Assistant Director in the Project Delivery Team, Elle shares her favourite day in Parliament

The Project Delivery Team is accountable for the delivery of all the current major projects across the Parliamentary Estate. As Assistant Director Elle leads an in-house team of Project Leaders from a multi-disciplinary technical background and is responsible for the leadership of major capital projects across the parliamentary estate.  

“It is very hard to pinpoint a favourite day – every day working at Parliament is so rewarding in different ways! I could be delivering a project whilst ensuring Parliamentary business can continue to run uninterrupted or working closely with the supply chain to drive best practice and positive change in the industry.   

“However, if forced to pick one, I would say that my favourite day at Parliament so far was a sunny spring day a few years ago. We had just completed erecting a scaffold on the Terrace, in order to undertake some stone repairs on the outside of the building. Getting the scaffolding put up had been challenging – we’d had to deal with complex logistics and poor weather throughout the build period.  

“Walking up the scaffold for the first time, I was able to see the incredible, intricate, and high-quality Victorian workmanship along the façade of the Terrace. The detail was amazing, and I felt so fortunate to be one of very few people to witness this up close.  

“As we climbed up the scaffold, the view got better and better – with Elizabeth Tower (also known as Big Ben) gleaming in the sunshine, and the Thames stretching out in the distance. All the challenges of getting the scaffolding put up felt very worth it at that moment. 

“Our architectural team then pointed out some interesting engineering undertaken by the Victorians (who built the Palace of Westminster) – the stone carvings at the top of the Palace do not have heads! Instead, they have a flat surface, as no-one would ever have been above them and so the detail was deemed not required.  

“Parliament is truly such a unique place to work. There are so many opportunities to get involved and some fascinating construction projects, which are driving innovation. I am fortunate to work with a committed, talented, and friendly team, and can’t wait to create more favourite days with them and our wider supply chain.”