Client
The Arch Company
Case Study - The Arch Company
The Arch Company
The Arch Company was formed as a joint venture between Blackstone Property Partners and Telereal Trillium following their acquisition of Network Rail’s commercial estate business for £1.5 billion.
With an exciting and diverse mix of tenants spanning industrial, office and retail uses, tenants include gyms, restaurants, car mechanics, skate parks, escape rooms, nurseries and much more.
Most of the properties are located in railway arches. Following a competitive tender, and building on an existing relationship with both of the new landlords from previous projects, Plowman Craven was commissioned to survey the full portfolio.
Project Highlights & Achievements
Starting at the end of 2019 and completing the work in March 2022, the team produced a wide range of deliverables including floor plans, sections, arch heights, floor area data (gross and net internal area) and property construction information, to be consolidated into a database of asset information.
- The Plowman Craven team carried out physical data collection through innovative technology and methodology utilising state-of-the-art laser scanning. We captured raw data as a 3D point cloud, collated in an easy-to-access repository
- Three levels of service – ‘Bronze’ (desktop), ‘Silver’ (using Ricoh hand-held scanners) and ‘Gold’ (tripod-mounted full laser scan)
- 3D BIM (Building Information Modelling) models harnessing the data sets
- Creation of a bespoke, proprietary delivery Portal using Forge for The Arch Company, containing all survey information. The Portal can be used to view both CAD drawings and 360-degree photography of assets alongside each other, without the need for each user to purchase expensive CAD software
- Building a dedicated project app using SharePoint for the purposes of capturing the project’s progress and effective reporting. The app contained metadata relating to all sites, comprising everything from floor type and use type to fixtures and fittings
Given the vast scale of the project, the varied nature of tenant occupation and complexity of sites, the team needed to take a unique approach to ensure delivery of highly accurate data for the client. We achieved this through an innovative approach to data capture and the ability to create tailored, bespoke solutions. In the end, not only did we deliver to deadline but we did so in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We streamlined the process and made it as efficient as it could be through digital technologies, with our scanner workflow meaning that only one person from our team was required on site to collect all necessary data, thereby minimising disruption for tenants.
Plowman Craven Project Manager
Why Plowman Craven?
The Arch Company needed the right team to support its objectives of sensitively managing the transition of thousands of tenancies through the change of ownership.
The success of the project – and a significant reason why Plowman Craven was selected – was the team’s proven ability to interact with a diverse range of tenants and ensure a smooth and efficient approach to accessing the assets while helping to maintain a positive relationship between landlord and tenant.
We already had a strong foundation and track record, with prior knowledge of the properties and tenants, having been part of the due diligence team supporting Network Rail and JLL in the sale of the portfolio prior to the formation of The Arch Company. At that stage, we were responsible for measuring a select number of the sites before the portfolio was brought to market.
Speed was another winning factor. By using innovative, industry-leading methodology for data collection, we could meet the client’s goal of gaining access to highly accurate and reliable data fast, whereas traditional methods would require a much longer delivery time.
"The Arch Company chose Plowman Craven because they had the expertise and technology to accurately measure our portfolio in a timely and cost-efficient manner while demonstrating the management capability to run a large access programme collaboratively and proactively with little disturbance to our tenants.
Plowman Craven provided good management information, simplifying complex data aiding our ability to monitor progress and understand priorities throughout the delivery of the project.
Their deliverables have proven to be of a high and consistent quality. From asset measurements to plans and photo-imagery. This information has provided valuable insight and coupled with their online platform, we have been able to ensure information and data access is easily available for use across our teams.
With an original schedule that was significantly impacted by COVID-19, Plowman Craven was The Arch Company proactive in seeking ways to improve, holding regular sessions to learn from the projects’ operations to advance efficiency to recover from this major interruption. Together, we developed a progressive approach to quality management that enabled us to iterate to the production of a complete and accurate dataset.
Subsequent to the initial measurement project we have contracted with Plowman Craven the ongoing maintenance for keeping the dataset refreshed as our portfolio evolves. Helping us maintain accurate and accessible data in an easy-to-use way with the future capability to integrate into our business systems.
In all, Plowman Craven has provided us with an easily accessible valuable dataset in which we can have confidence. Our partnership with Plowman Craven to date has helped us to have confidence in our data and provided us with a unique tool to use across the spectrum of our business."
The Arch Company
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Plowman Craven has more than 50 years’ experience, we provide integrated measurement and consultancy services.
