Paignton Community and Sports Academy

/in , , , /by

Paignton Community and Sports Academy

Paignton, Devon


Project Details



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

Project Brief

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Midas constructed the Events Centre following demolition of an outdated 1930s teaching block, further enhancing the Borough Road campus through groundworks, landscaping and improved car parking.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.



“I have been at the Academy since 1986 and this has to be the best news I have ever received – it will give the students both now and in the ensuing years access to state of the art facilities.”

Key Challenges

  • To manage works close to live school buildings, Midas secured the site with fencing developed a bespoke logistics plan, scheduling deliveries to avoid school drop off and collection times in accordance with the client’s instructions, to ensure access to the academy was not disrupted. The site employed a full time gate controller for the duration of the project; kept access gates closed and locked when not in use; fitted door closers to pedestrian access gates; enforced a one-way vehicle access system; and established a corral at the entry point to get deliveries off the main road. The team and completed all works, loading and unloading within site boundaries only. The Senior Site Manager met frequently with the Academy Head Teacher to discuss relevant aspects of the work, and liaised with the Academy’s Health & Safety Coordinator and caretaker with regard to programming and access.
  • Partway through the project and in agreement with the client, Midas moved the Academy’s office and canteen facilities to within the new Event Centre. The Midas team positioned pedestrian barriers in the corridors, to prevent unauthorised access and to direct site operatives, with access monitored by Midas and Academy staff. Midas risk assessed all activities with consideration for the proximity to pupils.
  • During the enabling works, Midas commissioned a ground penetrating radar survey of the site. The team identified routes of live services, using spray paint to colour code manhole covers for service type (blue for storm drains, red for foul drains and a red C for combined drains). Operatives worked under permits to dig and CAT scanned areas prior to excavation works. As the team brought new services onto the site Midas marked them up on service drawings, displayed routes on notice boards and attached to drawings to relevant permits.

Project Takeaways

Our Success

  • The client appointed separate contractors to complete fit out works during our project. Midas ensured all operatives received a full site induction prior to accessing live areas of the site and ensured operatives followed site rules and restrictions, avoided restricted areas and followed noise and dust controls stated within the induction and specific risk assessment method statements. The Midas Site Manager controlled the process.
  • To bring the works in line with the budget, Midas led a detailed best value review, with £390k of our proposed savings accepted by the client. Amendments included changing the design from three flexible classrooms to a hall, a better provision for the client’s needs; and working closely with the design team to deliver proposed solutions.
  • The project successfully diverted 100% of waste from landfill, through measures including crushing and reusing hard materials from the demolished building as a piling mat. To further reduce the project’s carbon footprint and manage the limited parking availability, Midas actively encouraged the use of vehicle sharing, public transport, cycling or walking to site, providing public transport timetables in the site office.

Our Learnings

  • The site had limited space for contractor parking, which presented a challenge outside of school holidays when contractors parked in nearby roads. The team implemented parking controls and advised contactors of local restrictions, with the Senior Site Manager delivering toolbox talks on restrictions and briefing contractors that anyone not adhering to site rules would be removed. Vehicles displayed a Midas notice with the Senior Site Manager’s contact information, to ensure any issues could be promptly addressed.
  • Working closely with our specialist subcontractors and the client, Midas resolved an issue with availability of high-level cladding panels. With agreement from the client the team implemented a temporary cladding solution, fitting a sacrificial profiled metal cladding, which rapidly waterproofed the building and allowed the site team to progress with internal works. The Senior Site Manager worked closely with the design team and M&E subcontractor to incorporate design changes implemented part way through construction, coordinating services to mitigate potential delays and ensure on-time completion.

Value Added

  • £390,000 (16.3% of project value) of savings offered to the client at Gateway 3, with £392,818 (16.4%) of savings delivered at Gateway 4 through a combination of best practice and added value measures. Midas delivered £75,000 of savings by rationalising the size of the kitchen; saved £50,000 through amendments to the cladding specification; and saved £100,000 through rationalisation of rooflines and building footprint.
  • The project worked to the Employment and Skills Plan (ESP) and surpassed all agreed targets, hosting five work placements; creating two jobs with the National Skills Academy for Construction; attending 11 Construction Careers Information, Advice & Guidance Events; delivering 98 waged training weeks on site; supporting 18 workforce qualifications; and delivering seven training plans for subcontractors. The Midas Employment & Skills Coordinator and the Academy’s Mentor & Recruitment Manager spoke to approximately 300 students about careers in construction, as part of an assembly. Including those employed by the supply chain, the site supported 17 apprentices.
  • The project employed 95.2% small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), with 95% of SMEs based within 30 miles of the site.
  • The team donated timber offcuts and old pallets to a local scout group; supported the school’s construction curriculum; and Midas sponsored the school’s football kit.

KPI’s & Statistics

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

Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, Oxfordshire

/in /by

Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA)

Didcot, Oxfordshire


Project Details



Client

Nuclear Decommissioning Authority

Project Manager

Avison Young

Architect

Avison Young

Contractor

Morgan Sindall (Overbury)

Value

£2.4m

Contract Period

32 weeks

Procurement Type

Design & Build

Form of Contract

JCT D&B

Size

1600 m2 GIFA

Project Brief

The West elevation of Building 329 was the subject of a CAT B fit out, on the ground floor this will include wings G,H,J & K, cores 2 & 3 and link 2. To the first floor fit out works were to wings J & K and core 3. The existing WC blocks on the ground floor and first floor, although within the site demise, were not the subject of any works.

Overbury took overall responsibility as principal contractor for the whole of the above areas and coordinated their works accordingly with adjacent tenants and the landlord contractors at the east end within building 77.

The floor plates included works to provide open office space complete with office desks and enclosed meeting rooms and offices; new comms and patch rooms to both floors. Existing carpet finishes remained in the majority of areas with new feature carpet to various walkways and offices. Decorations completed to all areas in line with finishes plan. Amendments to services were carried out to align with the new layout and occupancy levels. Kitchenette, and post room provided to the ground floor and a kitchenette to the first floor. Services  included Access control, FA, CCTV, Intruder alarms and data to all areas.

The west elevation entrance was altered to accommodate new revolving entrance doors, with extended external paved landing and steps. Internally the entrance was fitted out with security speed lanes, reception desk, visitor WC and security office including ceramic floor tiles throughout.

All external windows had Anti Shatter clear film applied.  The north of wing K had a sliding wall installed to provide a large conference room or 2 x smaller seating areas.

Due to the known presence of ACM, this required specialist attendance to accommodate removal of base build structures to facilitate the installation of services and finishes. Fixing of high and low level components were the subject of strict procedures to negate penetrating through the known ACM.

New service and drainage connections and ducting required both external and internal excavations.



Key Challenges

This could not be removed as encased within the base build floor slabs across the entire area.  We had to re-sequence all works and re-programme the works to allow the asbestos contractors to “deal” with installing our fixings and provide us with service penetrations before handing the areas back to us following air clearance certificates being issued.

This encompassed all services, specifically at high level.  We achieved this by installing 4000 meters of Uni-Strut to suspend all services and ceilings from it. The Uni-Strut was fixed by our specialist Asbestos Contractor using circa 8000 fixing bolts.  Fixing of components to floor was also problematical as limited to depth of fixing so we did not penetrate the Asbestos. Re-designed base units and fixings and depth gauges on drilling tools were used.

This meant that we and our security contractor had to under go security clearance checks, with our security contractor being subjected to extensive checks by the NDA authorities.

Distribution of all security designs and drawings could only be carried out via a specific PC located within NDA premises. Displaying of any designs or drawings could only be done on any floors above 1st floor level, all items had to be removed at the end of the working day and placed under lock and key.

Project Takeaways

Our Success

  • Overcoming all of the asbestos related issues and maintaining programme.
  • Overcoming all of the security related requirements leading to maintaining an excellent relationship with our client.
  • Assisting the client with communications between them and their landlord in resolving getting the LTA ( licence to alter) agreed, we did this as we had  a very good relationship with the landlord from a previous fit out for them.

Our Learnings

  • The extent of the external excavations became an issue, this was mainly attributed to obtaining information from 3rd parties which took some time. However, once received, we were able to reconsider our methodology and were able to overcome unforeseen issues within programme.

KPI’s & Statistics

ContractGateway 2 Planning Gateway 3 Contract AgreementVariation
Cost£2,105,632£2,105,6320%
Time29 weeks31.3 weeks+2.3 weeks