Archives
Marlborough Primary and Special School
The Marlborough Primary and Special School project overseen by main contractor Mace saw the redevelopment by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea to provide a new two form entry primary school in the heart of Chelsea. It has seen the old unsuitable Victorian school building on the site demolished and the construction of a new Marlborough Primary School.
The Challenge
- Complex site logistics as the site was landlocked – bounded on two sides by roads and party walls on the two gable ends.
- Demolition and partial salvage of the existing Victorian structure, including removal of large quantities of asbestos.
- Construction and relocation of the existing school onto an adjacent warehouse property, as well as move-management from temporary school back to new building.
- Working restrictions such as delivery times, construction nuisance (noise, vibration and dust) and quiet times dictated by RBKC planners are an added challenge.
The Solution
Robust strategies were agreed with suppliers and RBKC highways. Utilising an online booking system with additional on-site traffic marshals and suspension of adjacent parking bays to create a holding pit-lane. Together with detailed method statements submitted and approved by the adjacent party wall surveyors.
Prior to any demolition works being undertaken careful planning took place including surveys such as R&D to determine the extent of asbestos material.
Careful planning and development works were undertaken in conjunction with the school to ensure the temporary school met their teaching requirements. A detailed time/motion study was also undertaken to ensure the school was moved with the minimal of fuss.
Construction stage management plans including logistics and community engagement were delivered which fully document how liaison with local residents was undertaken together with arrangements to control construction nuisance.
The Results
- The final logistics strategy agreed during early preconstruction stage brought all-round benefits – zero complaints or delays.
- The project received many awards including the prestigious 2018 RIBA National Award.
- Logistics strategy agreed as part of the 2-stage early engagement led to added value savings of £650k.
4
Apprentices
£650k
Added Value
8/10
Client Satisfaction
Client Testimonials
Contractor Performance | Commitments
Sustainability
The project was able to reclaim more than 80,000 bricks from the demolition of the original school building.
98% waste diverted from landfills
Fair
Financial management was proactively managed for the duration of the contract.
Safe
To ensure the works did not unduly impact local residents, a Section 61 Agreement was obtained with specific agreements on working hours, delivery times and construction nuisance.
Legacy
Both Mace and the supply chain provided extensive apprentice opportunities through appointment of an employment/skills manager and charter.
Aftercare
The handover plan, developed during preconstruction, ensured we adequately programmed and resourced RBKC’s handover requirements, this included a detailed handover checklist for our team.
SCF Framework Manager
James Wright
Email: james.wright@hants.gov.uk
Phone: : 07761 330560
Contractor Framework Manager
David Chambers
Email: david.chambers@macegroup.com
Phone: 07789 514895
National College for Nuclear
National College for Nuclear
Bridgwater, Somerset
Project Details
Client
Bridgwater & Taunton College
Project Manager
Bridgwater & Taunton College
Architect
Austin Smith Lord LLP
Contractor
Midas Construction Ltd
Value
£7.1 million
Contract Period
56 weeks
Procurement Type
2 stage open book
Form of Contract
JCT Design & Build 2011
Size
2,690m²
Project Summary
The multi-award winning National College for Nuclear (NCfN) is a flagship nuclear training centre offering classrooms, simulators and practical training facilities. The innovative NCfN is transforming teaching in this sector to meet the demands of this growing industry. The state-of-the-art educational spaces include virtual reality (VR) and reactor simulator suites, computer labs, training classrooms and workshops; and the campus offers staff facilities, a gymnasium, social area and changing amenities.
Midas completed this design and build project to BREEAM Excellent, constructing a pair of two-storey buildings with an enclosed link bridge at the college’s live Cannington Campus. Works included a lift shaft; fit out; mechanical, electrical and plumbing works; raised access flooring; and external infrastructure works including roads, paving and landscaping. Internally, Midas provided high capacity Wi-Fi coverage, floor boxes for power and fixed data ports to each room and the curtain batten to the perimeter of the VR suite.
The NCfN won “Project of the Year (over £5m)” and was shortlisted for “Education Project of the Year” in the 2018 Michelmores Property Awards; won “Best Educational Building” in the 2018 Somerset Building Control Partnership Awards; and won “Digital Construction Project / Initiative of the Year” in the 2018 Constructing Excellence South West Awards.
“The National College for Nuclear (Southern Hub) has been a great success for the College providing superb flexible training facilities for our students. The feedback from staff and students has been excellent and the building has also been recognised to date by being shortlisted for five awards of which it has won three, a superb result. These results were achieved through an excellent relationship between the main contractor Midas, the College and the members of the design team that has produced an award winning building, built on budget and to meet the clients timescales for occupation. “
Community Engagement
Career Opportunities
- The project created 98 jobs for local people; employed a trainee site manager and a subcontractor apprentice; and supported eleven work experience placements.
- As part of the Employment and Skills Plan requirements Midas engaged with the local supply chain where possible, with one subcontractor located in Bridgwater itself and the majority of subcontractors based in the South West region.
Supporting Local Businesses
- Of the total firms Midas employed on the project, 96.9% were SMEs with 35.9% of the project value being spent with local companies.
46% of people who worked on the project lived within 30 miles of the site.
Key Challenges
The construction site could only be accessed through the live campus.
To safely manage site access through the operational campus, Midas worked with the college during the preconstruction stage to agree management of site access through the live college and to agree suitable delivery time and size restrictions with a strict delivery protocol, including employing a full time gate controller located at the college entrance to direct site traffic and keep the site gates closed. At the start of the works the team erected Heras fencing to low risk areas and solid hoarding at high risk areas.
During the construction stage Midas carried out site weekly logistic meetings with the client and liaised frequently with the college staff, programming works to their convenience to mitigate disruption and maintaining a positive working relationship.
It was essential that the live college had uninterrupted service provision and campus access during term times.
Midas ensured the college had continuous services and undisturbed, safe campus access for staff and students by completing infrastructure and service works during weekends, with works involving disconnection of the power completed outside of the college’s operational hours. Midas maintained access and egress through the campus and confirmed quiet periods with the college, planning noisy works outside of exam times and keeping them to a minimum. The team completed all high-risk works during college holidays.
The client required the project delivered to BREEAM Excellent.
The project successfully achieved BREEAM Excellent through measures including: installation of 52 roof mounted solar PV panels with an area circa 300m²; fitting of energy efficient lifts; formation of bicycle storage; use of eco site cabins with EPC ratings; diversion of 98.9% of waste from landfill; and recycling 97% of materials. All inert excavated or demolished materials remained on site and the team donated surplus materials, such as bricks and carpet tiles, to the college’s estates department. Midas minimised disturbance of the live campus and achieved credits towards the BREEAM Excellent certification by appointing an acoustician to carry out acoustic testing for plant noise levels. Testing included an assessment of noise impact from fixed sources, with noise from the proposed fixed plant equipment assessed to minimise impact on neighbouring noise sensitive buildings; measurement of airborne and impact sound insulation between sample rooms; sample measurement of the internal ambient noise level; and sample measurement of reverberation times.
The college needed use of an existing ancillary workshop, due to be demolished as part of the programme, until the end of the 2017 academic term.
Midas adjusted the programme of works to accommodate the college’s requirements. The team left the workshop building operational until the college’s summer break, then employed a licensed contractor to remove asbestos containing materials (ACMs) from the workshop prior to demolishing it. The site team segregated areas with ACMs, included asbestos awareness in toolbox talks and followed Midas’ asbestos policy, including creation of a site specific HS002 Asbestos Management Plan, to safely manage these works.
Project Takeaways
Our Success
- During the two-stage tender process, Midas consulted with the client to agree selected subcontractors and add allowances for agreed work packages. Following agreement with the client at the preconstruction stage, the team completed an attendance matrix for the supply chain to plan supervision requirements.
- Prior to commencing construction, Midas agreed oversail of the crane with the college. However, during works the team found a solution to position the crane to avoid oversail, thereby minimising the risk. The site utilised vertical segregation and completed ground-bearing tests prior to installing the crane.
- The client engaged Midas from RIBA Stage 3 on this two stage design and build project, with planning consent achieved with a novated design team. Midas worked collaboratively with the existing team, focusing on the design, cost and programme to ensure the quality of the project was guaranteed. With the key delivery team on-board during the preconstruction, Midas were able to make a fast start which allowed an extended commissioning and handover period.
- The site received written compliments from local residents regarding traffic movements; before commencing works, Midas redesigned the traffic management plan to avoid sending delivery traffic through the village, to mitigate disruption to the local residents, and issued pre-start information to neighbours and the college regarding planned works. The team maintained access for neighbouring properties wherever possible and communicated access restrictions to those affected in advance of works. The team provided advance notice of potentially disruptive works and displayed 24-hour contact information.
Our Learnings
- Fitting traditional downpipes for drainage from the roof proved challenging due to limited drop locations. As part of the design and build process Midas issued a specialist enquiry to review options, provided quotes to the client and, upon agreement, proceeded with a gravity fed design.
Value Added
- Midas offered the client £872,441 (12.7%) of best value savings at Gateway 3 with £933,441 (13.2%) of savings delivered at Gateway 4. Savings include cladding alternatives (with a delivered saving of £183k); review of the M&E (delivered savings of £122k); provision of M&E equipment with an improved lifespan (saving £20k); and review of the RC frame (delivered savings of £98k).
- The project created 98 jobs for local people; employed a trainee site manager and a subcontractor apprentice; and supported eleven work experience placements.
- As part of the Employment and Skills Plan requirements Midas engaged with the local supply chain where possible, with one subcontractor located in Bridgwater itself and the majority of subcontractors based in the South West region.
- Of the total firms Midas employed on the project, 96.9% were SMEs with 35.9% of the project value being spent with local companies.
46% of people who worked on the project lived within 30 miles of the site.
KPI’s & Statistics
| Contract | Gateway 2 – Planning | Gateway 3 Contract Agreement | Variation |
| Cost | £7,391,129 | £6,843,317 | -£547,813 (-7.4%) |
| Time | 54 Weeks | 54 weeks | 0.43 weeks 0% |
KPI Graphs
- Apprentices: 408 waged training
- Graduates: weeks delivered
- Average AIR: 0
- Average CCS score: 41
- Waste diverted from landfill: 98.9%
- Cost/m2: £2,544m²
- Cost/m2 excl abnormals: £2,199m²
Winter Gardens
Winter Gardens
Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset
Project Details
Client
Weston College
Project Manager
Weston College
Architect
View Architects Ltd
Contractor
Midas Construction Ltd
Value
£9.9 million
Contract Period
72 weeks
Procurement Type
Competitive tender – 2 stage
Form of Contract
JCT Design & Build 2011
Size
5,456m²
Apprentices
15
Project Summary
The restored Winter Gardens Pavilion is an iconic seafront venue for conferences, ceremonies and events, including smaller conference and meeting rooms. Designed in 1924 and first opened in 1927, the Pavilion features a neo-Georgian ballroom with dome and a rear 1980s extension, now fully refurbished into a modern two-storey educational centre with double-height reception space, housing Weston College’s new Law and Professional Services Academy and The Florentine bistro. Facing the seafront is Lasseter’s, a two-storey fine dining restaurant with a seafront patio area surrounded by glass screens.
This BREEAM Very Good project included demolition, refurbishment, reconfiguration and extension works, on a challenging location in the centre of town. Works included refurbishment of the ballroom; reconfiguration and refurbishment of the 1980s extension; and demolition and reconstruction of the rear section to create a two-storey entrance. Midas modernised the Pavilion, improving natural ventilation and daylight and retaining design sympathetic to the building’s heritage.
The project captured the interest of local groups and historical preservation societies, who went on to form a Local Steering Group with the aim of ensuring the College and Council respected the Pavilion’s status as a building of local significance.
“I am delighted with the end result, these new facilities will offer our students first-class facilities and provide the best education possible. Throughout the project our students have been involved, from placements with Midas to designing the new Winter Gardens logo. Here at Weston College, we put our students first in everything we do, and so it was of utmost importance that they could feel involved in such a huge project that will go on to benefit them and the local area.”
Community Engagement
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Key Challenges
The Pavilion is a designated building of local significance with strict planning approval controls.
Midas worked closely with the local authority’s planning department to agree planning approval for the design and materials, including replacement of the Pavilion’s large, curved ballroom windows. The local authority considered the windows to be an iconic part of the building; however, the timber frames had rotted through. Midas agreed their replacement with aluminium frames, sympathetically designed to be as similar as possible to the original frames whilst providing the required weather protection and security. Redesigning and retendering the windows saved £32,000 and achieved a solution accepted by the local planners.
Designed in 1924 and opened in 1927, the Pavilion and ballroom were past their maximum lifespan expectancy.
Midas worked with a specialist restoration company to restore the ballroom dome. Midas designed a bespoke mesh retention system, which is now being used as a method standard. The team fitted 3,000 structural bolts with 33,000 staples to pin the mesh into place on the curve of the dome; then sprayed the inside of the dome with an eco-friendly acoustic treatment formed from recycled paper and glue. The finished result has secured the dome and improved the acoustics of the ballroom, reducing the echo problems the hall had previously experienced.
Seafront site exposed to gale force winds and extreme weather.
The exposed location required periods of down time during high winds to ensure staff safety. Midas scheduled the programme to complete a large section of the high level and external works during spring and summer, with milder weather. The team worked weekends and additional hours to make up time lost during bad weather and sub-sectioned the works into different zones, with a manager to supervise works in each zone, enabling works to progress at different paces.
Restricted town centre site with limited drop off, stopping or unloading areas and confined external space.
To manage the constrained site, Midas restricted access times in accordance with local noise and working hours limitations. The site employed a full time vehicle controller to monitor all deliveries to the site and with planned deliveries only, scheduled to avoid rush hour, local retailers’ delivery slots and peak shopping periods. Midas leased a small parcel of adjacent land from the town council for deliveries, and rented parking spaces for contractors from an adjacent hotel.
The client had limited funds at the commencement of works, with their original budget being £1.8m less than the cost for the scope of works they preferred.
Midas completed a collaborative best value review to offer a £728k cost reduction at Gateway 3 but with £832k of best practice and added value benefits built in. This included an alternative roof finish, with a Soprema over-coating in place of stripping the roof, providing an improved lifespan and a saving of £60,500; an extensive review of M&E, finishes and decoration, combining services and functions where possible at a saving of £115,000; and redesigning the building to keep within the original footprint and reuse the existing foundations, for a saving of circa £300,000.
Project Takeaways
Our Success
- The structural engineer found the original 1920s architectural drawings in the County Hall Archive, and used these to analyse the existing foundations and inform a more detailed survey. This enabled us to retain existing floor slabs and reduce substructure costs, saving £200,000, and ensured our detailed understanding of the building meant only unavoidable intrusive surveys.
- The Midas Quantity Surveyor developed a Project Cost tracker, shared at weekly reviews with the client team, to keep all parties informed of progress and enable timely decision-making. This ensured Midas developed the design to budget.
- To manage the site’s exposure to gale force winds and extreme weather, Midas changed the roofing specification to avoid stripping the roof, and designed a steel frame to reduce the number of crane lifts. This mitigated the impact of bad weather, reducing programme risk and saving time and enabling the project to finish on the contracted completion date.
Our Learnings
- The local community, including the local Civic Society, Heritage Group and some neighbouring land owners expressed concern regarding the project and formed a Local Steering Group shortly after Weston College purchased the building. The Midas site team worked closely with this group to keep them informed of planned works and maintain a positive working relationship. Midas held monthly meetings with the Steering Group and hosted three site tours for their members, with ten to 15 people attending each tour.
- The client could only issue instruction of excluded listed building and fit out works once they received confirmation of secured Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) funding. Confirmation of LEP funding was received late in the programme, which Midas managed by collaboratively supporting the client in firming up the cost of these additional works. Midas reduced preliminary cost increases to only £84k by absorbing over £1.8m of additional works into the programme with only six weeks increase in programme period.
Value Added
- Achievement of BREEAM Very Good included installation of a PV array to provide 10% of the predicted energy use of the building, as required to comply with North Somerset Core Strategy policy. The array is 21m² and generates approximately 1713kWh of electricity per year, equating to a CO2 saving of 0.763 tonnes of CO2/annum.
- Midas supported the Employment and Skills Plan (ESP) through work experience placements for 14-17 year olds plus curriculum support activities. The construction team provided mock interviews for Year 10 students at Priory Community School; gave a tour for Utilities Higher National Certificate (HNC) students from Weston College; provided a graduate placement for a female assistant quantity surveyor from Weston College; and delivered training sessions for seven subcontractors.
- The site supported the local economy: 87% companies employed via the project were SMEs and the site used 62% local labour.
- Through close collaborative working £1.1m of best practice and added value benefits were ultimately delivered by project completion Gateway 4.
KPI’s & Statistics
| Contract | Gateway 2 – Planning | Gateway 3 Contract Agreement | Variation |
| Cost | £8,722,853 | £7,994,951 | -£727,902 (-8.3%) |
| Time | 52.6 Weeks | 54 weeks | 1.43 weeks 2.7% |
KPI Graphs
Apprentices: 15
Graduates: 3
Average AIR: 0
Average CCS score: 37.5
Waste diverted from landfill: 97.6%
Cost/m2: £1,805m²
Cost/m2 excl abnormals: £1,643m²
Cost/m2 Industry average £ m²
Cherry Garden School
Cherry Garden School
London Borough of Southwark
Project Details
Project Summary
Galliford Try has achieved practical completion on the new Cherry Garden special school. The new building for London Borough of Southwark, designed by Hawkins Brown Architects and procured through SCF, has enabled the expansion of an Ofsted Outstanding special school from 47 to 75 pupils, with additional provision for children of nursery age.
The new accommodation is arranged in two blocks and provides flexible and adaptable spaces to meet the changing needs of the children, including a hydrotherapy pool, a trampoline room, soft play and sensory rooms.
The project was delivered through SCF’s two-stage open book process, facilitating a collaborative approach to meeting LB Southwark’s cost, time and quality objectives and promoting safe construction environments, with Galliford Try achieving a Considerate Constructors Scheme score of 43, significantly above the 2018 national average of 36.1.
The school forms part of LB Southwark’s programme of primary school expansions, five of which Galliford Try has delivered through SCF to meet the Borough’s objective of providing great learning facilities for future generations, all within the context of restrained budgets and timescales.
Community Engagement
Key Challenges
Project Takeaways
Our Success
Our Learnings
Value Added
KPI’s & Statistics
Contact: Andrew Bacon, SCF Framework Account Manager
Email: andrew.bacon@gallifordtry.co.uk
Phone: (T) +44 1483 477000, (M) +44 7526 167803
Humanities Building
Humanities Building, University of Bristol
Bristol
Project Details
Client
University of Bristol
Architect
ADP
Contractor
ISG Construction
Value
£9.8m
Contract Period
74-week programme
Form of Contract
NEC 4
GIFA
2,551 M2
Project Summary
The new state-of-the-art Humanities Building is located in the Arts Complex surrounded by a series of handsome of Victorian villas with Woodland Road nearby.
Surrounded by buildings with mixed ownership, this scheme has complex party wall challenges that were all fully investigated during the early design stage. In addition, the basement encompasses the entire footprint of the site, therefore effective logistics management is critical to the success of the build.
“I have much pleasure in welcoming you to the School of Humanities, a leading centre for teaching, learning and research the humanities located in the dynamic port city of Bristol.”
Community Engagement
Key Challenges
Restricted footprint
To overcome the restricted footprint, ISG is working closely with Bristol City Council Highways Department to create a traffic-controlled loading lane on the busy Tyndalls Road. This has enabled the efficient offload of materials via the site tower crane, which is of vital importance to the movement of materials around site.
Access routes
Access routes for site operatives are also carefully managed. The site office and welfare facilities are based in one of the existing villas and as progress on site continues, access routes for operatives are adapted to meet the demands of the project.
Impact on adjacent Grade ΙΙ listed villas
The original site comprises an existing single-storey building and external courtyard space, located behind the two main Grade ΙΙ listed villas.
This adjacency to existing buildings was immediately identified during the pre-construction phase as a key area of design risk, and early works involved re-evaluation of the basement perimeter, to increase the area between existing buildings and the boundary, whilst maximising the footprint to accommodate a lecture theatre, cinema, and plant room.
Vibration monitoring ensured piling works for both the contiguous wall and the basement floor, from which the steel frame is mounted, did not impact on adjacent properties too.
Basement design
As the Risk Schedule identified the basement design as the area of highest risk, ISG and the design team appraised various re-design options.
The priority was to re-design the basement perimeter, with the requirement to both minimise risk to adjacent properties and enable sufficient space to construct the retaining walls. By re-positioning the plant room and subsequent risers, whilst maintaining the position of the lecture theatre, adequate space was created.
Design of the retaining structure
With budget and programme constraints to consider, a hybrid solution was developed, which moved away from the simplest option of using contiguous piling in all three areas.
Retaining structure solutions:
- Contiguous pile wall to part of the perimeter as a retaining system for two sides of the lecture theatre on the North East of the site, this is pinned with free standing cantilevers
- Slope batters at 2.1m for remaining basement wall structure
- Waterproofed contiguous pile wall with masonry face, incorporating drainage gulley
- Precast wall favoured for remaining walls, with integrated damp proof membrane and stone backfill placed between the building’s steel frame structure
Project Takeaways
Our Success
Our Learnings
- The hybrid piling solution used adds to ISG’s knowledge base of implementing innovative ground engineering solutions; this learning will be communicated around the wider business.
Value Added
KPI’s & Statistics
Contact: Emma Bull, Framework Manager
Email: Emma.Bull@isgplc.com
Withycombe Raleigh CofE Primary School
Withycombe Raleigh CofE Primary School
Exmouth, Devon
Project Details
Client
Devon County Council
Project Manager
Ravenslade
Architect
NPS Group
Contractor
Morgan Sindall
Value
£929k
Contract Period
32 weeks
Procurement Type
Two Stage Build with CDP
Form of Contract
JCT 2011 IFC
Apprentices
One
Project summary New build 4 classroom block extension on a live primary school site. The works included the construction of a new teaching facility on the existing grounds of the school.
It has been a pleasure to work with Morgan Sindall. They have shown both professionalism and first class support during our building project. We have found this experience to be remarkably positive. Morgan Sindall have always been supportive, understanding and listened to the needs of the school and I have found communication with them to be excellent.
Community Engagement
Employment Skills Plan
A full Employment Skills Plan (ESP) was completed on the project, including:
- 5 x work placements (16+ years old)
- 3 x work placements (14-16 years old)
- 6 x curriculum support activities
- 2 x graduates
- 1 x existing apprentices
- 2 x jobs advertised through local employment
- 2 x jobs advertised through sub-contractors
- 2 x NVQs completed
- 3 x training plans
- 1 x supervisor training
- 3 x leadership and management training
- 4 x advanced health and safety training
Key Challenges
Controlling the Programme
From receiving the design tender information to agreeing the contract sum, the turnaround was less than four weeks. The site team were mobilised within two weeks and the demolition of the existing temporary classrooms was completed in the school holidays to reduce health and safety risks and gain a head start on the programme. The new building was handedover in two phases to suit the school to enable time for the teaching areas to be fitted out.
Controlling costs
A number of cost saving options were provided throughout the project to keep under budget, particularly following a large design change for the foundations which required much of the project contingency. One of the big savings achieved was by omitting the proposed water main into the building and instead using the existing connection into the demolished temporary classrooms and introducing a booster to achieve the required pressure.
Design of the school was impractical
The design of the school was impractical, which led to a delay in the programme. Morgan Sindall provided alterations in the pre-constuction phase which were then used to improve the programme. One of the alternatives that we proposed was a concrete slab foundation, which was the most efficient design to minimise delay on site and provide a more economic solution.
Project Takeaways
Our Success
Our Learnings
Value Added
KPI’s & Statistics
| Contract | Gateway 3 Planning | Gateway 4 Contract Agreement | Variation |
| Cost | £929,954 | £920,451 | -0.06% |
| Time | 34.4 weeks | 34.4 weeks | NIL |
KPI Statistics:
- Apprentices 1
- Average AIR 0
- CCS score 39 (out of 50)
- Waste diverted from landfill >99%
Contact: Rob Buckler, Framework Manager
Email: Rob.buckler@morgansindall.com
Dartington Primary School
Dartington Primary School
Dartington, Devon
Project Details
Client
Devon County Council
Contractor
Kier
Value
£6.9 million
Contract Period
17 weeks
Procurement Type
NEC3 Option A
Apprentices Employed
6 no. (2no with GT & Trac and 4 no. with supply chain – Roe, Halsion, PJE)
SME spend
85% and within LA catchment area 84%
Total added value benefits
£253,758
Following the completion of the demolition, the new build consisted of a new single storey building. The facility is completed with external landscaping and hard surfaces. The steel frame construction on a piled and concrete ground beamed foundation covers 2050m². The external appearance consists of cladding and coloured rendered panels with the internals being constructed of metal stud partitioning and plasterboard to leave a decorative finish.
“One of the best projects we’ve ever received, if not, the best.”
Community Engagement
Events
- CR Manager, Kate Ellis, worked with the Client team to organise numerous events at Dartington, including a mental health awareness workshop where Mates in Mind discussed the effects of stress in the workplace.
Learning Experiences
- A time capsule was given to the school and a burial took place at the main entrance. The time capsule included hand print art work and poems about the pupils’ futures.
- A local placement of two students were undertaken with a week’s work experience on site shadowing the site managers.
- Two work experience places were provided on site with a female bricklaying apprentice and site engineer.
- Sustainability was achieved on site through water butt harvesting rainwater for boot and tool cleaning purposes. Furthermore, a mock up spill incident was undertaken where students from Dartington were in.
Key Challenges
Live Primary School
The logistics were carefully managed and planned due to the works taking place on a live primary school.
Limited Vehicle Access
The vehicle access through the main gates were used by school users. To ensure that there was no disruption to the school or its users the access was carefully managed to ensure school users moved throughout the site safely by keeping it exclusive for school use between 8am and 9am and 3pm and 4pm.
Project Takeaways
Our Success
- The heating strategy of the scheme is underfloor heating which is placed on insulation with a screed placed over the top. Despite the project being a traditionally procured scheme, the majority of the packages were CDPs therefore the site team and the supply chain worked over and above to deliver high-quality design solutions. The design was constantly monitored and reviewed, ensuring timely sign off was achieved. Good IRS and short-range design programmes kept the consultants and client informed of failings. The change control process was well managed by the team and they were able to make a good return on the changes.
- The programme was driven by the client and the requirements of the school. For example, school opening dates were taken into consideration as well as the key milestone date of the removal of the temporary village – which Kier did and reinstated the ground back to existing / agreed levels.
- £87,000 of VE was offered throughout the project, including the roof design and the attenuation tank construction, with a total of £72,000 being accepted by the client.
Our Learnings
- The design for the roof changed due to value engineering from perforated liner construction to a solid roof sheet design. A man safe system is fixed to part of the roof allowing access to designated areas as per the Atkins design.
Value Added
KPI’s & Statistics
- Contractor team performance: 10/10
- Health and safety: 10/10
- Quality of workmanship: 10/10
- Progress in making good defects: 10/10
- Collaborative approach: 10/10
- Overall contractor performance: 10/10
Contact: James Parr
Email: james.parr@kier.co.uk
St Peter’s School RC Academy
St Peter’s School RC Academy
Bournemouth
Project Details
Client
Bournemouth Borough Council
Project Manager
Baqus
Architect
Cube Design
Contractor
Wates Construction
Value
£8.0 million
Contract Period
57 weeks
Procurement Type
Design & Build
Form of Contract
JCT 2011
Apprentices Employed
1 new start technical with SWSA
Project Brief
Phase 3C was part of an overall project that comprised 5 phases. St Peters School is a Roman Catholic Academy divided into 2 sites. The Iford site accommodates year 7&8 and the Southbourne accommodates the remainder of the school. The aim of the overall project was to merge year 7&8 into the Southbourne site so the overall secondary school is then located on one site.
Phase 3C New Build located in an existing school site, located on the schools existing sports field consisting of:
- 3300sqm of teaching accommodation
- 16 classrooms
- Two art studios
- Two science labs/classrooms
- Dining hall and kitchen
- Main hall
- Changing facilities
- Staff offices
- Four multi use games area (MUGA) pitches
- Associated landscaping
- Staff car park
“The Wates team provided a superb service from start to completion of the project.”
Community Engagement
Education
- Wates adopted St Peters School as part of Constructing Excellence Adopt a School initiative
Careers
- Wates held a Building Futures employability programme
- One new start technical apprentice with SWSA
Key Challenges
Design and budget not aligned
It was apparent at Mini Comp 2 that the budget was insufficient to meet the design aspiration so Wates carried out a full design review and redesigned the scheme to achieve the brief within budget. In addition, rationalisation of sport England requirements enabling significant savings.
Operating within school term times
The programme was extremely tight and was also dictated by school term times, therefore a clear schedule was planned and followed carefully.
Project Takeaways
Our Success
- Works in existing school buildings were carried out outside school term to avoid disruption
- Site logistics developed to ensure that the new construction works were completely isolated from the school operation and access to minimise disruption
Our Learnings
- Cut and fill exercise carried out resulting in revised building levels minimising cart-away and omitted retaining wall by moving the building 3 metres.
Value Added
- £8 million value building
- Teaching facilities to accommodate 480 secondary school pupils
KPI’s & Statistics
Contact: Neil Channon, Framework Manager
Email: neil.channon@wates.co.uk
Thorn Turn Highways Depot
Thorn Turn Highways Depot
Houghton Regis, Bedfordshire
Project Details
Client
Central Bedfordshire Council
Project Manager
Central Bedfordshire Council
Architect
Atkins
Contractor
Morgan Sindall
Value
£18.7million
Contract Period
71 weeks
Procurement Type
Traditional
Form of Contract
JCT 2011 SFC / CDP
Size
2,795 square meters
Apprentices Employed
Two
Project Brief
The project consisted of the construction of a highways and waste disposal depot to service the maintenance requirements across the council’s highways whilst relieving pressure on the existing household waste and recycling centre (HWRC) nearby.
A new modular office was built to accommodate approx. 100 highways staff, a large tension fabric salt barn, a Highways Maintenance Dry store warehouse which enables the ongoing maintenance of fleet vehicles, whilst providing a suitable storage area for high value materials. The building was also fitted out with a small office provision for up to 10 staff. A refuelling area was also provided on the site.
“I am delighted that this ambitious project continues to progress so positively. We went through a highly competitive exercise to appoint them [Morgan Sindall] and were impressed with their ambitious vision for the new highways depot and household waste recycling centre.”
Community Engagement
Careers
- Two apprentices employed through the project
Key Challenges
The initial cost plan from the client was below the proposed project value aspiratise therefore causing issues to the Central Bedfordshire Council (CBC).
- At Gateway 2, we presented a very open and honest cost plan to give CBC sight of the initial deficiencies. We then worked closely with CBC on an extensive Value Engineering exercise, resulting in all four main buildings being taken on as CDP’s. By doing so, we were able to deliver the project in line with the Employers Requirements whilst offering considerable savings on the initial design. The VE exercise resulted in a saving of nearly £2m.
Commencing works on site in time to avoid the bird nesting season (March to September), despite the budgetary issues.
- We provided accurate forecast figures for the main contract sum, which gave CBC confidence to issue a notice to commence for £3m to undertake initial earthworks ahead of bird nesting season – without this, the project start date would have slipped by six months.
Liaison with Ringway Jacobs for the S278 highways works and the various interfaces between the two project.
- Early engagement and involvement with CBC and Ringway Jacobs throughout the design phase of the S278 works enabled the programmes to run concurrently without causing delay to the programme.
Project Takeaways
Our Success
- Employment and skills plan targets were exceeded
- Full team collaboration from appointment to completion
- Early and continued engagement with CBC fostering a good relationship with the client
Our Learnings
- Interpretation of the end user requirements has meant that some areas of the site are not being utilised to their full extent, e.g. the vehicle wash bays and the vehicle maintenance store.
- The project would have benefited from buildability input from Morgan Sindall during the design stage.
Value Added
KPI’s & Statistics
| Contract | Gateway 2 Planning | Gateway 3 Contract Agreement | Gateway 4 Completion |
| Cost | £24,284,755 | £16,952,854 | £18,714,980 |
| Time | 63 weeks | 63 weeks | 71 weeks |
| Value Engineering | Saving |
|---|---|
| Change construction of Salt Barn | £300,000 |
| Use alternative supply chain partner for Highways Depot | £500,000 |
| Change construction of Maintenance Shed | £450,000 |
Apprentices: 2
Average AIR: 0
Average CCS score: 46 (out of 50)
Waste diverted from landfill: 99.95%
Contact: Tom Martin, MS Project Manager
Email: Thomas.Martin@morgansindall.com
Woodmansterne Secondary School
Woodmansterne Secondary School
Streatham, Lambeth
Project Details
New 5 full education secondary school with 150 pupil sixth form. Works to be undertaken within the demolition area and consist of an RC Frame / Gebrik Cladding system and Glazing to the envelope, associated MUGA Pitches and external works and include the installation and removal of temporary classrooms.
Urban Beach Programme for Inner City Schools
Due to the temporary loss of access to the schools’ ecological area, the site team have developed an Urban Beach Programme to bring the coast to city pupils, raising their awareness of the coastal environment and the need to protect it. Woodmansterne school is the pilot for the Urban Beach Programme, and is partnered with the Marine Conservation Society, with Willmott Dixon fully funding the pilot programme by providing resources, staff and funding the coach trip to the Grain Coastal Park.
It is based on the Wildbeach programme developed by the wildlife Trusts and has been fully adapted to be delivered in inner city schools with the aim to get the children to the beach by the end of the programme. A new topic is introduced each week covering areas such as species ID, tides, human impact, food webs, marine processes and more.
The programme began with two year 3 classes of 30 and ran for 6 weeks, culminating in a field trip to the beach. The majority of the sessions are delivered in the school field to promote outdoor learning.
Local volunteers were sought through the Marine Conservation Society, providing an opportunity for anyone looking for a career in marine education.
The programme will continue with one of the volunteers taking over the project to deliver to the next year group selected by the school. The Marine Conservation Society is also looking out for the right candidate so this can be rolled out to other schools.
| Contract | Gateway 2 Planning | Gateway 3 Contract Agreement | Variation |
| Cost | £2,553 | 2,412 | 2 (£141.00) |
| Time | 48 weeks | 48 weeks | 0 |
KPI Graphs
Apprentices 5
Average AIR NIL
Average CCS score 47(out of 50)
Waste diverted from landfill 99%
Cost/m2 £3,1K/m2
Collaborative KPI 10/10
Contacts:
Guy Dawes
Framework Manager
Email: Guy.dawes@Willmottdixon.co.uk
Erika Buckenham
Framework Coordinator
Email: Erika.buckenham@Willmottdixon.co.uk
