About the Project

Lisgar Terrace phase 5, London W14

In the fifth phase and eighth year of this housing regeneration scheme, the client finally found the project manager of its dreams. In stripping the housing estate’s last three mansion blocks to shell and core and refurbishing them, linking them with infill buildings and adding a mansard storey on top of each, Rus Khisamutdinov impressed mightily. 

He was determined to learn – and apply – the lessons of the previous phases. Connecting new mansards and existing blocks with link buildings’ new concrete frames had made getting fully watertight a problem, which in turn delayed internal fit-out. Rus’s solution was to build the mansards’ independent steel frames (supported on concrete plinths over load-bearing walls) concurrently with the concrete frames, propping them from the ground floor.  

By the time the last slab was poured on the link buildings, all steel frames on the existing blocks were also complete and all that had to be done was link the mansards. All three blocks were then fully watertight and internal works could move forward without delays.  

As the phase-5 homes were for private sale with a high-level specification, they would pay for the entire regeneration scheme. Rus’s keen eye for detail paid dividends here, helped by a green-card quality system to reward good work. At handover, the finish and quality in all units were beyond the client’s expectations.