Harry Molyneux joined Buttress as a PlanBEE apprentice in 2022. PlanBEE is a Buttress supported higher apprenticeship programme which prepares young people for a career in a broad range of technical and professional roles in architecture, building engineering, project management, cost consultancy and construction site management. It provides an alternative work-based route into these jobs rather than via university.
Since his placement with Buttress, Harry has completed a placement for Eric Wright Construction at Greenhaus which is a Passivhaus residential scheme in Salford and is currently with global engineering, architecture and consultancy, Ramboll.
Before he started his placement with Ramboll, Buttress marketing sat down with him to hear his advice and tips for anyone else considering an apprenticeship in the built environment.
The apprenticeship route was key for me to grow as a person, grow in confidence, and grow my understanding.
Why did you choose to go down the apprenticeship route?
When I finished college, I didn’t really know what to do. I felt like going to university might be a waste of time for me as I didn’t want to sit in a classroom for another four or five years.
I wanted to go out into industry so I looked into the apprenticeship route and it felt like a perfect fit for me. I signed-up for the PlanBEE apprenticeship scheme and as a direct result of doing the scheme, I gained a greater understanding of what goes on in the industry. It has given me an overview of what actually goes into a project to make it successful. There’s a lot of work that goes into constructing a building that people probably don’t think about.
Can you tell us a little bit about your apprenticeship with Buttress?
I was at Buttress from September – December 2022 and worked on a variety of different projects during this time. I started on the Ancoats Mobility Hub which was an interesting project as it will provide spaces for resident and visitor parking aiming to take vehicles off local roads, as well as proving sustainable transport options. I then worked on the Collyhurst Housing Project, which is a large-scale residential project in Manchester.
After that, I worked on a few feasibility projects - which involved lots of research, collation and presentation. One of these projects was a boarding school that had several plots of land. As part of the team, I did in-depth research on options for sustainability and energy efficiency and then presented these findings back to the client.
What was your apprenticeship at Greenhaus like?
I was working for Eric Wright Construction in a site management apprenticeship role. Greenhaus is a 96-apartment Passivhaus scheme for affordable living in Salford for the English Cities Fund.
What was a typical day like at Greenhaus?
I’d normally get to the site typically between 7.30am and 8am, and the work day would finish at 5pm. One of the first things we did in the morning would be a Smart Start meeting. This involved the subcontractors making sure that they were putting their employees to work in a safe manner, explaining any risks on site, and any issues that might be faced that day. On a Monday and a Wednesday, we’d have inductions for any new people coming on site. As for my work, throughout the day, I had to do quality checks, making sure that the subcontractor’s work was correct. I was predominantly checking that windows and gaskets were all installed correctly, which included that the EPDM (a synthetic membrane) which is a is applied properly around the windows. At around 3pm, there would be a data co-ordination, where all subcontractors and managers came together to make a plan of action for the next day.
What kind of social value do you think Greenhaus will bring to the area?
Everyone is well aware of today’s economic climate with property prices and the cost of living being challenging, particularly for young people like me. Greenhaus is an affordable living scheme that has an instant appeal to everyone trying to get their foothold on the property ladder. I like that Salford City Council is really pushing affordable housing, so it’s great to be part of a scheme that will help local people.
What work did you do in terms of the Passivhaus scheme?
I had to help with a lot of air tests. Airtightness is vital for energy efficiency, thermal comfort and protecting the building fabric from dampness and mould. Passivhaus requires a minimum airtightness of 0.6 air changes per hour in the building at a reference pressure differential of 50 Pascals. The whole building is measured, although we still needed to test each apartment to comply with Building Regulations.
I gained some great working knowledge, which I know will help in my future career.
What were your biggest learnings from the two apprenticeships?
The most valuable thing I learned was about the collaboration between the architects and the contractor. Being in an architectural office and on-site meant that I got the full experience of both aspects.
Collaboration and planning are key to successful delivery. By engaging the contractor early in the design phase as they did on Greenhaus, the architect can leverage their experience and expertise on everything from value engineering and cost estimating to determining the best construction method and the selection of building materials.
By identifying and resolving issues prior to the start of construction, issues down the road will be limited.
Good lines of communication are also vital to a project’s success. If architects and contractors can get to a level of mutual understanding and respect in the early stages, they start to rely on each other’s insights and recommendations.
What is something that you have seen or experienced during your apprenticeships that has stuck with you?
I didn’t really understand the importance of gridlines until actually being on site. Everything is built off gridlines, and referenced off them. Gridlines are key to any project. If they’re set out incorrectly, the building might be in the wrong position, or a wall might be in the wrong place, and you could have different-sized apartments.
What advice would you give someone thinking about a career in the built industry?
In my personal opinion, the apprenticeship route is the best thing I could have done. It gave me an insight and overview of what goes into the industry and into the built environment that I don’t think I could have achieved anywhere else. It’s not just about putting a few bricks down and building; there are so many aspects to take into consideration. There’s also such a wide variety of jobs that, until I started my apprenticeship, I didn’t know existed.
I’d also recommend to always ask as many questions as possible. You can’t ask a stupid question – you’ll always find someone who has got an answer for you, and there’s always someone willing to help out with your problems along the way.
What have you gained going down this career route?
If I didn’t go down the apprenticeship route, I don’t know what I’d be doing. It’s opened my mind up and given me so much knowledge of what lies ahead of me in the future. It also opens up opportunities for different roles and disciplines. If I didn’t go down this route, I’d probably be going to university and wouldn’t have come out of it with as much experience or understanding. I always preferred learning on the job rather than academically, whereas now I’m still learning but it’s about real-life situations, which feels completely different to me than sitting in lectures. The apprenticeship route was key for me to grow as a person, grow in confidence, and grow my understanding.
What’s your plan for when your apprenticeship finishes?
My apprenticeship finishes in September 2023, the time has just flown by. Hopefully, I’ll do a quantity surveying degree apprenticeship or a project management degree apprenticeship. Those are both the routes I want to go down.
Work starts on Greenhaus
The development has been designed with the view to meeting Passivhaus accreditation.