Golden years: specialist contractor Kori Construction builds expansion on later-life schemes

This growth sees the business currently seeking planning permission to build a new office, alongside undertaking a historical restoration of Corby’s second oldest building. It has also branched out into multi-room developments, with the construction of a 100-bed hostel almost complete and is currently on site delivering its second life sciences scheme, which comprises the transformation of an existing warehouse into CL2-ready laboratory and office space. 

“Our work comes predominantly from repeat clients,” says Jordan Connachie, managing director. It has provided several projects for Birchgrove, Care UK, Porthaven Care Homes, Barchester Healthcare, Cinnamon Care Collection Avery Healthcare, Artisan Care, Abora Developments and Oakland Care. 

Value engineering a showcase project

Kori Construction’s showcase project is Christ Church Apartments in Leatherhead, Surrey for Birchgrove. This £23m project comprised the design and construction of 62 high-quality one- and two-bedroom apartments designed specifically for people in later life. The development, which has a total GIFA of 6701m2, features three two-storey linked-detached buildings constructed above a basement car park. Residents enjoy a range of onsite amenities, including a restaurant, licensed bar, wellness suite with a gym and various multi-purpose spaces. Externally, the development boasts landscaped gardens, with shaded seating areas and a versatile bowling green for outdoor activities.

This project is Kori Construction’s largest scheme to date and was also the first retirement living scheme it completed and led to securing two further projects with this client, equating to £40m worth of work. 

“This project was also a success from a pre-construction perspective,” says Scott Bartlett, Kori’s construction director. “We were appointed by the client through a two-stage process to support the development of the design and to carry out a comprehensive value engineering exercise, which involved exploring and pricing two options. As the client had already secured planning consent for the scheme, we were bought in to assist with pricing the planning consented scheme. 

“In parallel, however, we undertook a significant value engineering exercise to produce an alternative, more commercially viable option. This required close liaison with the local planning authority to navigate amendments and adapt the consented design accordingly. We progressed both options concurrently, developing the design and pricing each scheme, to give the client flexibility while awaiting planning approval on either option. 

“A key lesson learnt from this project during construction was the importance of logistical planning and proactive neighbour engagement when working on a constrained site with limited space and close proximity to occupied residential properties,” says Bartlett.

“To manage material movements efficiently and safely, we employed a dedicated gateman and implemented a tightly controlled delivery schedule. Materials were delivered on a just-in-time basis to avoid congestion, and the gateman played a critical role in minimising disruption to traffic and maintaining pedestrian safety. We also recognised the value of maintaining strong relationships with neighbouring residents throughout the project. Regular newsletters, home visits, and open lines of communication with the site team helped build trust. 

“Key environmental features at Christ Church Apartments include the full installation of air source heat pumps (ASHP), eliminating reliance on fossil fuels and enabling a fully electric, low-carbon solution for heating and hot water. Local materials and suppliers were used wherever possible to minimise transport-related emissions and strengthen the local economy. In addition, the scheme incorporates extensive soft landscaping and biodiverse planting throughout the site, enhancing ecology and promoting resident wellbeing.

Social value and digital platforms

Kori Construction develops an outline social value action plan on every scheme using the Thrive online software platform. This proprietary framework which draws from the Impact Evaluation Standard, is designed to help organisations measure and value their social value activities.

“We then propose an initial target per project of social and local economic value to deliver to the local community, through local job creation, skills development, and meaningful community engagement,” says Elaine Kendall, head of sustainability.

“The Thrive Social Value Software also enables us to monitor sustainability performance and support long-term strategic planning. We can measure, value audit and report the output of our social value activities and contribution made to society on every project, which includes engaging with young people to encourage them to consider a career in construction.

“Through data capture and Power BI reporting, we now have greater visibility over training compliance across the business and can identify individual role-specific development needs. This analysis is helping us build a comprehensive career progression framework. NVQ pathways and CIOB membership remain central to defining competence for our managers and business leaders. In the past 12 months, we have welcomed several new directors and managers into CIOB membership, which helps demonstrate our commitment to professional development.” 

The contractor has also made significant investments in digital platforms to enhance onsite safety, compliance, and quality management. 

It uses InnDex as its core health and safety platform. “This digitises inductions, RAMS approvals and permits ensuring that every operative is fully briefed before turning up to work on our site,” says Bartlett. “The platform also streamlines near-miss and incident reporting, enabling us to capture and act on data in real time. This has contributed to measurable improvements, including a reduced Accident Frequency Rate (AFR) and an increase in near-miss reporting, which helps us proactively address risks before they escalate.”

Kori Construction is adopting Procore as its integrated project management platform, providing a single location for drawings, RFIs, submittals, and site diaries. Its mobile-friendly interface ensures that site teams have live access to the latest information, reducing errors caused by outdated documents and improving programme certainty.

“ProcurePro revolutionises how we manage our subcontractors by centralising all relevant information and communications into one digital platform,” Bartlett explains. “This unified view allows us to track subcontractor availability, performance and compliance in real-time, helping us coordinate procurement and monitor progress more accurately. 

“We are also developing a Digital Lakehouse and employed a Data Architect to provide real-time data dashboards using Power BI, enabling both immediate local interventions and strategic business decision-making. 

“These digital platforms are a key driver of our lean management approach, which is currently being trialled in full on our Fir Court Road, Taverham project for Abora Developments. The adoption of digital applications significantly reduces paper usage and eliminates duplication across processes. This enables us to run streamlined, compliant workflows that save time, cut waste and improve project delivery.” 

Commitment to ethics and quality

It was Kori Construction’s commitment to the high professional and ethical standards in construction that motivated it to seek chartered company status. “We became a CIOB member company because we wanted to demonstrate our CIOB membership provides an internationally recognised mark of professionalism,” says MD Connachie. “This has helped reassure clients and stakeholders that we operate to the highest industry standards and are committed to delivering quality projects responsibly. Clients regularly acknowledge our membership as a sign that we take governance, quality and safety seriously. It gives them confidence in our ability to deliver complex schemes. 

“CIOB supports our internal strategy of nurturing talent by encouraging our team to work towards chartered status, promoting professional growth, and creating a culture of pride and accountability. Internally, staff have responded positively, with many seeing membership as an opportunity to further their professional development and gain recognition for their expertise. This has improved engagement and supported our efforts to attract and retain top talent.”