INTERVIEW: Peter Robb, Lead QS on Sexy Fish

Greenway Associates worked on the Sexy Fish development, with owner-developer Caprice Holdings and Swedish interiors architect, Martin Brudnizki. We interviewed our lead QS, Peter Robb, on his journey with this fascinating project.

“The Coral Room” - a private dining room featuring a 15,000 litre coral reef tank.

Sexy Fish has the world’s largest coral reef tank, holding 15,000L of water and 100 species of fish. Where does a QS start with costing something like that?

Most quantity surveyors do not have the measurement and costing of tropical fish in their degree syllabus! The key is to establish an early relationship with the field experts and allow for preparation of budget costs in tandem with the supplier. In this instance, the cost of the fish themselves is a very significant proportion of the total. 

The floor is a rare Esmeralda onyx marble from Iran. How do you go about costing this and why is it so rare? 

Onyx is a rare but beautiful stone that is not made anymore, so it tends to be very expensive. When using such an expensive material, you need a close liaison with the supplier and installer to ensure a clear understanding of how the it will be quarried, supplied and cut for the final use. We then prepare a budget and include what waste there may be in cutting to suit the end use.

A pair of bronze mermaids by Damien Hirst and floating lighting installations by Frank Gehry frame the bar at Sexy Fish, set within rare Esmerelda onyx marble.

How costly is the installation of high profile artworks, from the likes of Damien Hirst?

We had to ensure the artistic team had the right background, the right structural supports and that lighting was to their exacting standards. The installation of the pieces in a ‘live’ building site also posed challenges for protecting and securing the work. The preliminaries costs in managing all this activity had to be allowed for, despite not knowing the exact nature of the installations which was a closely guarded secret! 

Sexy Fish is located in the heart of high street banking,  Berkeley Square. Did the location present any construction challenges?

The site is in the centre of Mayfair and has no other storage facility other than the building footprint itself. Much of the fit-out was fabricated off-site and then brought in for installation. There was a significant amount of night working, with a labour force being exclusively employed for moving access platforms and relocating materials all ready for further work by different trades the following day.

What made this project a success?

The client had a very clear picture of what was required and was prepared to alter elements of the design if necessary. With such a very high profile opening date, the success of the procurement process was paramount. Project Manager Arcacia was excellent at resourcing bespoke elements and kept us informed of cost variations. The procurement of all the requisite resources and the delivery of a stunning new venue in such a short space of time is testament to the collaborative  relationship between the Client, Project Manager, Quantity Surveyor and the suppliers. Berkeley Square has been irrevocably transformed from the staid image of high street banking to the contemporary and attention grabbing, Sexy Fish!