“I know the price of success: dedication, hard work, and an unremitting devotion to the things you want to see happen.”

– FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT

 

Frank Lloyd Wright completed a lot of projects. The devotion he refers to saw 532 of his designs completed during his lifetime. He understood what it took to produce exceptional structures – projects that, if designed and executed properly, would stand the test of time.

It’s a principle that has always resonated with me. It’s not just the hard work as I’ve always accepted that as a part of any job, but also the dedication needed to make projects special … exceptional even.

 

The beginning

You read a lot of the greats when you start your career and in my case that began properly when I was 16. I discovered not only the work of Frank Lloyd Wright but also many other inspirational designers and architects such as Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Charles and Ray Eames and also great engineers such as Isambard Kingdom Brunel and Gustave Eifel.

My interest quickly became a passion and occupied a lot of my time. Growing up in rural England, I dreamt of dilapidated old buildings reimagined as clever new spaces, sat sketching ideas of bold developments sympathetically placed on forgotten pieces of land. It was not only a way of cultivating my passion but also a path to understanding the complexity involved.

It fuelled my interest and before long I found myself, quite naturally, taking my first tentative steps into the industry. By day I was learning project and cost management along with the design and technical aspects of the business and by night I was studying construction theory.

Even in the early days, I knew that small, seemingly insignificant details could potentially have a huge impact on cost and time. I could see that there was a level of absolute control needed in construction to prevent costs spiralling and that if I was to be successful I needed to gain a deep understanding of this side of the business.

So that’s what I did.

In the years that followed I amassed a portfolio of projects in the UK, Australia and Europe working for a number of large contractors, developers and consultants. And then for 20 years, I lived and breathed London life but now get to call the New Forest home.

 

London Town

I have experienced the highs and lows of the London property and construction market. And at this point, you’ll want me to say that my own experience of the UK scene has been filled with success, reward and critical acclaim. However, work in the business long enough and you’ll know that that story isn’t really told convincingly by anyone (well there are probably some exceptions!)

In 2008 I set up a construction company of my own and in 5 years, it grew from an idea to a £6 million business with over 100 employees. However, in 2013 it fell victim to the curse of the construction industry: late payment.

It was a cruel but vital lesson and in the aftermath, Project London was born – a company that specialises in project, cost and development management in the construction industry.

Project London is the company that I could never have set up if I didn’t have the experience I have today. It’s a manifestation of everything I’ve learnt so far and I believe all my clients and joint venture partners benefit from all the twists and turns I’ve experienced in one of the most competitive construction markets in the world today.

 

Sean Holman

Director – Project London Limited