Leading by Design

If nothing else, the consortium leading the Hilton Trinidad’s multi-million dollar refurbishing project, is showing that Trinidad and Tobago has the resources and skills to undertake mega projects, not only in this country, but outside as well. Mark Franco of Franco and Franco, the architects leading the consortium,   was most upbeat about the challenges which this job will provide for the group. The successful completion of this project can go a long way in exploding the myth that all the big projects in TT must depend on expatriate expertise, he said. As a matter of fact that’s what brought the group together in the first place. The individual single practices found that too many large, local projects were just passing them by. This proved to be  the genesis for pooling their individual skills and expertise and going after the larger projects. “What we’re trying to do here,” said Franco, “is to expand the traditional role of the architects and planners. “Usually architects are at the top and everybody else comes below. We’re trying to redefine that in the way we relate to each other and the way we carry out our services. What we’re hoping to do by coming together, is share our resources to change the way we actually practice,” Franco pointed out.

Of the Hilton project, Franco said, “I believe it is going to be an interesting project, but one by which we can prove a point to the country — that locals can do it. It is a serious challenge to our skills, but we can do it.” Waxing patriotic, Franco said, “We have a keen interest in what our profession give back to our country.  One element is that of education. We want to interact with students and expose them to the profession. I think being around students enhances personal growth, it gives out a certain kind of energy.” He hastened to explain that local consortia, and the one of which he is a part, in no way believe that foreign expertise is not needed. He insists that TT needs that element as an integral part of its  planning. “What we are striving to do is have our experts lead the way and use the foreigners to assist in the completion of projects,” he said. In the case of the Hilton project, the consortium are the lead people on it but it has engaged the services of outside experts in some of the various areas of the project. “We carefully chose our overseas consultants as it related to the type of skills they were able to bring to the project. So what we are actually looking forward to very much is this partnering. I’m very excited,” added Franco. But the Hilton Trinidad project is not this group’s first attempt at working together.

While the consortium exists in a fairly structured way, he said they were now formalising other elements, like a legal name, for instance. “We’ve been actually operating as a consortium for close to a year, but we’ve been evolving for longer than that,” he said. “In terms of our consortium, we’re not a closed shop. Our approach is that we recognise the limitations of a single- person practice. We don’t have a fear of each other and we don’t feel threatened. We will always agree to disagree,” added Franco. The amazingly cool architect said he wanted to encourage dialogue in the profession in an effort “to build relationships, vision and everything else.” “Because of how we’ve been operating,” added Franco, “we were able to be one of five consortia shortlisted for work on the Waller Field Industrial Estate. What we showed is that together, we had a lot of strength and experience; we were a very cohesive and strong team, with a vision for practice and how to carry out projects.” Franco said he would want to encourage the industry to look more at the consortia idea, because this was how the Hilton team emerged. He noted though that operating within the confines of a consortium did not debar private practice.

Franco said the consortium was also involved in several other projects at the present time. In addition to Waller Field, it is also involved in dormitories at the Caribbean Union College (CUC) at Maracas, St Joseph and a townhouse project in St Augustine. Franco said the project management on the Hilton project has to be very strong and that is why so much care was used in selecting the overseas consultants. The John Hardy Group out of Atlanta, for instance, which will be part of the consortia on the project, is known in the hospitality industry as a global development services partner, overseeing more than (US)$4.1 billion of capital investment activities since 1992. OBM International, a company experienced in work in the Caribbean Basin, is another foreign firm, which forms part of the overall team as well as Knaggs, Alexander and Associates. The US $35 million renovation of the 42-year-old hotel, will include refurbishment of all guest rooms, meeting rooms, public spaces and back of house areas, all this in an effort to create a premium, signature hotel that is competitive in the rapidly expanding Meeting and Conference Centre market segments, while maintaining its position as the pre-eminent choice for business and leisure travellers.