Oh, The People You’ll Need When You’re Building a Wall!

Hello dear readers, I’m glad you are here,

I’ve a tale of construction, so lend me your ear.

You think it’s just bricks, a roof and some glass,

But wait till you see all the people who pass!

I’m Phil the Architect, building’s my beat,

And today let me show you the folks that I meet.

From projects to processes, people galore,

You’ll soon see there’s always… one more, and one more!

At first it looks simple, so easy to define:

A client with needs, an architect to design.

A contractor who builds, the project is done,

Everyone’s smiling - Hooray, job well-won!

But wait just a moment, don’t clap yet at all,

For buildings need people - a whole human hall!

Yes, client and builder, and me with a plan,

But add in the others?… oh yes, yes we can!

But before we break ground or put shovel to soil,

A long list of people begins to uncoil.

Surveyors and lawyers, the purchasing crew,

Contracts and agreements stack up too…

The clients get ready to realise their dreams 

But don’t underestimate the team that they’ll need. 

Now let me show you - a kitchen, quite small,

A project in Wandsworth, with a brick wall.

A simple extension, just glass and some light,

North-facing windows that made it look bright.

With tactile materials - oak, brick, concrete,

And details so careful, so slender, so neat.

You’d think “just a kitchen - a builder, that’s all.”

But kitchens need people - not one, but a haul!

For even the simplest, the list starts to grow,

Consents upon consents you need before go:

- A notice from Thames Water (don’t crack the drains!),

- Planning consent (or the council complains),

- Building Control must approve every stage,

- Party Wall Notices (or lawyers engage!),

- Health and Safety (CDM’s the law),

- And freeholders too, if others own a floor.

And then come the people, a circus-sized crew:

Surveyors, inspectors, electricians too.

Plumbers and roofers, asbestos patrol,

Specialist joiners who finish the whole.

You thought it was simple - a builder, that’s all?

But that is not all… oh no, not at all!

A school needed art space, a roof gave the chance,

North light for painting, a room to enhance.

We built it above with the daylight just right,

A studio glowing with soft, even light.

The contractors and teachers, even children joined in too,

Caretakers helping, a practical crew.

For even small projects, the list can be tall…

That is not all… oh no, not at all!

For small works like this, the list rearranges,

The same consents come, with a few little changes.

Budgets are leaner, the trades must be wise,

And sometimes the school’s own team will advise.

A caretaker here, an IT tech there,

A teacher to tell us what children will share.

The line-up is smaller but still quite a crew -

Because even small buildings need many, not few.

On Scotland’s west shore stood a hotel forlorn,

Derelict, crumbling, its grandeur all worn.

We built forty-seven fine bedrooms with pride,

A cinema, spa, and a restaurant inside.

But the list kept on growing, the team was a mass:

From asbestos removers to kitchens and glass.

Through bogs and four farms the new water mains  crawled…

But that is not all… oh no, not at all!

Now picture a project, this large in scale,

With planning consents and approvals to nail.

Consultants and specialists, big names on call,

A fire expert, a cladder, project manager and all.

But once doors are open the list still grows:

With operators, staff, and  all the people you know.

Facilities, cleaners, receptionists too…

It takes a whole army, to see it all through!

(Whilst working at Hugh Broughton Architects)

And then came up Halley, a station of fame,

An Antarctic base with a curious name.

We won the big contest, we built it with pride,

On an ice shelf that drifts with the sea and the tide.

It must rise above snow and ski to new ground,

Or else it gets buried, or lost, or ice-bound.

With months locked in darkness, no sun to recall,

Every detail was life-proof - or no life at all!

Oh, the people it needed, the list was so wide:

From aircraft suppliers to trains on the side.

Cladding for panels, consultants for light,

With SAD lamps to mimic the sun burning bright.

A colour psychologist (yes - one on the call),

To bring warmth and energy to every wall.

And don’t forget stakeholders, some distant, some near -

Communities touched by the project through the year.

From kitchens to villas, from hotels to the Pole,
Each project needs people to make it a whole.
Designers and builders, the big and the small,
It takes every hand - it takes them all.

Consents and approvals, a long list it’s true,
And specialists waiting to work just for you.
So welcome them in - give a nod, make the call…
Oh, the People You’ll Need When You’re Building a Wall!

One more and one more...
(Forgot to add Measured Survey to the group)