Merton Schools Maintenance & Condition Surveying Programme
Merton, Greater London
School maintenance & condition surveying programme for Merton Council across portfolio of primary schools, SEN schools & 6th form buildings.
Bracknell, Berkshire
Garth Hill College
Bracknell Forest Council
Construction of a new 13,000 square metre school at Garth Hill College in Bracknell, replacing the existing school building and facilities.
Services
Sectors
Key Information
13,000sqm
school
Secondary
& sixth form
1550
pupils
A One School Pathfinder project (part of the Building Schools for the Future Programme), to replace existing school building and facilities, in order to accommodate 1,550 pupils at Garth Hill College in Bracknell.
The existing school remained operational during the construction of the new teaching blocks, after which the school was decanted into the new development and the former building demolished to make way for the completion of the new sports facilities.
Our team challenged the pre-determined contract, managed a disruptive change procedure and dealt with a difficult FF&E process.
The new school needed to be delivered for the start of the 2010 academic year, with the second phase of the works, which included the demolition of the existing buildings and construction of the new sports facilities, needing to be completed by the spring of 2011.
Despite not being appointed until January 2009, our pro-active and collaborative working style enabled the firm to seamlessly join the existing team and play a major role in negotiating the contract with the framework contractor; enabling a start on site in February 2009.
The negotiations included bringing the contract sum within the client’s budget and agreeing the process for the installation of the FF&E, AV & ICT as well as the decant from the existing school.
Four months into the contract it became necessary to appoint a new FF&E consultant and whilst they were able to produce the required information a significant delay had been caused. Acting as employer’s agent, we negotiated with the contractor to ensure that the critical completion date was met ensuring the school still opened in time for the start of the 2010 academic year. This negotiation included the early release of areas to enable the client fit out to commence sooner than had originally been envisaged.
Practical completion was achieved on the agreed date and this enabled the client to finish the FF&E and decant process and have the school open on time in September 2010.
In order to achieve the completion dates it became apparent, during the 12 months rectification period, that the contractor had not carried out all works to the required standard and we were able to call upon our in-house expertise, especially in terms of M&E and structural engineering, to successfully assist in resolving issues which the contractor claimed were not his responsibility.
The school, which opened its doors to pupils in September 2010, was officially opened by HRH Princess Anne in March 2011. The success of the project is borne out in the overall learning environment created and the wide range of facilities available within the school which has resulted in continuing improvement in pupils’ attendance, behaviour and ultimately examination results.
Related projects
South Staffordshire College
Tamworth, Staffordshire
Replacement of the existing TORC and Tamworth College facilities with new teaching and learning accommodation in Tamworth town centre.
ArtsEd Performing Arts School
Chiswick, Greater London
A redevelopment project comprising upgrade works and new facilities, to improve the cohesion of a formerly disparate campus on a tight, urban site.
University of Westminster Minor Works Programme
Harrow, Greater London
A programme of two, interlinked, strategic re-fitting and re-stacking projects at the University of Westminster’s Harrow Campus.
Stonebridge Primary School
Brent, Greater London
Extension and refurbishment of a Grade II listed primary school to provide six new classrooms and a multi-purpose hall.
Queen Anne's 6th Form College
Caversham, Berkshire
New sixth form centre, providing an active, digital learning zone to enable students to take advantage of industry standard software and devices.
Bekynton Field Complex
Eton, Berkshire
Newly constructed school complex, comprising teaching accommodation, along with Greek-inspired debating and lecture theatre.
Attica Schools PPP Project
Athens, Greece
The first schools PPP project in Greece comprising the design, financing, construction and facilities management of 14 school units.
Latest from McBains
Stay informed with the latest news, insights, and stories from our team.
McBains explains
Get the latest insights from McBains and industry news to your inbox.
By submitting your email address you are agreeing to us storing your data for the purpose of sending you a newsletter.