Court Collaboration set out to deliver a landmark residential development in Birmingham city centre — One East Side — comprising two towers, including one that rises to 51 storeys. When complete, it will be one of the tallest habitable buildings in the city. The development will deliver 667 high-quality homes and a wide range of resident amenities, including co-working spaces, gyms, a cinema, and Birmingham’s highest sky lounge and terrace. Landscaped gardens and courtyard spaces have also been designed to support wellbeing and community.

Baily Garner was appointed to provide Quality Control Inspections (QCI) and Building Services Engineering for this ambitious project. Our remit includes supporting site inspections throughout the build, reviewing programme progress, monitoring quality, and undertaking key benchmarking stages — including dry and wet benchmarks and final snagging inspections. We also take an active role in checking the golden thread of information, ensuring documentation and compliance are properly tracked and managed.

Our experience in complex, high-rise urban projects has allowed us to offer practical, proactive advice to both the client and delivery teams. Our presence has helped foster strong collaboration across the project, maintain high standards of construction, and keep the development on track for successful delivery.

The London Borough of Camden appointed Baily Garner to deliver energy performance improvements to 5–7 Belsize Grove, a hard-to-treat 19th-century Victorian villa located in a conservation area.

The brief focused on enhancing energy efficiency, thermal comfort and occupant health, while managing moisture and ventilation in line with PAS2035 standards. A key objective was to reduce carbon emissions and reliance on fossil fuels—ultimately helping residents cut energy bills.

Baily Garner acted as contract administrator and PAS2035 coordinator, taking on a multidisciplinary role. We led a fabric-first retrofit strategy, installing vapour-permeable, high-specification external wall insulation and replacing all windows with high-performance alternatives that respected the villa’s original appearance.

The works were planned with great care to minimise disruption to residents in this densely populated and continuously occupied building. The balance between conservation constraints and sustainable improvement was central to our approach.

The project reached Practical Completion in June 2024. It now stands as a model for effective, low-carbon retrofitting in challenging conservation area contexts—delivering tangible improvements in energy efficiency, comfort, and long-term affordability for residents.

The aim of this project was to refurbish the external façades of Townsend House in line with the recommendations of a FRAEW report and to achieve an EWS1 B1 rating. The scope included replacing Category 3 ACM cladding with a non-combustible alternative and installing compliant cavity barriers to enhance fire safety performance.

Baily Garner was appointed to provide pre- and post-contract services including project management, quantity surveying, and quality control inspection (QCI).

Our team assessed the client’s brief, produced tender documentation and managed the full tender process. We reviewed tender returns, advised on contractor appointment, and prepared contract documentation. As part of the PCSA, we oversaw development of the detailed design for the main works.

During the main contract stage, we project managed works on site, holding weekly client meetings and monthly progress meetings with the wider project team. Our QCI team carried out weekly inspections, managed handover, and supported the client with final documentation uploads to their data portal.

The project was successfully completed in January 2025, with high-quality delivery and positive feedback from the client team.

Be First, the regeneration arm of Barking and Dagenham Council, appointed Baily Garner as employer’s agent to plan and manage the regeneration of Padnall Lake — an open space in Romford now set to provide 260 new homes and a revitalised park. Our role includes project management, cost consultancy and clerk of works services, guiding the scheme through changing requirements and delivery stages.

Originally designed around Modern Methods of Construction, the scheme faced compliance and budgetary risks. We advised on redesigning using traditional methods and led significant value engineering to manage costs and maintain viability. While Phase 1 progressed on site, we supported RIBA stages 1–3 for Phase 2, ensuring early-stage decisions aligned with programme and budget needs.

We also helped renegotiate contract terms following the move away from MMC, maintaining protective provisions such as liquidated damages. Working closely with the contractor, we agreed a payback mechanism for advance payments and provided bespoke cost reports to keep the client informed.

Our design team reviewed and developed the original permitted scheme, identifying opportunities to enhance the layout and increase unit numbers. Midway through, we successfully incorporated a rooftop extension via a carefully managed change process, ensuring coordination, planning compliance and programme continuity.

Despite the challenges of COVID-19 during the construction phase, we maintained momentum through agile project leadership and close collaboration with the contractor. Weekly site visits and ongoing communication ensured a consistent design approach and the timely delivery of new homes, including studios and one- and two-bedroom apartments.

Hammersmith & Fulham Council appointed Baily Garner to provide Employer’s Agent and technical support for the deep retrofit of 11 homes in West Kensington. Delivered through a D&B contract with EQUANS and underpinned by contractual terms from Turner & Townsend, the project aimed to meet EnergieSprong standards, drastically cutting carbon emissions and improving energy efficiency through off-site manufactured insulation panels, ASHPs, MVHR, and solar panels.

We supported the Council with NEC contract administration, PAS2035 compliance, and technical oversight, including quality inspections and systems integration. Our team also played a key role in stakeholder engagement — from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and TrustMark to residents — helping manage risks, respond to on-site challenges, and maintain trust during programme delays.

Despite technical and logistical hurdles, the project delivered high-performing homes with strong resident satisfaction. It reinforced our role as a collaborative, innovation-led partner in sustainable housing delivery.

While Phase 1 of the Maylands development, named ‘Maylands Plaza’, included 130 flats and 10 new shops, Phase 2 was focused on delivering 158 affordable homes for Hightown Housing Association. This included apartments and houses spread across four blocks. We were appointed by Hill Partnerships to provide Mechanical and Electrical consultancy, with a focus on supporting Hightown’s sustainability goals through the integration of Air Source Heat Pumps (ASHPs) in every home.

Early in the project, we identified challenges with ASHP installation due to balcony orientations and maintenance constraints. By leading monthly Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing (MEP) workshops and producing detailed floorplate drawings early, we enabled swift design adaptations that kept the project on track.

We also addressed complex fire safety requirements, selecting a backup generator to serve essential systems within basement height restrictions. The result was energy-efficient, sustainable homes with fire-safe infrastructure, delivered through proactive problem-solving and collaboration.

Baily Garner was appointed to lead the external refurbishment of Edward Woods Estate — three 24-storey towers beside Westfield London. The aim: to meet current building regulations, prioritise fire safety, and secure an A1-rated EWS1 assessment. The works include new non-combustible cladding, thermal insulation, window upgrades, and enhanced ventilation to both flats and communal areas.

We provided Employer’s Agent, Cost Consultancy, CDM Principal Designer, CDM Advisor, and Quality Control Inspector services across all RIBA stages. This included procurement advice, developing Employer’s Requirements, and supporting the contractor in shaping a compliant, stakeholder-aligned design.

With cladding now removed and new spandrel panels installed, we continue to guide the client through the next phase. Our value-for-money assessments and tender negotiations have shaped key decisions and maintained project momentum.

Daisy Spring Works is a mixed-use building in Sheffield, combining commercial space with residential units across seven floors and basement parking below. When serious fire safety issues were identified, including combustible façade materials and missing cavity barriers, we were appointed to manage the remediation works from early design through to project completion.

Acting as Project Managers, Quantity Surveyors, and Clerk of Works, we coordinated key consultants, oversaw planning and tender stages, and led cost submissions to the Building Safety Fund. We also ensured strict cost segregation, managing funding complexities between the BSF and the building’s partial warranty coverage.

Alongside fire safety upgrades, the project includes remedial works for water ingress. Our integrated role ensures both quality delivery and regulatory compliance, safeguarding residents while supporting long-term asset resilience.

AXA Investment Managers appointed Baily Garner to lead the refurbishment of Dolphin Square — a historic private residential estate in Pimlico, London. Originally designed in the 1930s, the estate includes 13 buildings surrounding a central, Grade II* listed garden. Our role spanned multidisciplinary services across an eight-year programme, working alongside Radcliffe Construction Consultants and coordinating a team of more than 20 organisations.

We led site meetings, monitored contractor progress, and advised on structural remediation, including the installation of helifix bars and wall ties to stabilise bowing walls and missing lintels. Rodney House was converted from a hotel to residential use, while all internal systems, partitions, and lifts were comprehensively stripped out and replaced.

A key focus of the refurbishment is sustainability. We supported the estate’s transition from gas to communal air source heat pumps, significantly reducing emissions and aligning with the client’s long-term environmental goals.