North Hertfordshire College Sports Hall

Client
North Hertfordshire College
Contractor
Value
£7.6m
Completion Date
25 August 2022

The Challenge

Navigating the logistics of site access posed a significant challenge from the outset for this ambitious project. The site area for the football pitch was bounded by a new housing development, secured through a joint planning application with Cala Homes. Galliford Try’s (GT’s) early works package required extensive use of their site entrance, requiring careful planning and coordination. Once works progressed to create the new pitch, the level difference between Cala’s access road and the site made it no longer usable, demanding a new strategy.

The job was further complicated by poor ground conditions resulting from a nearby river, requiring extensive investigation and remediation to create the necessary levels and compaction to alleviate soft spots. The groundworks alone accounted for a third of the overall contract, an extensive package for an education project of this size. The college needed to remain operational throughout construction.

The Solution

GT held a pre-start meeting with Cala and NHC to discuss access arrangements followed by fortnightly updates and informal daily coordination with their groundworkers once on site. This ensured they remained effective and responsive to any changes, particularly when admitting crane deliveries to erect the steel frame. GT carefully planned and executed the groundworks through extensive surveys, silt traps to protect the adjoining river from contamination and careful assessment of excavated material to reuse as much as possible on site e.g. raising the pitch by 200mm.

Recognising the limitations posed by the evolving site conditions once the football pitch was underway, GT identified the most appropriate window in the build sequencing and worked with NHC to agree a safe alternative access route through their grounds. Deliveries were carefully coordinated to ensure safe segregation of the college users at all times.

North Hertfordshire College Sports Hall 6

North Hertfordshire College Sports Hall 1

The Results

The proactive measures taken to manage site access enabled effective collaboration between all parties and allowed the college to carry on as normal throughout the works with no complaints received. GT’s inventive groundworks solutions worked with the site’s topography to support maximum material retention on site whilst achieving the required strength. Extensive ground investigations drove the car park foundation design to mitigate the risks associated with the existing ground while eliminating the need for disruptive and costly piling. The surveys, Stage 4 design and pricing process were completed within just 10 weeks.

Apprentice training weeks

85.9%

SME Spend

£1.08m

Added Value

Client Testimonials

“I am delighted to officially launch and open our new sporting and sport science facilities at our Hitchin campus. The new NHC Sports Hub provides our students with industry-standard and state-of-the-art facilities whilst studying at the College and gives them the best preparation for progressing to Higher Education and entering a career within the Sport, Fitness, and Exercise Science industry. The project has been a great example of collaborative working, both in the process of bringing the vision to reality and by providing a space for local community groups to benefit from as well. We are extremely proud of our facilities and the ongoing opportunities it provides for future generations.”

Kit DaviesPrincipal of North Hertfordshire College and CEO of the Hart Learning Group

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Contractor Performance | Commitments

Legacy

Project team supported 10 career events to highlight opportunities in construction, including Generation Hitchin for local 15-18 year olds (opened by Apprenticeships and Skills Minister, Alex Burghart) and a Building Heroes site tour for 7 military veterans.

Sustainability

Acting on guidance from the North Herts Bee Keeping Association, we protected a colony of 3,000 mining bees, crucial pollinators, by cordoning off their earth bank home on the site.

Fair

Successfully managed 100+ variations to the contract whilst remaining compliant with payment periods set out with suppliers.

Aftercare

An Aftercare Charter outlining the client’s preferred approach to aftercare was agreed in discussion with the College. NHC’s FM team were also invited to spend time with the commissioning engineers to undertake familiarisation training the week prior to handover.

Safe

Coordination of over 300 lorry deliveries via the shared access with Cala Homes and the College with zero RIDDORs.

North Hertfordshire College Sports Hall