We speak to Principal Project Manager Tony Collins about being the ‘Soft Landings Champion’ for the Triangle, ensuring the move to our new headquarters will be as smooth as possible.
I currently work within Premises and Services as Principal Project Manager reporting to Kate Barnett, Group Director of Operations, and my role is to deliver planned building-related projects. This has included the successful completion of the DC20 refurbishment and fit-out, incorporating installation of two ink jet print-lines within the Canon print unit, relocation of the London office last year and the introduction of renewable power in the form of photovoltaic (PV) arrays at DC10 and DC20.
With the Triangle project progressing at pace, my role has become focused on supporting Premises and Services operational readiness as we plan to migrate services, support and operations to the new facility (an artist's rendering of the building above). The scale of the project is huge by any standard and the challenge for Premises and Services is to transition as seamlessly as possible into the new building, and ultimately provide an even higher level of facilities management and operational support within a superb working environment.
My role within Triangle (pictured below under construction) is to provide an interface for the build project, enhancing the collaboration between the construction project team and Premises and Services. This aligns the operational needs of the business with the building design and its handover from construction to a live Cambridge Assessment facility. ‘Soft Landings’, as it is called, is a construction industry process that facilitates this smooth transition from construction to occupation and ensures that operational performance is optimised. This process extends beyond completion to post-occupancy evaluation and review so that the gap between design performance and reality is bridged, particularly with regard to energy efficiency. Acting as the ‘Soft Landings Champion’ within the project team I am working to support this process and deliver a ‘best place to work’ for Cambridge Assessment employees and visitors.
I joined Cambridge Assessment four years ago, initially in an interim position as Head of Projects. However, when that appointment came to an end the possibility of a joint venture data centre project between Cambridge Assessment and the University of Cambridge was being discussed, and due to my particular data centre experience as Construction Project Manager for One2One and T-Mobile, I was engaged to represent Cambridge Assessment, and subsequently the University stakeholders, to support the delivery of what is now the West Cambridge Data Centre (WCDC). It's a great environment to work in and I have particularly enjoyed the team spirit and work ethic displayed. Going forward I am very excited to be involved with the Triangle project – I can’t wait to see the building rise out of the ground and evolve into an amazing central hub for Cambridge Assessment for decades to come.
Tony Collins
Principal Project Manager, Cambridge Assessment