As the saying goes, ‘a picture paints a thousand words’ so we have been round the venue this morning to capture the scene inside to help give you all a sense of progress.

As you can see the building is, with the exception of a few areas, wind and watertight: second fix of electrical works is ongoing; plasterboard is going on the walls and ceilings and specialist Audio Visual cabling is in the process of being installed. For example: all the speaker cables for Cinema 1 and Cinema 2 are now in place.

You may have heard that the opening date has been pushed back to the New Year – at this point we have no firm new completion date, given an outstanding issue with the glazing subcontractor. What we do know is that DITT are making plans just in case the subcontractor can’t return to site and all being well, progress on the glazing will be underway again soon. Meanwhile, as you can see from the pictures great progress is being made inside the building.

Shetland Arts is taking bookings for Mareel from March 2012 onwards and will fill dates prior to then when a firm opening date is known. The venue already has a number of high profile events booked, so if you want to use the venue do get in touch on (01595) 743843 for an informal chat and a site visit.

For more information, video and images regards Mareel go to the Shetland Arts Mareel page.

His visit started with a walk around Mareel, here are Andrew’s first impressions of the venue.

Andrew was last in Shetland 34 years ago when he spent 2 weeks on Foula mapping fishing noosts. He plans to return much sooner for the opening of Mareel – which will be much less than 34 years away!

This meeting is open to the public, and anyone with an interest in Mareel is invited to attend – let us know if you plan to do by clicking ‘I’m Attending’ on that page, so we ensure we have a suitable space for the meeting. If you haven’t already, we invite you to ‘Like’ our Mareel Facebook Page so we can keep you updated with Mareel news.

The scaffolding has been removed from around the building in readiness for the final glazing which should commence over the next few weeks.

Discussions are still ongoing regards the time impact of delays so we are unable to state a firm date at this time, however Shetland Arts hopes to be able to announce an opening date at the end of May / early June. If we can give news earlier to this date we will.

If you are looking for more info please post you questions here or give us a call on (01595) 743843. We are currently taking provisional bookings so please get in touch if you would like to book the venue, play in the venue or have a site visit to see for yourself the new opportunities Mareel will provide.

The tricky thing for us here at Shetland Arts is that we have to be very careful not to step on contractual toes, and that means there are details we cannot share with the public.  Some people may interpret this as cagey behaviour, but it is in the interests of the project. Our objective is simple – to deliver a building for the best possible price, of the best possible quality and in the best possible timeframe for Shetland.

Let me try and explain the issues around us being fully open on details of the Mareel construction, please bare with me I need to set the context a little first:

Mareel is a complex construction project. Much of the design includes detail and materials that have never been used in Shetland before. As with any large building project, there are things you discover as you go along – things that are hard to build, things you can do differently to save money and things that have to be redesigned because they are too expensive in their original form. It is the job of the Contract Administrator and our Quantity Surveyors alongside our Contractor to ensure the right party picks up any additional costs and any savings are realised for the Client (Shetland Arts).

Shetland Arts agreed a price for the construction of Mareel with D.I.T.T. Construction Ltd. The Contract, which includes a ‘Bill’ of items (that’s everything you can imagine needed to build a building), is the cornerstone of that agreement. However, just like with any building project (to varying degrees), as you go along you have to makes changes. Every change is carefully documented and will either save money on the agreed price, have no impact or add cost. Sometimes changes are requested by the Contractor at their cost and sometimes changes are requested by the Client, at the Clients cost.

We have a very detailed project management process in place. No changes are made that have a financial impact of £500 or more without a Change Request being issued and signed by the Client.

So, Shetland Arts started out with a contingency (a percentage of the construction contract amount budgeted for unforeseen circumstances or design changes identified after a construction project commences) to deal with the unknowns and changes that are the responsibility of the Client, and the Contractor picks up the other costs from contingencies that they have built into their agreed price. There are sometimes gray areas when the Client feels the costs should be picked up by the Contractor and visa-versa.  It’s the job of each others Quantity Surveyors to work this one out. Sometimes it’s a matter of “OK I will pick this one up, if you pick up that one”. It’s about finding a balanced fair way forward using the original Contract as the baseline.

So here’s where comment on rumours is not a good idea. If we were to suggest, for example, that there was a problem with a D.I.T.T. Sub-Contractor, we would be publicly placing blame and, with it, cost on D.I.T.T. Construction Ltd. That would not be fair, as it might not be the case. Likewise if D.I.T.T. were to suggest that a problem on site was due to the architects’ design, they would be passing cost onto the Client which might be equally unfair. These or suchlike discussions and suggestions need to be worked out between the relevant parties in private. Establishment of who picks up which cost is a detailed process (understandably, giving the monies involved) governed by the Contract and negotiated within a clear framework away from the politics, pressures and latest rumours of the day.

I act as the Client on behalf of Shetland Arts and have a detailed understanding of progress of the project. I spend around 3 days a week in construction related meetings or responding to Requests For Information (RFI’s) from Gareth Hoskins Architects and D.I.T.T. The Project Team are required under the Contract to respond within fixed timescales to queries to reduce delays. I’m either on site or with various members of the Project Team made up of our Project Manager (Ewen Balfour) our QS (Stephen Johnston), our Architects (Gary Johnston & Sarah Murphy) and our Contract Administrator (Ian Irving). We have a strong team of specialists advising and driving the project forward. Shetland Arts brings expertise in venue operation, cinema, events management and arts development, and the above team know their stuff when it comes to new builds. Progress is reported monthly to the Mareel Construction Board made up of key funders, Shetland Arts Trustees and members of the Project Team. Monthly updates are also made to The Mareel Sounding Board comprising Shetland Islands Council Elected Members.

So, when will Mareel be open?

Alas, at this time I don’t have an exact answer to that question. It’s frustrating I know, for all of us – including all those involved in building Mareel. I hope to be able to give more firm details on when we will open at the end of April. What I can tell you is that: progress on the building is continuing inside the building; D.I.T.T. have done what they can to mitigate the loss of their roofing contractor a couple weeks ago; much of the inside of the building is wind and watertight, and plasterboard and sound proofing is progressing throughout the building.

Shetland Arts has been taking bookings for Mareel since last October and we now have everything from weddings to club nights and jazz sessions to Christmas parties booked in. If you are interested in hiring Mareel and would like a look around the building do get in touch with us at Shetland Arts on 01595 743843.

For an independent take on the construction of Mareel, take a look at Pete Bevington’s article published on the Shetland News website yesterday – Inside Mareel

John Tait, Director DITT Construction Ltd said: “Snow and gales affected transport and shipping, roads on mainland Britain were snowbound affecting deliveries to ports, and ports and ship sailings were further affected by gale force winds which disrupted sailing times. These disruptions impacted on the foyer timbers being delivered to site on the last day of work prior to Christmas, so that no works were progressed to the front of the building”.

John added: “Crucially the programmed wind and water tight date of the end of November could not be met. The weather also disrupted the main roofing contractors work due to risks of working in icy conditions and in high winds”.

As it stands the building is not wind and watertight and there is risk of further delay should winter weather conditions continue to disrupt progress on site. Every effort is being made by DITT Construction Ltd and the Design Team to recover lost time.

However after careful consideration of the build programme and potential further disruption from winter weather the Mareel Project Team concluded today (20 Jan. 11) that the opening of Mareel will slip from spring 2011 into Summer 2011. Shetland Arts today notified acts who had been provisionally booked to perform in Mareel and hirers of the building in July 2011 that the building would not now be operational during this month. Most significantly Mareel will not be open for Tall Ships 2011.

Gwilym Gibbons, Director of Shetland Arts said: “It is clearly regrettable that Mareel will not now be open until the summer of 2011 and most significantly that the four day Tall Ships event will be missed. The severe weather experienced last month was unprecedented and unfortunately came at a crucial time in the construction programme”.

Gwilym added: “Mareel is long awaited and when open will provide a friendly high quality music and cinema venue for generations to come. The delay although disappointing particularly in terms of Tall Ships, is a delay of weeks in the fulfilment of an aspiration that goes back 15 years. Mareel will be well worth the wait”.

Watch Mareel Video Blog 2 for more explanation of the delays below:

Mareel Video Blog 2: 20th Jan 2011 from Shetland Arts on Vimeo.

Shetland Arts are looking for a web development company to help them build the online presence for Mareel, Shetland’s music, cinema and creative industries venue currently under construction on Lerwick’s waterfront.

Gwilym Gibbons, Director of Shetland Arts said: “As the physical presence of Mareel takes shape on Lerwick’s waterfront Shetland Arts is now looking to build Mareel’s virtual presence in the form of a dynamic website that will not only provide information on events taking place in the venue but will enable customers to buy tickets and for promoters to check availability of the venue for functions and make provisional bookings”.

At this time the  Arts Development Agency is seeking expressions of interest from developers with experience in incorporating social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, together with online Box Office software for ticket sales, into the venue’s website.

Gwilym Gibbons added: “Mareel will be producing a wealth of multi media content are we’re keen to allow people to access information from wherever they are, whether via a computer, mobile phone or any other device”.

Interested parties should send their contact details and a brief description of the company & approach to info@shetlandarts.org by the 6th of Dec, 2010. See Shetland Arts Opportunities for more info.

Mareel is due to open next spring and the venue is already taking bookings from July 2011 onwards. A busy programme is taking shape for the summer. Those interested in booking Mareel should contact Richard Wemyss on 01595 743843 or email richard.wemyss@shetlandarts.org

The brand is in the final stages of development and feeding into ideas for the signage, internal colours and finishes of Mareel itself. More news to follow on this as we have it.

I have uploaded 24 new images of Mareel and added commentary (Click on full screen and ‘Show Info’ to read) to almost all of them to give you an insight into the inside the building at this time. Most exciting is how the various rooms are taking shape. Not least the Recording Studio which includes the Live Room and Control Room separated by a large window.

I am also pleased to report that we are still on budget and on time thanks to the efforts of our Design Team and DITT Construction Ltd. Mareel is a hugely complex project and it is no easy task to keep things on track.

The next phase will see the building become fully watertight. Although, areas of the building are already watertight enough for the M&E (Mechanical and Electrical) contractor to get going with air conditioning and cable ducting.

Shetland Arts has started taking bookings for July 2011 onwards, so give us a call if you are interested in using space in the venue.

You can see why snow stopped play for a short period in February. Although beautiful it wasn’t the kind of weather to be clambering around scaffold in. Amazing to see Cinema 1 under a foot of snow. That’s last time that will happen I hope!

The latest images below give you an idea of the significant progress over the last month despite the weather. I had a walk round the first floor level yesterday for the first time. About 60% of the first floor slabs are now complete. This means that block work up to the next level is well underway. It was great to get a real sense of the upstairs rooms for the first time. I wandered into the recording studio, multi media room, a dressing room. The rehearsal room/ dance studio and into the upstairs ladies toilets. Most exciting though was standing on the balcony of the café bar looking through what will be a two storey window across the dock to the museum. Its a great view. The relationship between the two building works really well I think.

On the money front all is going well despite persistent rumours. To add to my last post I think it worth spelling a few things out. Recent reports suggest that we are being put under pressure by Shetland Islands Council Development Committee to take corrective action on the level of remaining contingency. It’s important to note accountabilities and sequence of events. Just in case of any doubt and at risk of repeating myself, Mareel is a Shetland Arts Development Agency project. The Council is just one of a number of funders albeit a highly valued one. The SIC is contributing around 51% of the capital costs of Mareel. The SIC are not required to fund any additional costs above this commitment. I have repeatedly stated over the past two years that we have no intention to return to the Council for more support. The risk and the liability sits solely with Shetland Arts. Shetland Charitable Trust is not putting any funds in to the construction of Mareel nor have they been asked and nor will they be asked.

The Mareel Capital project has a tight and strict management structure. Spend on the project is monitored at a number of levels and the aim with the contingency is to maintain 2% against remaining spend. On the 5th February I reported to the Mareel Construction Board that our contingency spend had dropped below 2% and corrective action was being explored. By the time we reported the last cost report to the SIC Sounding Board (a group of Members charged with monitoring the project on behalf of the Council) on the 18th February, I reported that saving had been found and the contingency sum was back up to 2%. At the Development Committee the following week Members expressed their concern about the contingency, even though we had already made the saving.

At the Mareel Construction Board last night (12 March) I was pleased to report that our contingency was now sitting at 3% of remaining spend. Well above our target.

The thing about a contingency is that it will go up and down. Even if we do nothing it will go up relative to remaining spend. But more than likely it will be spent by the end of the project. If there is any left it will go back to our funder of last resort – ERDF European funds.

I am fortunate to be working with a great team of highly experienced professionals from DITT Construction to our Design Team. All are receptive to seeking out savings where possible. I and the rest of the team are committed to the delivery of this project on budget. My job is to keep Mareel on track, on budget and ensure Shetland ends up with a high quality venue that we will all grow to know and love. It’s not easy at times but we are getting there.

I will keep the updates coming. In the mean time spread the words: Mareel, on time and on budget. Thanks!