黑洞社区

BDP鈥檚 new chief executive John McManus is highly committed to his work but is rueful when asked how many hours he puts in every week. 鈥淚 have no idea,鈥� he says, shaking his head. 鈥淚鈥檇 rather not think about it and I鈥檇 rather not say in case my wife sees it.鈥�

Pushed on whether it鈥檚 more than 60, McManus pauses before conceding 鈥測eah 鈥�probably鈥� but balks at the idea that it鈥檚 upwards of 80. 鈥淚 mean, one tends to try to achieve a balance and it changes over time 鈥� I can鈥檛 remember when I had a full weekend off unless you鈥檙e counting holidays. That鈥檚 in the nature of our business.鈥�

BDP - whose board of directors elected McManus to the role in December after incumbent Peter Drummond decided to 鈥減ass the baton on鈥� and focus his efforts elsewhere in the business - will no doubt welcome the new boss鈥� Stakhanovite qualities. After all, BDP has been through a torrid few years and only now is beginning to claw its way back to growth. Working solely in the UK when the recession hit and heavily dependent on schools and heathcare projects, the multidisciplinary architect and engineering firm was knocked off its perch as the country鈥檚 biggest architect employer and endured a particularly miserable year in 2011 including closing four offices and making 100 people redundant that October.

Its latest set of accounts - in the year to 30 June 2012 - reflected continuing difficulties, with pre-tax profit down by 44% to 拢1.5m and turnover also dipping 15% to 拢68m.

Now, with BDP boasting five international offices and hiring in Manchester, London and Glasgow, things are finally looking up just as McManus - a veteran who will celebrate 30 years with the practice next year - takes the reins.

But, loyalty and hard work aside, how has this affable Glaswegian become the first-ever architect chief executive in this firm鈥檚 history and what does his plan to return it to 鈥渟ustainable growth鈥� involve?

Glasgow, Manchester, London

Seated in a glass-walled meeting room in BDP鈥檚 busy London office in Clerkenwell, McManus comes across as a warm and straightforward character albeit with a nose for avoiding controversial topics beloved of journalists.

Promoted from the role of chairman of the Glasgow studio, he now intends to spend three out of five days a week there with the remaining two divided between the London office and the firm鈥檚 鈥渟piritual home鈥� in Manchester, where the 800-strong firm鈥檚 accounting and IT functions are situated.

Much of McManus鈥檚 success was cemented in the architect-dominated Glasgow studio so it should come as no surprise that he sees no reason to move south. 鈥淕lasgow has unquestionably punched above its weight in terms of work-winning and financial contribution to the bottom line,鈥� he says.

Part of this success, observers claim, is down to the Glasgow outfit鈥檚 ability to make design decisions quickly and stick to them, something McManus concurs with. He says: 鈥淭here鈥檚 a small group of people who are allowed to design, to develop a concept diagram that informs the whole process. There鈥檚 nothing worse than someone who is continually changing their mind.鈥�

Under McManus鈥檚 leadership, the Glasgow studio won a succession of major education projects at home and abroad. This included its first high-profile scheme in China, a 70,000m2 scheme at Nanjing Medical University in Jiangsu province. This project was won in 2010 in competition against two rivals: Pritzker prize-winning French architect Christian de Portzamparc and a firm of local architects.

鈥淲e now have a very established Shanghai office with 30 people, but when we started that project, we only had three,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hat area of Nanjing has a high concentration of universities so we鈥檙e hoping it will be a flagship project.鈥�

The experience of working in China seems to have made a real impression on McManus, who recounts an anecdote illustrating the university client鈥檚 ability to make a key decision perhaps even faster than he can. 鈥淲hen we did the presentation for that particular project, I鈥檒l always remember we were on at 12 noon,鈥� he says. 鈥淭he Chinese team were on at 10, the French team at 11 and we were on at 12.

鈥淲e finished about one o鈥檆lock and me and my Chinese colleague were walking back to the hotel and they phoned us to say 鈥榶ou鈥檝e won the competition, can we have our first meeting at two o鈥檆lock today?鈥�

鈥淚n the UK, a university project of that scale has a gestation period of about five years 鈥�there鈥檚 a lot we can learn.鈥�

McManus has always been hands-on as a project director and says he plans to remain hands-on as chief executive, working closely with clients and main contractors to make sure the firm is 鈥渁ligned鈥� with what they want.

He says: 鈥淧art of the value of what I bring to this role is that I鈥檓 typically in the middle of the situation in a way Peter [Drummond] wasn鈥檛 as a town planner; where you鈥檙e not at the cutting edge of what people need from the process.鈥�

Plans for business

Back in 2011, BDP was ranked in the top 10 of the World Architecture 100, the list of the largest global architects compiled by 黑洞社区鈥檚 sister title 黑洞社区 Design. So given that it had slipped down to 34 in this year鈥檚 table does the firm remain a big player in international terms? 鈥淲e鈥檙e a medium-sized multidisciplinary group,鈥� McManus says. 鈥淲hen you compare us to the massive engineering-led practices, we鈥檙e mid-range and we still see the UK as being our base market.鈥�

BDP鈥檚 turnover split is now something like 80% UK work to 20% international work. But while the international slice of the cake may swell to around 30% of the whole over the next three years, McManus says the firm鈥檚 history and expertise in this country means there is no desire to 鈥渇lip the whole thing over鈥� and see overseas work dominate.

We鈥檙e putting together a five-year plan based on 5% growth in turnover this year, rising to 10% in year five. We鈥檝e always been wary of growing too fast 鈥� I don鈥檛 see steep growth , I see sustainable growth

Overall, the ambition is to grow modestly, he explains. 鈥淲e鈥檙e putting together a five-year plan based on 5% growth in turnover this year, rising to 10% in year five,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e鈥檝e always been wary of growing too fast 鈥� I don鈥檛 see steep growth, I see sustainable growth.鈥�

BDP has acquired smaller firms over the years but McManus says its current growth plan is organic. The upshot is that the firm expects to increase its headcount by 5-7.5% this year, equating to perhaps 60 new jobs. 鈥淲e鈥檙e hiring in Glasgow and in London and hiring in Manchester in certain professions. So it鈥檚 a relatively healthy situation in terms of bringing new people on board.鈥�

BDP has worked on several rail projects in the UK including the Crossrail station at Whitechapel, and transport infrastructure is one area McManus would like to see the firm expanding in. 鈥淲e鈥檇 like to be much more involved in big infrastructure projects,鈥� he says. 鈥淗istorically it was, in the early days of the practice, something we were heavily involved with. We did a lot of work on the Channel Tunnel terminal from this office way back when.

鈥淲e鈥檙e doing bits and pieces at Heathrow and Glasgow airport but nothing of serious scale.鈥�

This may explain McManus鈥檚 polite refusal to comment on the ongoing row over design quality on Crossrail. But then he is generally wary of controversy, sidestepping questions about the troubles of fellow Scottish architect RMJM and jokingly requesting that his allegiance to Glasgow Celtic Football Club is not printed in case it annoys contractor clients who support Rangers.

Perhaps wisely, he also declines to make known his opinion on the question of Scottish independence, saying he doesn鈥檛 鈥渉ave strong views鈥� but is reluctant to divulge his political leanings. 鈥淚鈥檓 pretty sure BDP Scotland will grow and prosper whatever the result is,鈥� he says patly.

Hard-working, decisive and with an obvious knack for avoiding pitfalls, perhaps it is no wonder that BDP鈥檚 new boss is predicting things are looking bright for the firm. He says: 鈥淭here鈥檚 definitely a sense that there鈥檚 a gentle shift happening 鈥� we鈥檙e recruiting and that鈥檚 not something any of us have been doing for several years. The feeling is positive, at last.鈥�