SME Blue Sky Building (BSB) has won a major role in overseeing the refurbishment of the Barbican arts centre, which will include an imminent Building Safety Act Gateway 2 application.
The Hertfordshire-based firm beat off rivals including Bovis, Sir Robert McAlpine and McLaren for the construction management contract.
BSB’s role covers construction planning, procurement of trade packages, site logistics, programme coordination and health and safety across the live estate, which was recently classified as a higher-risk building (HRB).
BSB will act as the client’s principal delivery partner, managing dozens of trade contractors under separate contracts.
The Barbican Renewal will run to January 2030, with an option to extend BSB’s role for a further year if the programme overruns. The programme team already includes Gardiner & Theobald, Greenway Associates, Allies & Morrison, Asif Khan Studio and Buro Happold.
The BSB contract is worth around £5m and will cover £176m of construction works, including a £60m replacement of building services systems, an overhaul of the Barbican Conservatory and refurbishment of the concert hall as well as foyers and circulation areas.
The scope of the project issued by the client, The City of London Corporation, states: “The CM will be required to operate within a live, occupied environment subject to significant heritage and conservation constraints, and to manage multiple workstreams progressing simultaneously across different areas.”
BSB was founded in 2012 by Julian Daniel, who previously worked at Bovis.
