Our Company History

McAlpine Limited

McAlpine Limited was incorporated in the Cayman Islands on April 20, 1970 as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd to undertake construction work throughout the Caribbean.

Sir Robert McAlpine was founded in the UK in 1869 and has remained a stable presence in the industry over the past 150 years. Sir Robert McAlpine’s reputation is founded on continued technical excellence, innovation, entrepreneurial spirit, and a future-focused approach. Worldwide, the annual turnover of the McAlpine group of companies exceeds one billion dollars, a significant increase since our first contract in 1869 for the repair of a mine chimney for £2.45. McAlpine Limited is able to draw on these extensive resources to meet the demands of even the most complex projects.

The first contract undertaken by McAlpine was the Legislative Assembly Building for the Cayman Islands Government, which began in July 1971. Over the last 50 years in Cayman, McAlpine has been involved in the delivery of some of the country’s most iconic buildings and infrastructure projects for both the Government and private sector clients.

McAlpine has constructed some of Cayman’s most well-known buildings and has, in the process, built itself a reputation for quality construction. As the foremost local contractor with nearly five decades of experience building in Cayman, McAlpine brings a considerable amount of relevant expertise to each project.

McAlpine’s ability to combine the strengths of our local and expatriate workforce to achieve our objectives affords us considerable advantages over international contractors. With a well-trained locally based team experienced in building here, we offer our Clients dependability and relevant expertise

McAlpine offers a variety of services in the local market, including General Contractors, Design-Build Contractors, Construction Management Contractors, and Concrete Subcontractors.

McAlpine operates primarily as a General Contractor in Cayman and employs nearly 100 operatives which include engineers, project managers, quantity surveyors, tradesmen, and semi and unskilled laborers. McAlpine undertakes vast portions of building projects with its own resources, contrary to the global trend where contractors will subcontract the entire scope of work. This ability to undertake the concrete frames and fit-outs gives McAlpine the ability to control the quality and delivery of the final product.

In our traditional role of General Contractor McAlpine has completed numerous projects which include the Court House (1973), AALL / Diamonds International Building (1974), CIBC Building on Edward Street (1975), the Glass House (1976), Lime Tree Bay Condominiums (1977), Grand Pavilion (1981), Plantana Condominiums (1982), The Retreat at Rum Point (1984), British American Centre (1984), Harquail Theatre (1986), George Town Fire Station (1988), Jose’s Rubis (1989), Great House Condos (1991), Britannia Condos (1991), Queensgate House (1993), GHHS Technical Block (1994), North Side Civic Centre (1995), First Caribbean Bank Building (1996), Elizabethan Square (1996), Savannah Primary (1996), Community College Library (1997),Cayman Islands Hospital (1998), UBS/MUFG Building (1999), Century Yard at Cricket Square (2001), On the Bay Condos (2001), Brit Cay House (2001), Royal Bank of Canada Building (2001), Harbour Place (2002), Industrial Park Esso (2002), Citrus Grove (2003), 62 Forum Lane at Camana Bay (2007), Boundary Hall at Cricket Square (2007), Cayman Motor Museum (2009), Walkers Building (2011), Willow House at Cricket Square (2012), GTPS Expansion (2012), Ritz Carlton Renovations (2014), JGHS Gymnasium (2017) and most recently Phase II of the Owen Roberts International Airport.

As a Design Builder, McAlpine completed the new Government Administration Building on Elgin Avenue in 2011. This remains the largest single construction contract ever awarded by the Cayman Islands Government. The project was delivered on time and under budget, a significant accomplishment for the parties involved. McAlpine recently successfully completed the SIX Building at Cricket Square for the Flowers family on a Design and Build basis. This form of contract delivery has been extremely successful in delivering projects on time and within budget as a result of the McAlpine management of the building process. Other design build projects completed in Cayman include Ugland House (1999) and the Bank of Butterfield Building (2007).

In addition to the numerous building projects, McAlpine has played a significant role in developing the infrastructure of the island over the last 50 years. The most important of these was the Cargo Port completed in 1977 in Hog Sty Bay. The significance of the port to the development of Cayman, from its humble beginnings to the jewel of the Caribbean, is often overlooked. Other infrastructure projects include the Fuel Pipe Line from Jackson Point to CUC and the Airport (1989), West Bay Road Sidewalks (1990), South Tender Terminal Hog Sty Bay (1993), Cayman Shores/Dart Seawall (2002), Seawater Desalination Plant (2002), Camana Bay Town Center Utilities (2007) and CUC Cooling Pipeline (2015).

On many of the commercial office projects we construct for developers we often also undertake the office fit-outs for the tenants. McAlpine, over the years, has delivered some of the most complex and advanced fit-outs for our Clients. Some of the innovations in our fit-out contracts are the introduction of Cat 6 cabling on the island, offices with full raised access floors, offices with underfloor air access floors, and full LED office lighting. Our tenant fit-out Clients include many of the leading local and global financial services firms, such as KPMG, Ernst & Young, Campbells, Maples, Walkers, and Conyers.

In the tradition of our founder, Sir Robert McAlpine, who became affectionately known as Concrete Bob, a driving force in our continuing success is our expertise in constructing concrete frame buildings. This kind of construction is desirable in an island environment, and McAlpine has been the leading contractor in this area. Over the last 15 years, we have demonstrated that concrete framed construction can be as fast and as cost-effective as any other type of construction used in Cayman. McAlpine owns the plant and equipment and has the experienced labour to construct these projects on the island. These types of buildings are more durable, easier to maintain and perform better, particularly in the face of a hurricane or earthquake. Not only does McAlpine construct the concrete frames for the buildings, but we have also developed unique relationships with other local contractors. On these projects, we feel privileged to be able to contribute in a small way to the success of their projects, utilising our vast experience and resources to construct the concrete frames. The most significant of these projects is the new Kimpton Seafire Resort. We were subcontracted to DECCO and completed the concrete frame in record time to allow the hotel to open as scheduled. Other concrete structures we have built include CUC Phase 5 (2016) for Danish firm BWSC, 18 Forum Lane (2015) and 1 Nexus Way (2017) for DECCO, Appleby Office Building for Arch & Godfrey, and Oceana Condos for the NCB Group.

In 2011, McAlpine led a team of local firms as the Construction Management Contractor for a complex and critical project for the Cayman Islands Government. McAlpine, DECCO Ltd., and Arch & Godfrey (Cayman) Ltd. successfully undertook a joint venture, known as Cayman Construction Management Ltd. (CCML), to provide construction management services to the Ministry of Education to complete the 160,000 sq. ft. Clifton Hunter High School Project. The project was initially performed by a foreign-based General Contractor, but fell into trouble. Following the dismissal of the contractor, CCML assumed the role of Construction Manager on behalf of the Cayman Islands Government. McAlpine served as the lead organization within the CCML team, providing over 75% of the management team, including the three senior positions: Project Manager, Commercial Manager, and Construction Manager. The members of CCML represented three local competitors who had never previously worked together. The combined skills and management approach of the team were instrumental in successfully completing the project in time for the start of the 2012-2013 academic year.

McAlpine generally prefers for the residential market to be served by a multitude of competent local contractors. However, we have undertaken a few select homes for the Boxall, Geller, Day, Watkins, Ferrandi, and Bould families.

After Hurricane Andrew struck Florida in 1992, developers became much more interested in buildings that could withstand extreme weather conditions and natural disasters here in the Cayman Islands. That was compounded by the islands’ own experiences with Ivan in September 2004, which has led to a greater demand for the hurricane-rated buildings in which McAlpine specializes. Hurricane Ivan proved that if Cayman is to remain a major financial centre, then we must ensure our businesses are adequately protected in the event of a natural disaster so that there is little or no interruption in their critical business activities. Citrus Grove was completed in August 2003 and is designed to 300-year storm specification (Category 5 Hurricane). The building performed exceptionally well during Hurricane Ivan and became the temporary location for many businesses whose premises were destroyed. The anchor tenant, Deloitte, had no interruption to its business activities, and the building now houses the 911 emergency call center, a genuine reflection of the true strength of this building. Since 2004, McAlpine has constructed several buildings to the enhanced hurricane 15 lb. missile standards of the Cayman Islands Government. These include the Cayman Motor Museum (2009), Cayman Government Administration Building (2011), Willow House at Cricket Square (2012), Clifton Hunter High School (2013), and the recently completed Owen Roberts International Airport Expansion.

It was the goal of our previous Managing Director, Mr. Henry Propper, to train and promote Caymanians to the highest positions. We are extremely proud of the progress we have made in recruiting Caymanians to work for the company. We were the first local contractor to send Caymanians overseas to learn carpentry, quantity surveying, engineering, and other skills. McAlpine has developed a reputation as the local leader in developing and training Caymanians in the construction industry. Over the years, we have developed numerous individuals who have remained with McAlpine and contributed to our success in Cayman. Many trained in our systems have branched out to form their own business and successfully operate as Building Contractors or Subcontractors in the local industry. One of our success stories is Miss Tracy Rankine, who obtained a degree in Quantity Surveying in 2013 from the University of Reading. Miss Rankine was on a joint Cayman Government/McAlpine Scholarship. Upon completion of her studies, she worked with our parent company, Sir Robert McAlpine, in the UK until 2016. In May 2016, she returned to Cayman to work on our Owen Roberts International Airport Phase II Project.

McAlpine can demonstrate our record of training and promoting Caymanians to the highest level of our organisation. Our past Managing Director, Mr. Ian Pairaudeau, started working with McAlpine in 1988. After graduating with a degree in Quantity Surveying from the University of Greenwich in 1991, he worked with our parent company in the UK. In 2006, he was promoted to Managing Director of McAlpine Ltd and Regional Manager for the Caribbean. The company’s new General Manager, Richard Noel, is committed to grooming a Caymanian to fill his position within the next few years.

The reputation McAlpine has for bringing in quality work on time owes much to the fact that it has a stable workforce which is less influenced by immigration issues, employee shortages, and international market fluctuations. McAlpine’s consistency and ability to complete major projects on time, a crucial element in modern development, means we have an enviable track record that has attracted repeat clients, resulting in multiple projects for the company. Looking to the future and the firm’s continued success, McAlpine is determined to deliver well-constructed buildings to clients on time and on budget. Recruiting and training local staff remains a key element of the future strategy, as does pushing forward to meet the new challenges that will come from Cayman’s changing landscape. With our highly trained staff, access to necessary resources, and, above all, local experience, McAlpine continues to be an attractive alternative for developers. The firm can offer its clients sensible no-nonsense advice about specific projects and lead clients in the right direction to achieve their goals.