Reflections on Brent Cross West

Those who know me well know that I spend around a month of the year in the US. It’s become somewhat of a ritual that every time I cross the Atlantic, I take the time to slow things down and (in my most Californian accent) gain some much needed perspective. ?

This time around I’ve been thinking a lot about a project that has come to represent more than the sum of its parts in my career. It's not the biggest project I’ve consulted on, or the arguably the most prestigious. ?

It has however, on reflection, unknowingly become somewhat of a metaphor for me. We all have projects or experiences that hold deeper value. Those held during the ‘Covid Years’ particularly resonate with me - it’s surprising where you learn your lessons.

I’m referring to the excellent Brent Cross West Station, and specifically my involvement in the eastern entrance (or ‘SEEB’... for those who know).

Working on behalf of our longstanding client Related Argent to deliver one of the largest capital projects in Europe, this piece of infrastructure is the key to unlocking the value of the ￡8billion masterplan.

Bespoke procurement, funding, planning, legal and delivery strategies all utilised to re-define public/private sector governance and produce a gateway the regeneration deserves.

Now that the dust has settled, the ribbons have been cut, the Mayor of London has declared it open, and the social media buzz has simmered down, here are some of my key (and honest) personal reflections.

You can’t learn to swim without getting wet.

I don’t consult on infrastructure. Or at least, I didn’t. 2018 feels like a lifetime ago and the project, with all its railway and governmental complexities, seemed like more trouble than it was worth. However, with my involvement in the four office developments in the immediate proximity, it landed at my door. Here goes nothing.

Fast forward 5 years and it was the best ‘decision’ that I made. The problem solving, strategic planning and execution made for countless lessons learned (good and bad) that will be extrapolated and scaled for many years. A unique set of circumstances fostered unique decision making. I was exceptionally fortunate to be exposed to these lessons, and to the brilliant minds of those around me. It is to those individuals I am most grateful.

My takeaway. Be brutally aware of your limitations, but embrace challenges as opportunities. Otherwise, you’ll never learn to swim.?Sometimes you just need to fall into the water and figure it out.

Collaboration not co-operation.

The structure of the ownership, operational and delivery agreements made it immediately clear to me that the success of the project would live and die on multi-lateral collaboration. Collaboration not co-operation, because the goal was shared.

A first new mainline station in London for over a decade benefiting the capital, and a direct line into Kings Cross St Pancras to enable and legitimise the new town.

Client to client, consultant to consultant, project team to project team, private and public sectors working in synthesis to create value. In projects such as these, where partnership is the nucleus, the management of relationships is more important than ever.

Trust and respect are hard to earn and easily lost. Investing in these early on will cultivate a motivated, successful, and most importantly, enjoyable culture.

Culture and systems can be altered through a process of change transformation during the project, but this can be long, attritional and often results in collateral damage. Start as you mean to go on.

Neglect of the soft skills are, in my opinion, the most common downfall of any project, regardless of industry. Excelling in them can dramatically improve performance from board room down to site office.

Infrastructure first.

Infrastructure first, regeneration second, is common. Think London’s Crossrail. A resultant 100,000 new homes, 5million square feet of commercial office space and an estimated ￡42bn to the UK economy. This is logical. The infrastructure investment makes development viable, financially and socially. Build it and they will come.

Private Development, at scale, that includes within it the provision of new transportation links, is less common. This is what makes regenerations like Brent Cross Town important. It raises the baseline for what well thought out, self supporting and responsible regeneration looks like. As recognised in this years Pineapple Awards.

Consulting on the creation of the new workplace district and adjoining residential neighborhoods, I can see the significance first hand.

Proper, sustainable, city building.

Walking the sustainability walk.

Many are talking the talk, but few are walking it.

6,700 homes, 3million square foot of workplace, 50 acres of green space for 25,000 people. All net zero. And at a pretty cost of ￡8 billion. Not bad if you have it.

With real estate having one of, if not the, greatest ability to shift the needle on climate change, it is a privilege to have been working on a scheme like this for the past 6 years.

The developments I am working on are utilising innovative strategies to reduce carbon omissions, both embodied and operationally. Smart concrete, timber componentry, modern methods of construction and district energy systems are all contributing.

With the station being built in advance however, and its eastern entrance representing the entry point into the masterplan for most of the public, the tone needed to be set. First impressions count.

And nothing says sustainability like a 50 metre long timber canopy, suspended 15 metres high with Babylon-esque hanging planting. All delivered within the labyrinth of technical railway regulation, acting as a constant inhibitor to freedom of expression. There is a reason railway infrastructure doesn't look like this. Hats off to the design team.

To my knowledge this has no peers, and stands alone as a the predominant example of sustainably built, environmentally focused infrastructure in the UK. I would be willing to bet it holds in own across the world too. It will only be further enhanced as the development matures around it.

However in reality, to my mind, this is more artwork than real estate. It captures the imagination and ambition of the regeneration in an immersive experience. Placemaking and public realm design at its finest.

Always the bridesmaid, never the bride.

Consultancy is full of contradictions, particularly that of a PM.

It's not your project, but you take ownership of it. You need to be fully invested, but only 3.7 days of the week. Make the big decisions, but get permission first. Manage time and budget, but don't control time and budget. And so on.

Don't get me wrong, I whole heartedly believe in these statements. I think investing yourself emotionally (healthily) into anything is the only way to maximise your performance or ROI. In fact, I think it's a key differentiator.

That said, we all know that when push comes to shove, we're just here to get the job done. Hired hands to make things happen. The people in suits. This isn't a cold perspective, its just realism. Our involvement could end at any moment, for a number of reasons, and there's nothing we can do about it.

There are huge number of benefits that come with being the consultant in the room, so understanding, or coming to terms with this trade off, is really important.

This is no more observable than at Project Completion. A few private thank-yous and handshakes, perhaps a social media tag if your lucky.

Ours is not the role for adulation or applause. Less lead role, more stage director. If the client is the club owner, we are coach, not star athlete.

Ensuring that the maximum potential of the group is realised, that nothing more could have been done to return the best asset possible, for the minimum capital investment, with greatest legacy to the built environment, and that we all enjoy ourselves along the way. This is our north star.

Having been particularly emotionally invested in this project, having painstakingly guided it from first conversation until last, I, candidly, found myself struggling with some of the professional, more stoic, principles stated above.

Knowing every square inch of the funding spreadsheets and drawings alike, having spent thousands of hours presenting slides during Covid and thousand more walking the structure, often alone and (quite frankly) dragging it forwards by the scruff of its neck at times, it was a clear dynamic shift as project completion neared.

As the army of lawyers, operations, PR, communications, consultants and business executives swooped in, my role came to its natural end in the usual anti-climactic way. Job done, on to the next. You know the project isn't solely yours, but it does feel strange to watch it sail off into the big wide world.

There is a side to Project Management that will not be seen, or truly understood by others around you. From Architect, to Client, to Investor. We are the invisible glue between the cracks, the hidden foundations, the guiding hand that moves undetected.

Leadership is at our core, but our most valuable skill is not to be seen. To have the difficult conversations 'off record', to motivate when moral is low, to discipline without discouraging, to solve problems before they are known about. To get stuff done. We are most, if not only, noticeable when things aren't.

And I wouldn't have it any other way.