Liverpool architects Falconer Chester Hall announces number of new promotions including one long-standing team member stepping up to become financial director. Tony McDonough reports
Liverpool architects Falconer Chester Hall (FCH) has promoted long-standing team member Mandy Falkingham to financial director.
FCH, which has designed multiple high profile property schemes in Liverpool, has also promoted Ki Tillotson to associate and Daniel Hales, Eleonora Moltabano, Matt Smith and Amy Whitmore to senior architect level.
A strong workflow driven by the new Building Safety Act (BSA) is driving the change at the 80-strong firm. It currently has 14 projects that meet the BSA threshold for high risk buildings.
These include a scheme at Duke Street in Liverpool for Davos and West One in Salford for Legacie. Other schemes over the threshold are on site in Bristol, London, Bolton, Warrington and Birkenhead.
Managing director Adam Hall said: “The industry is grappling with the complexity and additional workload brought about by the new regulatory requirements of the BSA and it has become a specialism of our business.
“These latest promotions are about us recognising colleagues’ efforts in acquiring that expertise and providing room to ensure the tier below can also develop it.
“We’re increasingly being novated onto projects by contractors who value our expertise. The BSA poses new regulations and procedural protocols during pre-construction which we know how to overcome in our role as principal designer.”
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The new Act came into force on April 1, 2023 in response to the Grenfell Tower disaster and requires developers to complete their designs to RIBA stage 4 and submit them to the new Building Safety Regulator for approval before construction work can start.
FCH, which also has offices in Manchester and London, is seeing strong work-flows in early-stage (pre-planning) work, with projects for developers such as Caro, Tetrarch Homes, Challenger, Vermont and Ascot Group.