of value engineering. It’s a case of how we can deliver high-quality projects while meeting a client’s budget and without any compromise or diminishing of architectural intent. This experience of delivering the complex, problem solving, looking at different materials and techniques, and using technology to provide on-site efficiencies really helps in these situations.”
This value-led approach means Jenner looks closely at how it delivers projects and its supply chain, and has led to the company investing in the creation and acquisition of several businesses.
In the past few years, its former General Works division has rebranded to become Park Farm Construction, sitting alongside existing businesses of Park Farm Glazing and Park Farm Joinery. In addition, the acquisition of plumbing and heating contractor, Reina, and the creation of Park Farm Civils, a new subsidiary that will focus on the delivery groundworks services, has provided additional in-house resources and skills.
“Our business operations are far removed from those back in 1875 when trading commenced, but we do continue to strengthen, grow, adapt and capitalise on the market just as the business did back then,” continued Sandall. “A key aspect of that is looking at opportunities to diversify our services with the introduction of a number of specialist businesses, that can not only support Jenner (Contractors) but also work independently for other main contractors.”
“Relationships and reputation are everything, and an embedded family ethos and people-focused culture, that has witnessed the business handed from trusted leader to leader is intrinsic to our present day, and most importantly to our future.
“Core to this culture is the value that being a CIOB member company brings and the support this offers to our staff through information sharing, best practice, mentoring and training. As a respected chartered building company, this affiliation is paramount to preserving our strong reputation and the respect we have gained over the years. Conducting our business with professionalism and integrity at its core will always be the Jenner way.”
