Steven Hunt & Associates MD talks engineering success in the North West

Welcome to the latest entry in Bdaily North West’s Built Environment series. This Autumn, we’re offering you key insights into the work of major players reshaping the region’s developed spaces.

Here in part four we spoke with Steve Hunt, MD of building services firm Steven Hunt & Associates.

Can you give our readers a brief outline of your business and what it does?

“Based in Liverpool, we are a leading multi-disciplinary building services practice, which offers a diverse range of professional services to meet the needs of the client, project leader, architect and consultant partner.

“With over two decades worth of experience in mechanical and electrical engineering design, we have helped shape everything from large multi-million pound developments to small-scale, intimate projects over the years.

“The only certified Level 2 BIM practitioner in the North West, we are also proud to call ourselves the region’s go-to M&E consultant.”

What are some of the bigger North West projects you’ve been involved with previously?

“The last few years have been fantastic for the company, with every month packed full with projects based throughout Liverpool, Manchester and Greater Manchester in the North West.

“A few projects that immediately come to mind are the design of M&E services to [an] Altrincham health centre, a five-storey multi-occupancy medical facility, ACTS II and III at the Royal Court and the design of two new theatres, with IMRI suite, at the Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust.

“Arguably my favourite though has to be the design we completed on the new Urgent Care and Trauma unit at Aintree University Hospital. To work at such a state-of-the-art facility, and then to be invited back for the Duke of Cambridge’s visit, is something I will never forget!”

What are you working on right now?

“We have recently been appointed to work on the historic Tobacco Warehouse on Liverpool’s North Docks, with the Grade II-listed building set to be transformed into a 538-apartment scheme, courtesy of Harcourt Developments.

“Part of the 125-acre Ten Streets regeneration, work is due to be completed on the Warehouse by 2019, but the early design stages are taking place in our office as we speak.

“We are designing the central boiler unit, energy efficient lighting, access control, a full infrastructure distribution system and car park ventilation, with sustainability and long-term preservation our main priority on this project.”

What sort of economic impact do you believe your work has had on the region?

“We produce tailored assessments for all of our projects, which identify the most viable solutions. From low energy heating and cooling to responsive lighting and rainwater harvesting, staying sustainable and saving the client money is always our primary objectives.

“Designing the best possible solutions to match the need, our determination to not cut corners has helped saved thousands of pounds for our customers, with our designs providing long-term reliability, value for money and long-term payback.

“We believe it is our responsibility to help the local economy and promote all that Merseyside has to offer. Our work creates numerous jobs for local people every single year, both in our office and externally, with many of our favoured architects and contractors also based in the area. The majority of our 20-strong team currently reside in Liverpool and its surrounding areas and we look to employ local wherever possible.”

What’s most important to your business in the work you do?

“Before any designs are developed, our team researches how a client really works and if an existing facility exists, we make several visits to the site to see all that is good and the bad that currently exists.

“Saving the customer money, repeat business and sustainability are always our key aims and I believe that all three of these go hand in hand.

“For example, we recently worked on Mowgli’s newest restaurant in Birmingham. With the restaurant famed for its beautiful lighting, we spent days planning the cabling through bespoke furniture to ensure our works did not compromise the aesthetics.”

Do you operate in partnership with other companies in the North West? If so, do you have any recurring partners? How do you collaborate?

“We have a close working relationship with Professional Liverpool, with our business development manager Anne King currently chairing the healthcare sector group. She regularly represents the company at their events throughout the city.

“Anne is fantastic at networking and building relationships with customers and Professional Liverpool have done a lot to give her a platform to showcase our business over the last 18 months.

“IHEEM, MIPIM and FBE Liverpool are also three companies who we have worked closely with over the years, as we recently attended MIPIM in both Cannes and London and debuted our new team mascot at the Healthcare Estates IHEEM event at Manchester Central last month. Anne is also a committee member of the FBE Liverpool and helps organise their meet-ups.”

Can you name any regional developments you’re not involved in that have caught your eye?

“Ever since it was announced, I have been intrigued by the new £100m Liverpool Shopping Park on Edge Lane, with these projects always causing plenty of discussion in the sector.

“Expected to become one of the UK’s largest retail parks, it will be interesting to see how it all looks when it is fully opened to the public.

“Consisting of 17 retail units and numerous restaurants, it is always nice to see the city grow though, and I am pleased to read that plenty of jobs have been created for local people, which can only benefit Liverpool as a whole.”

Lastly, what is your favourite space in the North West?

“St George’s Hall is one of my favourite buildings in the North West, not just because it looks absolutely stunning but it was also the first air conditioned building in the world.

“If you examine how this was achieved in 1858, the engineers were really ahead of their time in what they did and still to this day most engineers would struggle to replicate a solution which was so bold but effective.”

Thank you, Steve.

To take part in this series, get in touch with Bdaily North West editor Richard at richard.bell@bdaily.co.uk