Robin Akers Projects

Project Case Studies

Client:  In Real Life

Project: New visitor centre for Cambell Distillers - Aberlour

Budget: £ 275,000

Background to the brief

The owners of the Aberlour whisky brand, Campbell’s (part of the Pernod Ricard group) wished to create a new business to business visitor centre at the distillery.

The facility was to provide hospitality, presentation and whisky tasting areas, together with the usual supporting service areas, such as toilets and a kitchen for UK and overseas customers.

In Real Life are a multi-disciplinary design and communications company and part of the Chime Group of companies. At the time they were already working with Campbell’s on brand development and various graphics projects to support a tour of the distillery when they were asked to take on board this project.

Facilities design does not form part of their core activity however and I have worked with them in a leading support role on a number of other similar projects.

My Role

My role was to firstly help identify the best way of realising the project and to then oversee its implementation on behalf of both In Real Life and Campbells.

Several aspects of the project required careful consideration before suggesting how best to deliver the project.

1. How to control and manage the project given the distance between Aberlour in the Highlands of Scotland, In Real Life in London and Campbells, (with marketing in London and the distillery manager based in Scotland, albeit not at Aberlour).

2.Ensure that In Real Life’s fee for designing and managing the project was protected and maximised.

3. Keep the client fully informed but not involved on a day to day basis to allow them to concentrate on other brand development work.

4. Make allowance and advise the client on Scottish Planning and Building Control laws which vary from those operating in England

I concluded and advised that In Real Life should contract a local architect to design the shell of the building (working to a concept design brief prepared by myself and In Real Life and agreed with the client) on their behalf. The architect would also be responsible for managing and directing other consultants such as M&E & structural and also the quantity surveyor (all of which were to be locally based) and for obtaining all Local Authority approvals. In Real Life would then design the interior of the building and manage the overall implementation on behalf of Campbell’s.

Having agreed this approach with the client I drew up a short list of five local architects & interviewed them informally. Three were then invited to submit a concept design package in a paid pitch. The winning design was selected in conjunction with the client and work proceeded as planned. I visited the site on a weekly basis over the entire course of the design and construction process through to opening reporting back to In Real Life and the client on progress. I also managed the integration of the interior design with the building and ensured there were no overlaps or missing elements in the design or budget. The project was successfully completed on budget.

[Home] [Robin Akers Design] [areUfit]