Major renovation of a live secondary school, enhancing teaching provision for its transition to a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) specialist Academy.
Undertaking major renovation works within a live secondary school, scheduled over three phases of works.
Phase 1: The transformation of Block L (the existing drama building) for use as the site team’s welfare and site offices; internal reconfiguration of the second floor of the Childerly Building providing an additional classroom; provision of 3 working labs and 2 standard classrooms.
Phase 2: Demolition and subsequent construction of a two-storey, steel framed science block providing six new teaching labs. The building includes a green roof, PV panels and attenuation tank.
Phase 3: The extensive refurbishment of the Grade II listed Kingwood Building including asbestos removal, MEPH systems, window replacement, decoration and carpentry works.
It was recommended to the client that Block L (which was due to be demolished) be utilised as the site office and canteen space. This not only saved the project money in site setup costs and omission of the Block L demolition works from the scope of works, but furthermore, the making good of the building provided the school with a new space for music classes.
With three separate handovers, it was imperative that a good relationship was maintained with the school staff. Consideration and understanding were incorporated into the safe planning of works and scheduling of deliveries to allow the live school to continue to operate. The use of temporary modular classrooms accommodated students away from the works thereby ensuring minimal disruption to the overall learning environment.
Three successful handovers to a delighted client, helping to realise the school’s transition into a specialist STEM Academy. The first phase was completed on time, the second phase was handed over two weeks earlier than expected, and the third phase of works was also completed on time.
100% payment within 30 days terms
91% waste diverted from landfill
100% timber responsibly sourced
BREEAM Very Good
Zero RIDDORs
CCS Score 43/45 nominated for 2020 Award
14 apprenticeships, 6 of which were new jobs created
7 work experience placements
272 Trainee weeks
Schools engagement: 361 pupils
Soft landings for handover
Dedicated Morgan Sindall point of contact
On-line portal for notifying any defects with 3 priority categories for response times
Email: james.wright@hants.gov.uk
Phone: 07761 330560
Email: alan.smedley@morgansindall.com
Phone: 07967 686066
Project Team
Architects: AWW
Project Manager: SDS
This project was delivered as part of the wider South West Institute of Technology (SWIOT) to allow digital skills to be learnt and developed across the region.
Operating on a tight live city centre campus, the Willmott Dixon team needed to adhere to comprehensive logistic plans to minimise the impact on what is normally a busy campus. Comprising of a steel frame with precast planks, the building features a lecture theatre, triple height atrium space and feature staircase.
Approached designed solution with a ‘kit of parts’ having underlying traditional construction. The façade is clad in ceramic rainscreen to mirror and enhance the local architecture. The principal elevation is made up of curtain walling, with bronze brise solei providing passive shading. Willmott Dixon also interfaced with and refurbished the existing ‘Hele Building’ to be a new home for Exeter College T Level syllabus.
The new building was completed on time and on budget with minimum disruption and the students were able to use this fantastic facility as planned.
The new Digital and Data Centre at Exeter College now provides industry standard facilities which will help plug the digital skills gap in the industry, as well as supporting employers in the region. The centre is a great addition to the local community and interfaces seamlessly with the existing ‘Hele building’ on the college’s Hele Road campus.
99% fair payments made
Committed to embedding the
principles of sustainable living and development
across the whole scope of activities
Zero RIDDORs
477 professional hours spent supporting local people, Exeter College and local partnerships
Handover & Aftercare Contractor Promise
Email: kingsley.clarke@devon.gov.uk
Phone: 07805760622
Email: Guy.Dawes@willmottdixon.co.uk
Phone: 07989 179444
Islington, London
London Screen Academy was a design & build project which involved the partial demolition of part of the central and southern section of the existing 4 storey plus basement building. The logistics of building within a building was the most challenging aspect of the project
One of the biggest refurbishment challenges to the non-studio part of the project was the sagging and heavily deflected floors that were in the existing building. The beam-and-pot floor construction had been filled with terracotta void formers but over time this has sagged by up to 60mm across the full extent of the floor.
While the structural condition of its primary frame was generally good, there were some wear and tear problems associated with cracked lintels and corroded steel reinforcement helibars within concrete.
The refurbishment gives the building a major internal reconfiguration as well as adding a new steel frame structure which provides a three-storey film production studio and supporting facilities. The scope of works also included new windows and façade repairs to the existing building.
The existing 4 storey plus building was replaced with a 3 storey plus basement building and a third floor roof amenity space, provision of replacement doors and windows to include ventilation louvres, reinstatement of door on Highbury Grove frontage; provision of bicycle and bin storage and new fence along Kelvin Road frontage; new glazed roof on single storey extension to the south, and removal of the existing single storey structure on roof, extension of two existing stair cores and lift overrun, and provision of new balustrade, photovoltaic panels and a sedum roof at roof level in order to facilitate the use of the building as a specialist Class D1 sixth form school.
The former factory in Islington has been transformed into a new specialist sixth form-only free school for 1,000 16 to 19-year-olds, providing training in film and television, with specialist areas including editing suites and music and performance spaces.
The interiors team worked closely with the design team to deliver the project ready for the first intake of 300 students in September 2019, with the LSA expanding eventually to a capacity of 800-1000 pupils.
100% of payments made on time
98% of waste diverted from landfill
A key aspect was a heating system that makes use of passive heat recovery, using outdoor air to cool the building where possible.
Further low carbon technologies include 100% LED lighting throughout the building, with additional daylight dimming functionality and presence detection.
Extensive electricity, water and gas metering was installed and is monitored by the Building Management System (BMS) so that data can be analysed to further optimise energy usage.
The building’s roof has a green area to enhance biodiversity, solar PV panels to generate renewable electricity and export back to the national grid, achieving cost savings, improving occupancy wellbeing and retaining the building’s existing character.
Handover & Aftercare Contractor Promise
Email: james.wright@hants.gov.uk
Phone: 07761 330560
Email: guy.dawes@willmottdixon.co.uk
Phone: 07989179444
Client
Bay Education Trust
Project Manager
Torbay Development Agency
Architect
KTA Architects Ltd
Contractor
Midas Construction Ltd
Value
£2.4m
Contract Period
38 weeks
Procurement Type
Competitive tender – 2 stage
Form of Contract
JCT Intermediate Building Contract with Contractors Design 2016
Size
880m²
Apprentices
17
Supported by the Torquay Development Agency (TDA) and with capital funding secured via a Condition Improvement Fund from the Education and Skills Funding Agency, this project at Paignton Community and Sports Academy (part of the Bay Education Trust), saw construction of a single-storey, multi-use hall.
Delivered at the Academy’s live Borough Road campus, the new Events Centre provides a flexible working space suitable for a full range of sporting and extracurricular activities. The hall features retractable seating, a mezzanine level and dual-purpose lecture theatre/ performance space. The Centre includes a kitchen and dining area, entrance lobby and reception, and an external covered walkway.
Midas constructed the Events Centre following demolition of an outdated 1930s teaching block, further enhancing the Borough Road campus through groundworks, landscaping and improved car parking.
The project received a customer satisfaction score of 87% in the survey at practical completion.
Works took place on a live educational campus
The Academy took partial occupation of the building during the works
Challenging site containing several live services
Our Success
Our Learnings
Value Added
Apprentices: 17
Average AIR: 0.7
Average CCS: score 37
Waste diverted from landfill: 100%
Cost/m²: 2,874m2
Cost/m²: excl abnormals 2,189m2
Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset
Client
Weston College
Project Manager
Weston College
Architect
View Architects Ltd
Contractor
Midas Construction Ltd
Value
£2.9m
Contract Period
33 weeks
Procurement Type
Competitive tender – 2 stage
Form of Contract
JCT Design & Build 2016
Size
1,809m²
Apprentices
7
Created to address the increasing demand for a skilled construction workforce in the region, the Construction Training Centre provides state-of-the-art specialised teaching space, offering training specific to the construction industry and designed with employers’ needs in mind. Midas delivered this single-storey building in a semi-rural location to the west of Weston-super-Mare.
Made possible by match funding from Weston College and the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) through the Local Growth Fund, administered by the West of England Combined Authority, the Centre is taking a lead role in answering the construction skills shortage. The main teaching centre is a block of modular buildings, constructed off site, connected with a central corridor covered by a canopy. Adjacent to the modular block are three connected steel frame cladded sheds. The project includes several areas of storage and work yard together with a dig training area.
Enabling works included demolition and removal of old farm buildings, part piled foundations and excavations for ground beams, slabs and drainage, infill and diversion of two sections of a watercourse and formation of attenuation ponds with a new water route.
The client scored the project 91% in the customer satisfaction survey at practical completion.
Career Development
Weston College leased the land on a five-year basis
The client required the project delivered to BREEAM Good
A challenging site with a high water table and numerous watercourses, in an environmentally sensitive environmental area
The design team simultaneously worked on two projects for the client: the Construction Training Centre and the Health and Active Living Centre, and brought both in line with the client’s budget
Our Success
Our Learnings
Value Added
Contract | Gateway 2 Planning | Gateway 3 Contract Agreement | Variation |
Cost | £2,918,791 | £2,631,357 | -£287,434 (-9.8%) |
Time | 26.1 weeks | 25.9 weeks | -0.29 weeks (-1.1%) |
Client
UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA)
Project Manager
Ridge & Partners LLP
Architect
Ridge & Partners LLP
Contractor
Midas Construction Ltd
Value
£8.8m
Contract Period
54 weeks
Procurement Type
Competitive tender – 2 stage
Form of Contract
NEC3 Option A
Size
4,074m²
Apprentices
7
Delivered at the secure Culham Science Centre, a dedicated innovation and enterprise park in Oxfordshire, the Advanced Skills Centre is a flagship training facility. Owned and managed by the UK Atomic Energy Authority, Culham Science Centre is a world-class research site that hosts 40 businesses employing approximately 2,000 people in fields including aerospace, technology, autonomous vehicles and biotechnology.
Constructed in proximity to live business and educational facilities, the project included design and build of the Centre, together with sports and social facilities and associated external works. Works included site preparation and groundworks, followed by construction of two steel frame buildings – the Centre and a sports pavilion – with a cladding and render envelope and a single ply roof to the Centre. Midas completed full Cat A and Cat B fit out, including M&E, plumbing and service connections. Externally, the team completed car parking and hard and soft landscaping.
The purpose-built Centre has the capacity to train up to 350 apprentices per year, offering specialised training for apprentice engineers and technicians. Designed with these industries in mind and following consultation with local businesses, the three-storey centre provides labs and workshops to support training in specialised research areas including mechanical and electrical, robotics, cryogenics, fluids and vacuums.
The client required the project delivered to BREEAM Very Good
Achieving the client’s budget
Managing works at a secure, sensitive site
Contract | Gateway 2 Planning | Gateway 3 Contract Agreement | Variation |
Cost | £8,881,816 | £8,810,919 | -£70,896 (-0.8%) |
Time | 48.1 weeks | 47 weeks | -1.14 weeks (-2.4%) |
KPI Graphs
Apprentices 7
Average AIR 2.1
Average CCS score 37.5
Waste diverted from landfill 94.5%
Cost/m2 £2,170m²
Cost/m2 excl abnormals £1,542m²
Client
Weston College
Project Manager
Weston College
Architect
View Architects Ltd
Contractor
Midas Construction Ltd
Value
£6.7m
Contract Period
48 weeks
Procurement Type
Competitive tender – 2 stage
Form of Contract
JCT Design & Build 2016
Size
2,841m²
Apprentices
7
Delivered for our valued clients Weston College, the Health and Active Living Skills (HAL) Centre is the region’s first state-of-the-art learning environment for sport, health and social care. The Centre provides modern facilities for students and the public, aiming to increase the community’s health and well-being.
Constructed at the college’s Loxton campus, to the south of Weston-super-Mare, this three-storey building houses a sports hall and associated changing facilities, classrooms and sport science labs. Outside are an all-weather 3G sports pitch and a natural football pitch.
The HAL Centre features a range of facilities to benefit the college and community. The multi-use sports hall includes provision for badminton, basketball, netball and five-a-side football, plus retractable basketball hoops; and the Centre includes community use space, a reception and public café.
The Centre provides an innovative learning environment with science labs, a health therapy suite with separate clinic and therapy room, and a six-bed simulation ward including high-tech patient mannequins.
The project received a customer satisfaction score of 92% in the survey at practical completion.
The client required the project delivered to BREEAM Excellent
Weston College’s Loxton campus, where the project took place, remained open throughout the project.
The design team simultaneously worked on two projects for the client: the Health and Active Living Centre and the Construction Training Centre, and brought both in line with the client’s budget.
Contract | Gateway 2 Planning | Gateway 3 Contract Agreement | Variation |
Cost | £6,918,904 | £6,780,718 | -£138,186 (-2%) |
Time | 46.4 weeks | 46.4 weeks | 0 weeks (0%) |
KPI Graphs
Apprentices 7
Average AIR 0
Average CCS score 40
Waste diverted from landfill 100%
Cost/m2 £2,352m²
Cost/m2 excl abnormals £1,799m²
Client
City College
Architect
ADG
Structural/ Civil Engineer
WSP
M&E Engineer:
Hydrock
Contractor
Kier Construction
Value
£9m
Contract Period
March 2016 – July 2017
Form of Contract
JCT 2001 Design & Build
Apprentices
3 Apprentices
Placements
9 weeks work placements
The design and construction of a new Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) building, along with remodelling and refurbishment of the existing adjacent hall to create a performing arts faculty with associated external works. The project consisted of a 5 storey concrete frame new build with steel frame and atrium.
Specialist design requirements included acoustic work on the ground floor for the music rooms and recording studios.
The design changed to incorporate £1m of value engineering. In the basement the performing arts changing was withdrawn, a handrail around the building for ease of maintenance and the column at the front was changed from square to a v.
Difficulties overcome included the lead designers relying heavily on our design managers and was a big project for the lead architect who struggled to keep up with the pace of the programme
The client was very happy with the result of the design, in particular the cladding and overhang. The result was lots of space for the budget and the internal spaces were well received.
Kier took a lead role in the design management of the project in order to keep to the programme.
Career Development
Live Campus
Live campus environment required weekly co-ordination meetings with the Clients estates team to ensure deliveries were kept a a minimum during peak campus activity.
Demolition
Demolition of existing building on a live campus. To minimise risk, demolition of the existing building was carried out during school holidays. A robust risk method statement was developed which included dampening dust and protective screens over large glazing.
Our Success
Our Learnings
Value Added
Client:
Bridgwater College
Contractor:
KIER
Value
£7.0m
The architectural ideology behind the design was to capture the purpose of the building in its appearance, and produce an ‘engineered’ form. A rigorous control over the alignment of external elements drove this concept, creating continuous lines around the facades, that blend seamlessly between the curtain wall mullions through to the cladding panel joints.
Control over the internal spaces went hand in hand with this, to create an order to the primary facade’s glazing, and draw attention to the spaces within.
The internal spaces are positioned so the classroom spaces receive generous amounts daylight from the large, sloped glazing facade, whilst the workshops, with controlled lighting levels, are placed to the rear of the building.
The site was within Bridgwater & Taunton College campus with upwards of 14,000 students attending daily.
The site was positioned adjacent to a main rail track.
Our Success
Client
Exmouth Community College Academy Trust
Project Manager
NPS
Architect
NPS
Contractor
Interserve
Value
£2.1m
Contract Period
44 weeks
Procurement Type
Construct
Form of Contract
JCT with CPD elements
Size
950m2
This project delivered a high quality, fit-for-purpose learning facility and social space for Exmouth Community College Academy Trust. The new building provides the College with a two storey, eight-classroom block with the future potential to extend to add a further eight classrooms and link corridor.
The maths block has been built on a brownfield site within the existing school campus. Several old buildings including an automotive workshop and a stable block were stripped of asbestos and demolished to make way for the new development.
Interserve provided support to the College and NPS to compile a grant application to secure the required funding for the project. Funding was provided by the Education Funding Agency Condition Improvement Fund, Devon County Council and the College. The college has also invested in new technology for the building, including eight virtual smart boards.
Additional car parking has also been provided for the school.
Local SME’s Employed
Site at the far side of the college
We built a new entrance at the back of the college and next to site to ensure vehicles and deliveries did not go through the school. We employed a full time gateman to manage this entrance and had delivery embargoes around school drop off and pick up times.
Regular communication between the College and our site team ensured that works / deliveries stopped whilst pupils walked over the pedestrian bridge, which links the two college campus’s together, between lessons. We were also able to ensure that all noisy works were programmed to occur outside of exam times for the pupils.
Challenging site due to previous buildings
The building was on the site of an old swimming pool. It would have been risky and expensive to use traditional footings due to the depth required to reach firm ground. We built a large raft footing which spanned the old pool and reduced risk, time, and excavated material.
Contract | Gateway 3 Contract Formation | Gateway 4 Final Account | Variation |
Cost | £2.161m | £1.992m | £169k saving due to part of works transferred to next phase |
Time | 10/6/16 | 24/6/16 | 14 day increase. Work added late in contract, EOT agreed |
Average CCS Score: 39
Cost per sqm: £2096