The project provided an opportunity to demonstrate our strengths while being involved in creating an important urban landmark for Malaysia — not just for today’s generation, but also for those in years to come. It was a chance to step forward with progressive and executable ideas. Potentially, the River of Life project will impact many lives positively and will bring enduring benefits to the city as a whole.

As the winning firm tasked to deliver the project, today, we have teams from Malaysia and Singapore working on this project — from the points of design, master planning, architecture, engineering, infrastructure, environment and economics — demonstrating cohesiveness in collaboration and passion for delivery excellence.

The works are progressing well and the team working on the River of Life project is a highly motivated bunch — motivated to do well for themselves, their team, the client, and the communities that will benefit from the project.

As director of the overall project, I often interact with team members of all levels. In our conversations, we also talk about what motivates them to succeed and deliver excellence.

What I keep hearing is that their involvement since the conceptual development stage of the project has increased their commitment to seeing the many unique pieces coming together and how each of the team members plays a role in making that happen. It is worth noting that the scale and complex nature of this project means different team members have unique views of the “big picture.”

For example, Mark Vergara, technical director, environment, who leads a group that oversees the environmental aspects, believes that the client’s trust in ArchTam makes him proud of the work we are doing and motivates him to challenge the norm. For instance, the client’s receptiveness to innovative ideas allows the team to take their creativity several notches above standard solutions for the design. Mark’s work in this process includes flood modelling, water sensitive urban design, biodiversity enhancement, habitat creation and sustainability.

The lead for signage and wayfinding, Giles Clement, associate, landscape design, design + planning, economics, looks forward to seeing how his work will be used by locals and visitors and how the community will benefit from them. He states that ArchTam’s wayfinding system, which covers the entire site, will be the most comprehensive ever found in the Malaysian capital. Designed with the community in mind, the system makes it easy for people to find their way around the river, a noteworthy achievement for the team.

Seetha Raghupathy, project manager for River of Life Urban Design Guidelines (Package 1A), believes the team’s work has enduring importance as what we are delivering addresses not just existing but also future conditions. She also encourages team members to continually think for the client and the community. She expressed that our involvement in developing a robust set of urban design guidelines means ArchTam has the opportunity to meaningfully steer the nature of private developments within this iconic piece of public space in Kuala Lumpur, ensuring that urban progress and community development go hand in hand.

Michael Barry, who is responsible for appointing subconsultants and is project manager for four of the ten construction packages, finds the level of collaboration and diversity within the project a powerful factor. To him, this has resulted in a continuous transfer of knowledge between the local and international team members — from the standpoints of technical know-how to the culture and history of the project site.

Our collective passion and winning attitude towards this project are reflected in some of the recent accolades that it has received, including ArchTam’s 2014 Excellence Award for Best Win and the Awards for Excellence 2014 at the 50th International Society of City and Regional Planners congress in Gdynia, Poland. Needless to say, this is the kind of enthusiasm expected for something as positively transformational as the River of Life.

Scott Dunn, ArchTam director of development, vice president, South East Asia, directs multidisciplinary teams on the design of mixed-use, new communities and high-density master plan developments across Asia. He is an advocate of sustainable land development and high-density urban environmental design and believes that in order to create great places, one should be sensitive to both the environment and the society that lives in it.
LinkedIn: Scott Dunn

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I’ll admit I’m a little nervous; I have no idea what to expect. I’ve never been to Africa before and am not sure how I’ll get on. I’m accompanied by another EFOD engineer and together, we are here to supervise construction for two weeks out of a 16-week programme.

We head to the hotel where we have planned to meet the team we are replacing. They are accompanied by John, our Ugandan driver and guide for the next two weeks. As soon as I see John, my nerves are allayed … he’s wearing a Manchester United shirt. I think I’m going to feel right at home!

The community we have come to help is a cooperative of widowed women in the village of Nyakoi, a village on the outskirts of Mbale. The purpose of the project is to build a secure facility to store crops. This will allow them to work together to manage resources and ensure food security by enabling them to store their crops year round.

Uganda is certainly a reality check compared to life in the U.K., but the warmth of the people far exceeds the tropical temperature. We don’t have to venture far before a child calls out with a wave, “Mzungu (person of European descent), how are you?”

James with a team of workers on site.

The reception is just as warm on the site and everyone — from villagers to local tribal elders — drops by to thank us for our work with the community. It’s refreshing to see a country with such a strong community spirit. At times, when observing our driver John, it’s hard to work out who he actually knows; total strangers greet people like best friends.

The foreman asked me, “What do your buildings look like in England?” It was only then that I realised that my Ugandan hosts have little idea about where we come from. I quickly pull out my phone and show him pictures of England, anything I can find, my flat, the London Eye, Big Ben. Within moments, work has ground to a halt as 30 men pile around me to get a glimpse of the U.K.

Stuffed between my hard hat and safety boots, I also made space in my bag for a football. Within the tiniest patch, an impromptu game would break out every lunch with workers, kids and even the local pastor enjoying a kick about.

The benefits of the store we built will generate wealth for the community for years to come and for that I am immensely proud, but what really stands out for me are the relationships I have built with the people in Uganda.

It would be difficult to sum up Uganda, but Winston Churchill did so back in 1907 when he said “Uganda is truly the pearl of Africa.” I’m not going to argue with that…

Featured in the blog post above, the Grain for Gain Food Security Program is the winner of the 2014 ArchTam Excellence Award for Corporate Social Responsibility.

James Birchall is an engineer in ArchTam’s civil infrastructure business line, and is based in Leeds, United Kingdom. He is also the treasurer of Engineers for Overseas Development North West.
Twitter: @JBirchall23
LinkedIn: James Birchall

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