MMC strategy | Supporting Bouygues at Oriel

Contact

John Handscomb
07305 486 581
John.Handscomb@akerlof.co.uk
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Overview

Oriel is a £300m, 39,500m² integrated eye care, research and education centre now under construction near King’s Cross on the former St Pancras Hospital site. A partnership between Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology and Moorfields Eye Charity, the facility forms part of the New Hospital Programme and is due to open in 2027.

Akerlof was appointed by Bouygues UK during the competitive tender to develop a Modern Methods of Construction strategy that would meet the client’s exacting requirements while delivering productivity gains, carbon reduction, and quality assurance on a heavily constrained central London site.

What we did

We worked alongside Bouygues’ preconstruction team to align their technical approach with the client’s requirements and wider New Hospital Programme ambitions. The King’s Cross location presented significant logistical constraints. Our team reviewed the construction sequence and methodology, investigating complexity throughout the programme. Working collaboratively, we developed optimised solutions for key elements including the frame, façade, internal envelope, basement and fit-out. Each option was assessed against the client’s deliverables and the project’s risk profile.

The resulting MMC strategy provided a clear rationale for selected methods and a roadmap for further development during delivery, ensuring technical decisions were understood and owned across the project team.

The impact

  • Bouygues were successful in winning the competitively tendered project, with the most rounded and advantageous proposal
  • Upskilling and embedded expertise within the existing high-calibre technical team ensured the best possible solution
  • Clearly written and collaboratively-produced strategy faciliated ownership from a wide range of stakeholders
  • All outputs fully aligned with client-specific requirements and wider New Hospital Programme ambitions
  • The strategy developed at tender stage continues to inform delivery, with the concrete superstructure now complete and the project on track for 2027 opening

Don't just take our word for it...

Akerlof provided Bouygues with practical knowledge of the client’s needs, alongside a holistic view of modern methods construction. Coupled with our own technical team, this insight allowed us to work together to deliver the best possible solution. We are delighted to now be delivering this innovative building, which will be an exemplar for accessibility, tailored to the needs of its patients, and designed flexibly to meet their future needs.

David Murphy, Preconstruction Director, Bouygues

Jamie Hillier

Partner
Contact
Linkedin Twitter
jamie.hillier@akerlof.co.uk
07791 718 377

With a penchant for tweed and jackets with leather arm patches, Jamie began his career as a quantity surveyor, before climbing the ladder to lead major projects for a Tier 1 contractor.

Eventually expanding his book collection beyond copies of SMM7, Jamie has interest in a broad range of subjects linked to delivering better outcomes for society and the environment.

His strategic insights on MMC and behavioural science have made their way into numerous government, industry and academic publications, including the Construction Playbook, Transforming Infrastructure Performance Roadmap to 2030, the Platform Rulebook and the RIBA DfMA Overlay.

John Handscomb

Partner
Contact
Linkedin Twitter
john.handscomb@akerlof.co.uk
07305 486 581

Construction is in John’s blood. Learning from his father who was a planner and project manager, John began his career by working on some iconic projects in both the public and private sector.

As a procurement expert and integrator of new ways of working, John has pioneered the integration of platform principles, DfMA processes and supply chain within over £5bn projects in the last 15 years, for some of the largest building programmes in the UK. Despite his considerable expertise, John keeps it simple, communicating complicated ideas with ease and helping to equip the industry with new knowledge and skills.

Outside of Akerlof, John enjoys his executive role with technology start-up ScanTech Digital, spending time with his family, taking trips down the football, playing a bit of golf with friends and the odd pint. 

Our name is shared with George Akerlof, a Nobel Prize-winning economist.

His seminal paper, Market for Lemons, demonstrated the devastating consequences of making decisions under the conditions of quality uncertainty and unequal information between buyers and sellers, increasing the chance of buyers ending up with a ‘lemon’.

This 50-year-old concept continues to retain parallels within the construction industry.

Through our insight and experience, we can rebalance this information asymmetry on behalf of our clients, levelling the playing field to deliver better outcomes.