Construction has begun on Fairways, St. Andrews, an exclusive development of four luxury townhouses on some of the most sought-after residential land in the UK, directly opposite the iconic Old Course. Each property is expected to have a market value in excess of £7million and must be completed in time for residents to move in before The 155th Open Championship in July 2027. Unusually, the four properties have been designed with a reinforced concrete frame, rather than the typical timber or brickwork found in houses.
Although we have worked with Napier CS Ltd, the contractor responsible for the in-situ concrete basement, columns, and floor slabs, on many projects regularly, this is our first collaboration on a housebuilding scheme. It’s also our first time working on a frame with specialist FRC subcontractor C A McPherson Ltd who were appointed by Napier CS Ltd to install the temporary works.
A partnership built on precision
To ensure a smooth start on site, our sales engineer met with teams at C A McPherson and Napier CS Ltd ahead of construction to review the drawings and installation sequence in detail. The operatives also received system training to ensure they could safely and effectively use the specific PERI products involved in the project. This was reinforced by an on-site toolbox talk delivered by one of our project managers once the work began, providing an opportunity to answer any further questions and ensure they were confident using the systems.
Navigating a confined plot
The main challenge at Fairways, St Andrews, lies in the confined footprint . An estimated 1,000 m² site area, combined with a 500 m² building footprint and additional site cabins, utilities, and drainage, leaves very limited space for construction operations. With the buildings set just one metre from the site boundary, there is no space for laydown areas, long-term storage, or heavy lifting equipment. This means the formwork has to be delivered in small sections and assembled entirely by hand.
For the slabs, we supplied our SKYDECK panelised slab formwork system, delivered on a HIAB vehicle so the site team could position the equipment exactly where it was needed, helping to reduce on-site storage requirements. The system was easily assembled by hand, with the heaviest panel weighing 15.5 kg and the heaviest beam 25 kg.
Striking early to beat the deadline
“On such a tight site, every move has to be carefully planned. Working with PERI’s systems and their expert team made what could have been a logistical nightmare completely manageable. We really appreciate their support in getting the best results and value out of the equipment.”
Ron Napier
Managing Director, Napier CS Ltd
The other major benefit of using SKYDECK is the ability to strike early. While concrete typically takes around 30 days to reach full strength, the site team were able to remove SKYDECK panels and beams after just a week, leaving the props in place for support and backpropping, allowing the rest of the formwork components to be cycled to the next level.