Building Development - Case Study Example

CONSTRUCTION PROGRESS REPORT ON The Peak (Victoria, London Introduction and Administration 1 of the building The Peak, also known as the Abford House, is an eight-level commercial building beside the Apollo Victoria Theatre bounded by Wilton and Vauxhall Bridge Roads. The substructure is composed of bored piles with reinforced concrete pile caps directly supporting the basement level. The superstructure is a steel space-frame building with a central concrete core housed under a curved steel roof. Provision for thermal and moisture protection is thru an aluminium framed curtain wall system with toughened glass panels held by lightweight stainless steel suspension system. Floors are constructed using a raised access system over a concrete slab reinforced by steel mesh. The slab is in turn supported by cellular beams connected to the steel beams of the building's steel frame. Internal partition is a dry wall system utilizing plasterboard set on metal studs, either freestanding or as linings to reinforced concrete walls and are fire rated as required. Ceilings are predominantly polyester powder coated perforated pressed metal tiles on suspended grid system. Building services comprise of the ff: water based heat pump fan coil unit (HPFCU) system, ventilation by air-handling units, cold and hot water distribution system, gravity soil waste system, automatic sprinkler and fire alarm systems triggered by smoke detectors, gas distribution system, CCTV, telephone and data system, and low voltage switch gear electrical distribution system with provision of backup power from a standby generator. The building comprises 10,400m of office accommodation and 1,780m of retail use at street and lower ground levels.Planning and design started in the year 2004 while construction started in year 2007 and for completion by year 2009. The building's contemporary design is evident in the following design schemes from the architect. Mock-up model showing structural framework Cross-section of building showing basement and upper floors View facing Victoria Station Rear elevation 1.2 Administration of the project Administration of the project is under a project management firm or the project manager (Carillion) which plays the central role in the overall project development from design stage to construction up to completion and commissioning. The project manager is the bridge of the developer to all other members of the professional team which includes the designers and/or consultants. The developer, a joint venture between CIS Properties, Heron International PLC, and AXA Real Estate IM, has the financial machinery to bankroll the design and construction and dictates the overall budget for the project. The design team on the other hand is composed of group of experts commissioned to provide the schematic up to detailed design of the proposed building to the approval of the developer. It is composed of the ff: Sheppard Robson - Architect, Ove Arrup & Partners - Structural Engineer, Foreman Roberts - Services Engineer, and Gerald Eve - Planning Consultant. The architect acts as the lead designer to incorporate and harmonize all aspects of the design such as architectural, structural, building services (mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection), as well as facade and interior design. The structural engineer comes up with the structural design that will be able to hold the structure together adequately within the constraints of safety and aesthetic design of the architect. On the other hand, the services engineer collaborates with the lead designer in designing the electrical, mechanical, plumbing, and fire protection works of the building satisfying the requirements for the building's function. It is also in his role to coordinate with the suppliers/manufacturers of other building services like lifts, pumps, standby generators, etc. to make sure that the selected building service product conforms to the design of the building. The planning consultant, Gerald Eve, which is a chartered surveyor and property consultant, provides the developer with the input on how to plan and manage the property (the building) in order to maximize profit in terms of lease, valuation of saleable units, property taxation. These inputs are significant in the planning stage since at the start, the space requirements and design parameters are in effect largely dependent on how the planning consultant packages the property for prospective occupants of the building. In the overall, Carillion facilitates the planning and scheduling of the design development commissioned to the design team and ensures designs are submitted both in order and on time. A quantity surveyor and/or a cost consultant then determines the cost estimate of the project, does value engineering, and prepares all necessary documents for tendering including the contracts that will bind the builders to the developer. The cost consultant selected for the project is Davis Langdon. Both the project manager and the cost consultant, implements the tendering by first prequalifying a long list of contractors interested in the project then proceeds with the bidding and post-qualification phase. A main contractor is selected from the respondent bidders. Other contractors for certain scopes of work also go through the same tendering phase. In the Peak, the main contract was awarded to the Mace Group while the steel fabrication work was awarded to the Bourne Group. The contractors are obligated by contract to the owner thru the project manager to perform within the acceptable bounds of time, quality, and scope in the project. In other words, the contractor must be able to complete the project ahead or on time with acceptable work in terms of agreed benchmark of quality, and within the scope stipulated in the contract. The programme of works defines the scope of work awarded to a particular contractor and his contractual obligation to the owner. To illustrate this point, the demolition contractor, Keltbray, did the demolition and clearing and is limited only to this scope and obligation. The project manager oversees the performance of the contractors in the project and reports and resolves issues arising during the construction up to such a time that the project is fully completed and handed over to the developer. 2. Progress Reports 2.1 1st site visit: January 2009 Structural works on site were ongoing such as assembly of structural components. Lifting of steel frame components 2.2 2nd site visit: 01 February 2009 Substantially completed steel frame structure (Ground to 8th floor) 2.3 3rd site visit: 10 February 2009 At this time, the steel frame for all floors have been constructed already. The benefit of the steel framework system with cellular beams in this open plan development is evident upon visual inspection: long clear spans, easy service integration, and shallow overall floor depths minimising overall construction height. The beams had steel mesh set on each floor on which the concrete will be poured. Installed steel frame of the building (steel columns, girders & beams) Installed cellular beams and steel mesh (ready for concrete pouring) 2.4 4th site visit: 21 February 2009 Since the last visit, concrete had been poured on to the remaining upper floors. Work had started on the facade with installation of the office glazing. The glazing panels were lifted into position by crane which takes the panels up to the appropriate floor at which stage the panels are fixed into place. Installed glazing panels at the facade Installation of glazing panels (see lifting by crane) 2.5 5th site visit: 08 March 2009 Internal works were in full blast. Plaster boards were ready to be placed on walls. The metal stud support system had already been fixed in place on the concrete walls and ready to accept the boards. Installed vertical stud support system on concrete walls 2.6 6th site visit: 13 March 2009 Quality control had been implemented on site like regular fire proof checks on installed components. Ongoing installation of floor system was also observed. Paint on beam (indication of area fire proof checking) Installation of floor (raised using a grid mesh steel format) Installed damp proof bituminous membrane between the party walls (using Bituthene) 2.7 7th site visit: 15 March 2009 Work had just started in setting in place the curved roof which will envelope the upper floors of the building. It will be formed with a series of arched tubular sections which had just arrived by road transport from Austria. Each tubular section were hoisted into position by crane. Partially installed tubular frame roof support 2.8 8th site visit: 17 March 2009 Installed suspended ceiling frames and partially completed ceiling tiles 3. Conclusions The design of the building allowed for the both the expeditious pace of construction and flexibility of use. First, the selection of steel frame for the superstructure and the use of cellular beam supports significantly contributed in the speed of erection. Steel components can be procured ahead and in bulk from the supplier and delivered at pre-determined dates according to the installation schedule resulting in an early topping off. The erection is faster compared for instance to concrete where curing time has to be considered in the duration. The use of cellular beam is easy and quick to do since it already integrates the provision for the combined services e.g. electrical, water distribution, etc. Secondly, the design achieved the flexibility of use by its intended occupants by reaping the benefits of long spans resulting in larger open spaces and minimizing space occupied by the building structure and systems. Further, there is the versatility of fitting out of wider open spaces to conform to the needs of the occupants. Thus, it can be concluded that the design was fairly adequate in the standards of construction. However, the design should also conform to the codes and policies promulgated by the proper authorities in the area. An issue that figured in the project was in the approval of the project by the Westminster Planning and City Development Committee during the pre-construction phase. The detailed plans of the project were submitted to the body for their evaluation and approval. The new structure, for mainly commercial use, shall be erected in the area occupied by two existing residential buildings. The Victoria Station Planning Brief allows for the increase in commercial space in the condition that it is to be offset by the provision of transport benefits at Victoria. The committee observed that the design of the building offers no off-street parking space and service bay and has below the normally required provision for bicycle racks. In view of the above, it was recommended for the building setback that would widen the pavement and provision of a comparable sum to fund future transport improvements. This move was established since there is apex of the Wilton Road/Vauxhall Bridge Road is widely used. No objection was brought up in the demolition of the buildings as long as the aforementioned guidelines are met. There were no objections in the design considering that the proposed structure is acceptable in bulk, height, aesthetics, and materials in relation to the surrounding properties particularly the Victoria Station and the Apollo Theatre. There were some concerns raised on the manner of construction of the substructure without harm to the underground tunnels and other existing embedded utilities. Amenity issues were also mentioned. This referred to the obstruction of light and sun on two residential blocks, 173 Victoria Street and adjacent Evelyn Mansions, the latter reportedly being the source of the amenity objections. It was found out by a reputable firm of analysts that the loss of daylight is negligible and is within the requirements of the Building Research Establishment with exception to one ground floor window at the Evelyn Mansions. With regards to the noise pollution guidelines, an acoustic report was furnished to the Committee showing that any plant in the new building would be compliant to the City Council's normal noise conditions. The administration went relatively smooth with just a few minor hitches. As an example, the project encountered some minor delay in the design of the substructure. However, the issue was quickly addressed and resolved by the professional team through constant coordination and cooperation between its members. It is not uncommon to encounter uncertainties especially in foundation works since the method of geotechnical investigation is principally empirical, relying on borehole samples to assume the underlying strata and its corresponding properties to be used as basis for the selection of the appropriate substructure. In the design of such, a balance must be reached on the cost of the foundation and its capacity to safely support the building load. Read More