So, when Verity was appointed by Argent in September 2021 to carry out the alterations to and refurbishment of their office in the heart of this monumental neighbourhood, we couldn’t have been more delighted.

We worked extremely closely with interior designers, Basha Franklin in the early stages to ensure that the design was deliverable for the client’s budget. The design had clearly had an immense amount of thought; 80% of the building’s materials were re-used and any new materials in the intricate, progressive and sustainable design were of the highest environmental standard.

Working with a material pallet of which many items had not been specified for the purpose they were intended for was a challenging and exciting task for the team, however, once they were all in place, the building looked fantastic.

The project didn’t come without its challenges though; port restrictions, a fire causing a bespoke materials factory in Europe to close and the Omicron variant were just a few hurdles we needed to overcome. However, this didn’t dampen our spirits and the end result is a fantastic working environment for Argent’s staff – and something we are all extremely proud of at Verity.

We are delighted to confirm that Verity Interiors have been chosen to be the delivery partner for the interior fit out and façade alterations at The Hurlingham Academy in Fulham for United Learning.

The school has continued its refurbishment programme, creating a fantastic environment to teach its students and somewhere its staff can be proud of.

The project contains and mixture of classroom and communal area refurbishments, new staff and student WC’s, window replacements on the upper floors as well as structural alterations to re-design the current space.

We look forward to delivering a great project and working with the team at the Academy.

There is no doubt whist writing this that we living in unprecedented times, not just in our industry, but globally. Now whilst looking at the micro-economic climate of our industry is something I feel comfortable with, a global view is somewhat beyond me, so I will stick to Construction.

For young people who have recently joined the industry, or are studying to be part of it, I believe there is a positive future, and a place where these individuals can flourish. The pandemic has had a huge effect, but have trust, we are resilient, and we will bounce back resiliently.

I was very lucky in my younger days, I had wonderful people (and I say people instead of colleagues, or managers) around me, that looked out for me, and pointed me in the right direction. Life is all about experiences, and how you absorb them, use them, or dismiss them, and those are the choices which define your time and enjoyment in what we all do.

My apprenticeship was in a small Building Consultancy in Surrey, I worked for 4 partners, who could not have been any different to one another. Whilst making a daily decision as to what shirt and tie was correct to wear each day (and thinking this was important), I quickly saw very different methods of management being used, and I picked up on this very quickly. Two of the partners preferred a very authoritarian, old fashioned approach, with the others much more on the front foot – a much preferable route for myself.

After this internship, and learning, what I would describe as the bedrock of the industry, my move to Contracting taught me so much more, and certainly provides me with material for advice to newbies to help them succeed. The team ethic was much more pronounced, the variance of people was far greater, and gritty experiences I was gaining was at a much more detailed level – the pieces really came together about the “other side” of the industry, and I loved it.

It would be easy for me to right a book on my time in the industry and personal advice, but for all of those people just in, or on their way my top 3 pieces of advice would be;

Enjoy the People

Enjoyment is the key to success in anything we do in life, not just your work.

People are the cornerstones of our industry, not the buildings. We are so lucky to deal with hundreds, if not thousands of different people, at different stages of their careers, from different backgrounds, and with different views.

I have a passion for discussing the intricacies of a persons business, understanding why they want their office like they do, or how a residential development model works for them. However, and on a very different note, speaking to a stoneworker who has just completed a project on a prestigious listed building, physically placing and building the elements we see and admire is amazing. Listening to how his passion translates of doing that work is still there after 30 years of doing it, the proudness of him talking about his work, and quite frankly the skill that I simply don’t have.. which brings me on to my second point.

Never Stop Asking

“Only is the fool that doesn’t ask, the fool at the end of the day”; OK, I wrote that, I would like to pretend it was a famous author, but hey ho.

Speaking again about our stoneworker friend, I have no doubt whatsoever that even at this point in my career, the skilled tradesmen I meet know more about their elements of construction than I do. Don’t let your shirt and tie make you think that you wont learn from the builders. I walked onto my first major building site, placing my pen, pad and laptop neatly on the desk, for my old growly Project Manager to say “you won’t learn how to build this building in here, go and have a chat with those lads” whilst pointing at the groundworkers. From that day until now, I will always walk on site and have a chat with the operatives about what they are doing and why, and as of yesterday, I learnt something new.

Believe me, when a young suited surveyor or PM walks onto site and asks a builder what something is, they are more than happy to explain, don’t be scared to do this, you’ll be better for it.

Never Assume Anything

Fundamentally, what we do is detail. Buildings are precise, and we should treat them in such a way.

Many of my own early failings have been born out of assumption, and when they come back to bite you on the arse, you learn not to assume too often! Whether that was assumption on a rate, a budget, a timescale, a clients thoughts on a situation, or employing someone for a role, your better off doing the detail on it.

I worked with a fantastic PM in my younger years who was meticulous in his organisation and as a result, his detail. Funnily enough, the projects we ran together generally went without a hiccup, and I have taken this into my professional life, and part of my make-up.

Understanding the detail of not only our projects, but our clients, design teams, professional piers and partners is so important to success.

With time and experience, the details come to you quicker, don’t be scared in your early days if understanding the detail to reduce assumption takes you time… it’s normal.

Tom Buckley

We are delighted to confirm Verity Interiors has been appointed as delivery partner by Pan Pacific Hotels for the Market Square L3 Creative Space. This is a fantastic scheme working alongside Core Five LLP, MSMR Architects and WSP to design and construct the new meeting room suite and associated break out space.

Situated within One Bishopsgate Plaza, the Creative Space along with the Hotel is the Pan Pacific Hotel Group’s first in Europe and will set a new standard of quality in the city.