Case Study Flashcards
Does each director have distinct responsibilities/strengths?
Yes - generally work in different sectors but some crossover which is beneficial because directors can also help guide each other so good balance
- Also different skills/ experience within sectors eg one team does DfE schools and usually new-build so familiar with a different process eg DfE guidelines and processes which are quite specific
- Our team usually does more bespoke remodelling or extension projects when we do schools, so more experience working with existing buildings and dealing with associated challenges.
Beneficial to diversify the practice but not so diverse that the kind of USP is diluted.
How are resources managed?
- Timesheets
- Weekly resource meetings within teams. director will discuss and work out what each team member will be doing for the week and whether anyone has extra capacity or needs assistance
- Weekly resource meetings between directors. Directors will discuss what they’ve gone through with their teams and share any resources if necessary. Will also discuss upcoming projects/ opportunities and how they will be resourced.
Can you highlight any benefits/differences between the way SPACE (as a medium to large practice) operates vs a smaller scale of practice?
Robust organisation/ systems in place established over a long period of time. Lots of people in practice oversee aspects of the business, not just directors.
- Designated marketing team
- Designated finance team
- Designated admin staff
- People who oversee BIM and do inductions for this
- Contract specialist
Even in terms of things like internal auditing/ filing too… well established systems in place. ATs carry out internal audits of every project. Filing system called Newforma which stores email correspondence and all project files.
What were/are the responsibilities for handover? Do these differ for a traditional contract?
- Handover is when the site is handed back from the contractor to the client once CA has certified that the all works required under the contract have been completed.
- Contractor supplied things like health and safety file and O&M manual to the client including as built or last construction drawings
- One thing that we might have done under traditional is snagging, before practical completion to help CA put together a defects schedule of defects to be made good before a certificate for making good of defects can be issued but under D&B, this could be a conflict of interests. UTC example.
Is there any expectation of post-occupancy evaluation? Do SPACE undertake post-occupancy
evaluation on projects? What would/could this consist of and what are the benefits/cons to
the client and SPACE
We don’t usually undertake post-occupancy evaluation as far as I am aware but might depend on the project. I am aware that additional BREEAM points can be awarded for POE so could be done on Sirius but think we already met the target no. of points required without.
What would consist of?
- would require assessment of the building in terms of how building performance measures up to expectations of those who designed it and client expectations, so you can review how successful it’s been and learn from any areas where expectations not met to implement relevant strategies when designing in the future. Would often assess relative to procurement, material aspects of the building and occupation.
Pros
- Can learn from on future projects.
- Opportunity to obtain feedback
Cons
- More up front costs
Fee on the project was percentage based – pros and cons of this? What are the alternatives?
(lump sum, time charge, which scenarios would each be suited to?)
Pros
- Increases if project scope increases (as long as that’s written into the appointment) providing better security for architect
Con
- Can be less desirable from a client perspective because not as closely related to the amount of work you’re doing
- Also from client’s perspective, could be an incentive to design a more expensive scheme to get more expensive fees but unlikely because of competitive tender
Alternatives:
- lump sum - suitable for well-defined project because not easy to adjust if scope increases
- time charge - good for less well defined projects where you don’t know how much work is involved and not necessarily going to construction stage eg feasibility studies.
How can overall costs be reduced under D&B in comparison to traditional?
- Contractor can work with designers to amend design so that it’s cheaper (value engineering)
- Contractor involvement in earlier stages means they can advise on design with cost and buildability in mind
- Design and construction can be overlapped, reducing timescale and potentially reducing costs as a result.
How do you limit liability with contracts/ collateral warranties?
Eg net contribution clause
Construction cost was assumed. By whom?
Cost consultant, Gleeds, will have undertaken initial cost exercises such as an elemental cost plan on which to base an expected construction cost. Also included ‘we reserve the right to revise our fee should construction cost vary significantly’ so this covered risk that these initial cost assessments were inaccurate.
How is cost certainty achieved under D&B? Can this not be achieved using a traditional form
of procurement?
D&B: There is reasonable certainty over costs because the contract price is agreed at the outset, although there are usually still changes. Contractor weighing in on design can also advise in terms of cost and buildability.
Traditional: Fully developing the design at tender stage can increase cost certainty
How can/were late design changes (change to parking layout) managed contractually?
Not sure but on another recent project, similar discussion regarding submission of a second planning app because of scope change and we undertook as separate exercise for an additional fee. Presumably would depend on what you’ve listed as outputs in your appointment.
Why did the contractor decide to absorb the cost of rectifying the error on the cavity
barriers? How would this have been managed under a traditional contract? Could a claim
have been made against SPACE and how would this be resolved (which types of dispute
resolution are appropriate?)
My understanding having spoken with my director on this - to maintain good relationships. Whilst it was our mistake, the contractor also made mistakes and we worked with them (as we should because our duty of care was to them) to resolve. Render example. Have worked with this contractor before and likely to in future, and on whole think both parties felt we work well together so not worth souring the relationship by getting into dispute.
Would be different under trad it this respect - not working with the contractor so may not have been same incentive.
Should a claim have been made, could explore resolution procedures such as negotiation, mediation, adjudication, arbitration and litigation (worst case scenario)
Who were the statutory consultees?
- Highways England
- Environment Agency
Can’t remember all off the top of head
Was this a major or minor planning application? How do they differ?
Minor (less than 1000m2 floor space). Takes 8 weeks to determine rather than 13 for major.
Why is ISO 9001 certification important to SPACE?
- Helps the company meet needs of customers
- Gives quality assurance to clients
- Is required for RIBA chartership
