Peter Falla

GROWING A BUSINESS

As the founder of well-known local architectural practice, PF+A, Peter Falla is a familiar face in the industry. That was recognised at the recent Guernsey Property and Construction Awards, when he received the ‘Lifetime Achievement’ accolade. Having recently stepped back from the day to day running of the business, he found the time to speak to us for a lookback at his successful career and to share what sparks his passion outside the office.

From a young age, Peter Falla was aware of the importance of a successful building project. When he started secondary school in Guernsey, he attended the then brand-new St Peter Port School, watching local firm R G Falla complete the building over his first few terms. That experience not only increased his enjoyment of school, but the education he received set him up for a lifelong career in the industry.

“The teachers at the school were excellent and they certainly had high aspirations for their students. I had a couple of key teachers who motivated me to pursue technical drawing, including Peter Sherbourne who was instrumental in encouraging me to get relevant work experience. That meant I was well-prepared when I left school, which I was very grateful for.”

Peter had undertaken that work experience at Speakman Sayers & Cuttle, a traditional architectural practice which was responsible for a lot of the island’s architecture at the time. When he then went to work for them straight after leaving school it was a formative experience.

“I left school age 16 and went straight into work. It was a very different industry to now, I was drawing with Rotring pens and having to scratch out ink with a razor blade. But it certainly taught me the art of drawing and I learned a lot. The role also introduced me to people who would end up having a major impact on my career later in my life such as David Closs.” With the firm supporting Peter to continue his education, he was sent to Huddersfield Technical College to study for an ONC Diploma in Building Studies.

“They sponsored my studies which was great, but it was also pretty hard work. It worked as a block release programme where I did eight week terms and also worked in industry. I was still pretty young and it was my first time living outside Guernsey, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.”

In fact, Peter enjoyed it so much he returned to Huddersfield Polytechnic to study for an HNC in Building Studies before leaving Speakman Sayers & Cuttle to start work with a new employer – an opportunity that took him a long way from Huddersfield.

“My second job was with a company called ETS, which had been set up by Guernsey-based businessman David Winn. They worked exclusively in Nigeria providing services to improve the lives of those living there. The Nigerian government commissioned ETS to provide water and electrical services to 56 towns in northern Nigeria and all the drawing work to support that was done from Guernsey. It was a fascinating opportunity that you would never expect to get in a small place like this. It was fantastic – I did work ranging from the design of small power stations to overhead lines.”

That was an exciting opportunity in itself, but the job was soon to prove even more of a challenge for a then 20-year-old Peter.

“I was given the opportunity to go to Nigeria myself to support one of the engineers out there. It was in a really remote area and we were mainly building water towers. The engineer ended up injuring himself and was sent home so I was left with a team of 30 Nigerians. I decided to just keep going with the project and we ended up completing the foundations for four water towers. Altogether I did two stints of around a year each in Nigeria before I decided I needed a break from that lifestyle and I left the company.”

I LOVED DESIGN BUT ALSO HAD QUITE A LOT OF CONSTRUCTION EXPERIENCE, SO SETTING UP ON MY OWN CAME VERY NATURALLY.

Following the challenge of his chaotic Nigerian lifestyle, Peter decided that a real change was in order and opted for a much more structured workplace when he was offered at job with the States of Guernsey working in Building Control.

“There was great camaraderie in the team and it was a really good move for me. I was given the opportunity to work in numerous States departments to get a good grounding in the whole design process, and was even seconded to York County Council for a period so that I could learn from that experience.”

With Peter’s employers again seeing the potential in him pursuing education, the States sponsored him to undertake a degree at what is now Westminster University.

“I did a four year full-time degree in Building, which was a great opportunity. I perhaps didn’t make the most of it at the beginning and enjoyed myself a little too much, until one day when I was summoned to see the dean because I’d failed an exam. On my way to the meeting I was cycling through Hyde Park when I unexpectedly encountered a dog and went straight over the handlebars. The dog’s owner picked me up and took me into college where I managed to persuade the dean to give me the chance to retake the exam. When I sat the retake, I did so well I was selected for the honours stream. I think I can thank the dog for knocking some sense into me!” When Peter returned to the island with his degree he worked as a building inspector before deciding he needed to broaden his horizons. He was offered a job with a development company who had a series of contracts to build Novotel hotels, including one in Guernsey. He started work, only to find the job wasn’t quite where he expected.

“The company had actually decided to shelve the Guernsey project and told me that I’d be starting work in Manchester. So I accidentally left the island again! As with many things though, it ended up working out for the best. I worked on a 120-bedroom Novotel in Worsley as a client representative on site. It was ideal as I got the benefit of learning the ropes with everything from design to construction without having to make any key decisions. I was there for a few years before they decided to complete the Guernsey hotel, which is now The Peninsula, and I came back to the island as site manager. The role involved direct procurement with various sub-contractors and I was responsible for all site operations. It was a steep learning curve but I had amazing support from a fantastic site foreman, Roy Hilton. The hotel was eventually finished in 1988 and cost £6million to build.”

Having planned to leave Guernsey again to work on a new Novotel in Stevenage, Peter’s plans changed when his family looked set to expand. He and wife Janice decided to stay in the island, and he finally decided to put his entrepreneurial spirit to good use.

MAJOR PLAYERS SUCH AS TOM SCOTT GAVE US WORK AND WE BEGAN TO GET THE ATTENTION OF DEVELOPERS WHICH JUST SAW THE COMPANY GO FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH.

“I first started working for myself supporting a company designing conservatories, which gave me a constant stream of small jobs through which I met a lot of people. That private work swiftly started to grow and I expanded the business before deciding to merge with one of my old mentors, David Closs.”

For Peter, it was a natural progression that allowed him to use the experience he had gained through his varied career with his skills and passion.

“I loved design but also had quite a lot of construction experience, so setting up on my own came very naturally. Back then, everything was still drawn manually but I was so passionate about it that I managed to get through a prodigious amount of work.”

Closs Falla was set up in 1990 and after a successful half decade, David and Peter decided to go their separate ways. With Peter changing the business name to Peter Falla and Associates, it was the start of a brand that is now so well known around the island.

“From those small beginnings, I gradually built up a good client base. I did a lot of design work for well-known venues such as Christies, the Red Onion and Les Folies d’Amour, which was obviously a great opportunity to get our name out in the public domain. Following that, major players such as Tom Scott gave us work and we began to get the attention of developers which saw the company go from strength to strength.

I’M VERY AVAILABLE TO ALL OF OUR CLIENTS AND WILL CERTAINLY BE CONTINUING TO BE HEAVILY INVOLVED WITH THE BUSINESS. MY ROLE NOW IS MORE OF A BIG PICTURE ONE, WHICH IS FANTASTIC.

“From the start, it has always been really important to keep a good relationship with our clients. I never wanted to be seen as arrogant or unapproachable, the aim was always to listen to what clients wanted, take it on board and produce it efficiently. My construction background has always made a big difference in helping projects to run smoothly, and I pride myself on my problem solving. Of course there are always difficulties with any construction project, but it’s how you deal with them that matters. My company has never had a blame culture – we just want to find solutions.”

Finding solutions has also meant moving with the times. While Peter has retained his traditional drawing skills, he appreciated early on that it would be necessary to move to computer-based design and he ensured he employed the right people at the right time.

“At one stage we had 15 drawing boards and within two years they were all gone. For me, it has been about using people’s strengths and moving with the times. We introduced 2D CAD early which revolutionised our practice. Now we’ve moved on to 3D CAD and have some really exciting virtual reality software and equipment which allows people to really see and feel the design.”

The emphasis on computer-generated design has also allowed the office to move away from paper files, in keeping with its general ethos of being more environmentally aware.

“We have embraced sustainability at all levels, from our designs and building methods to the way we run the office. Our staff are paid a pound a day if they don’t come to work by car so we’re always looking to find new ways to motivate the business to be better.”

That quest for improvement spreads to every level of the company, with constant tweaks to ensure PF+A is a great place to work.

“We are always looking for initiatives to ensure that our staff are happy and motivated. We recently physically split our technical department from our creative department and moved them to different areas of the office. We had listened to our employees and realised that the technical staff were looking for a quiet space, which we then provided. We also let our staff organise their own hours – as long as they don’t let the team or our clients down we trust them with the flexibility to work the hours that suit them.”

From its small start, PF+A is now a wellestablished brand throughout not only Guernsey but Jersey, where the firm opened an office in 2016. Now staffed by six people, it has established itself in its own right, while also offering support to the Guernsey studio.

“We have some very highly qualified people in Jersey, who offer something different in that island. But the office also helps our design capability here in Guernsey. When we get overloaded with work, the Jersey team kicks in and vice versa. It also gives all our staff the opportunity for more varied work across the islands.”

What is consistent across the islands is PF+A’s distinctive branding – the bright orange circle has been a key part of their logo and is a familiar sight across building sites in Guernsey. But it apparently came about somewhat by chance.

“When the planning department introduced the fact you had to put a notice board up with details of the work being done on a site, we thought we’d take advantage of that by putting our phone number on the back. We were then told that we couldn’t do that and that it needed to be a plain painted board. We decided to make our boards easily distinguishable by creating circular boards and painting them bright orange. It was a giant leap for our brand and that little orange disc has stayed with us ever since”

While some things have stayed the same, the company has clearly moved on considerably since Peter founded it. Having created and guided it with so much success, he is now looking to the next stage of his life.

“I have been keen for a long time to share out the company and ensure that my key players have shares in the business. That included changing the name from its original Peter Falla and Associates to simply PF+A. I have always wanted a culture that isn’t ‘us and them’ with employees versus management, which has now resulted in quite a wide ownership of PF+A. I recently stepped down as CEO, a role which is being filled admirably by John Hibbs, as I wanted to make sure we had a robust succession plan in place.”

While Peter may have stood down as CEO, he describes himself as very far from retired.

“I wanted to step back a little but also be there to support the team with anything they needed. I’m very available to all of our clients and will certainly be continuing to be heavily involved with the business. My role now is more of a big picture one, which is fantastic. I can contribute to the design work, bring in new clients, and utilise my lifetime of problem solving skills to help with any issues.”

When not busy supporting PF+A, Peter will be indulging in one of his lesser known passions – growing fruit and vegetables.

“I have the Guernsey growing genes and a few years ago I was working on a development site in Calais Lane in St Martin’s. When the planners refused permission to develop the greenhouse space, I bought it and have grown chemical-free produce there ever since. I initially planned to grow asparagus, and still do, but we produce everything from purple potatoes to Jerusalem artichokes and even supply some produce to local restaurants such as Le Petit Bistro, Octopus and The Captain’s.

“It has made myself and my wife completely self-sufficient when it comes to fresh produce, and also encourages us to eat seasonally. It’s certainly something we do for fun, rather than a business opportunity, but I absolutely love it. Taking a little more time out from PF+A will mean that I have more time to spend in our greenhouse which I’m very excited about – morel mushrooms and chilli peppers are now high on my wish list.”

Between his continued involvement with PF+A and his love for horticulture, it’s clear that while Peter may have won a ‘lifetime achievement’ award, he has no intention of slowing down any time soon.