Nightingale Estate - Rogate House, Hackney

This was the final phase of a project to regenerate the Nightingale Estate in Hackney, London. The estate suffered from high levels of tenant dissatisfaction and crime in addition to structural problems with the building itself. The 1970s deck-access block has been completely refurbished inside and out with new roofs, services, windows and interiors. The project involved partial demolition and structural remodelling that would address issues raised by the residents - reducing densities - whilst addressing some of the social issues.

In 1997 the Council undertook to refurbish Alma House a sister block which was used as a benchmark for the refurbishment of Rogate House. Alma was procured traditionally and Rogate was procured through the partnering and best value route and refurbished twice as quickly as Alma. An analysis was carried out to identify what had gone wrong with Alma before Rogate was addressed. The conclusions drawn were that a traditional contract did not deliver time and cost certainty and alternative procurement methods were examined to see how best to deliver the best results for a complete refurbishment. Several key factors were identified if the job was to run on time and to budget. First, a complex refurbishment needed a long lead-in. Alma had been given 4 weeks before traditional tenders were submitted. Secondly the early involvement of contractors and specialists was essential if they were to fully appreciate the complexities and suggest solutions to likely problems.