SOE Flashcards
What were the additional plant requirements for the unitised facade?
Due to the unitized panels having to be lifted and installed often at height crane use has to be accounted for
What is the difference between stick and unitised?
Stick curtain walling requires more time on site, as each component must be assembled and installed individually. Unitised curtain walling can be installed much more quickly on site, as the pre-made units can be lifted into place and attached to the building structure
What are the advantages and disadvantages of using concrete?
Concrete has very good compressive strength along with mass and accoustic properties along with a well known and effecient construction
disadvantages are it can take time to fully cure, it can be expensive and cumbersome and to have full strengh you need to add reinforcement for tensile strength
-Name me different types of foundations?
pad, raft, strip, pilled
What type of foundation would be used in a high-rise building?
Pilled foundations and large raft slab depending on soil conditions
How can we make concrete more sustainable in construction?
By using more sustainable building materials such as timber, reusing existing structures and materials where possible. renewable energy use on sites. reducing landfill
Can you give me the build up to a brickwork facade?
Brick work, insulation with wall tiles and weep vents concrete or breeze blocks, plaster or plasterboard
What was the cost difference for the foundations between the timber and lightweight concrete?
due to the increased weight of the lightweight concrete the foundations of the building had to be underpinned which had an additional cost of roughly 200k but this was not extensive
What are you seeing currently for the cost of a bolt-on balcony for a resi project?
17k
How can using Bolt-on instead of inset affect the efficiency of the building?
due to the bolt on balconies not requiring change to the external construction and shape of the building the amount of facade required is reduced compared to inset balconies. therefore the internal space of the unit can be larger
On Harrow - what stage of the RIBA plan of work was this?
Stage 3
Can you name the stages of RIBA plan of work?
Stage 0: strategic definition
stage 1: preparing and briefing
stage 2: concept design
stage 3: spatial co-ordination
stage 4: technical design
stage 5: Manufacturing and construction
stage 6: Handover
stage 7: Use
Can you name 4 different design efficiencies?
W:F, N:G, solid to glazed, soft:hard, Units per core.
Can you give me the contents of one of the cost plans you have produced?
What is the risk of using market testing to formulate rates?
the market may have changed since the rates where used, the project specifics are always provided within the rates and therefore their may be hidden costs not included
Can you give me an overview of your process you undertook on harrow on the cost exercise?
What were the items required to produce the portion of design which would meet the budget?
What is the difference between VE and VM?
the modification of designs and systems according to value analysis,
Value management is the discipline of providing value to customers while also ensuring that providing value results in profit
Can you give me the contents of a cost report?
-What is the purpose of producing a cost report for the client?
The purpose of cost reporting is to inform the client in a construction project of the likely outturn cost of the construction project.
-What is the importance of giving the client an accurate cash flow?
affects the project’s ability to meet financial obligations, maintain cash reserves, manage risk, and stay on schedule.
-You mention risk allowances - what are the risk pots under NRM?
Design development risks,
Construction risks,
Employer change risk,
Employer other risks
-What would you typically see for a project at stage 2 in terms of risk allowances?
roughly we would benchmark 10-15% of the contract sum after calculating risk based on the different risk categories
What are the two types of prov sum
defined and undifned
How did the reduction in units lead to an overall saving - what aspects led to cost savings?
with the reduction in units the size of the building reduced therefore a reduction in external walls, and sub and superstructure costs
How did you ensure that this did not impact sales values?
I confirmed with the design team and the sales consultant the reduction in sizes back to the original recomended sizes and they confirmed that reducing the sizes will not affect the sales values nor did increasing the sizes due to the market and planning requirements
For the Courtyard project - can you tell me the valuation rules under the JCT? and what section
Section 5
What would be the reason why a project may be behind cashflow?
it may show that the project is behind programme, this can also show that the contractor is failing to complete the work effeciency
-What may a reason why a project may be ahead of cashflow?
it can mean that the contractor is ahead of the programme, or that they are completing the works in a different order or negativiely it could mean the contractor is over valuing to increase their income when they are not financially stable
On New bond Street - How did you deal with anticipated variations within the cost report?
I reported them on the anticipated change portion of the cost report which the client could be acknowledged
What are the risk strategies under the NRM?
Risk aviodance, Reduction, transfer, sharing, retention
Are you aware of QCRA? What is it?
Quantitative cost risk analysis, it is when you assign percentages to risk which would occur and values agasnt them
Can you give me some examples of what design development risk pot i used for?
An allowance for use during the design process to provide for the risks associated with design development, changes in estimating data, third-party risks (e.g. planning requirements, legal agreements, covenants, environmental issues and pressure groups
What are some risk analysis techniques/theorys?
Probability trees, Central limit therorem, monte carlo
What was your role in the EW meetings?
I attended and started to assign values against identified risks and identified areas which could be affected in my cost report
How do we measure satisfaction?
At my firm we issue client satisfaction questionnaires
What is your companies CHP ?
AECOMS CHP is to acknowledged receipt within 7 days and then have a update or full response with 21 days
What is an asset and what is a liability
an asset is something of value which is owned and a liability is a debt which will need to be paid or transferred
what criteria is BREEAM scored on
Management
Water
Energy
Transport
Health & wellbeing
Resources
Resilience
Land use & ecology
Pollution
Materials
Waste
Innovation
What is in a set of company accounts?
a summary of an organisation’s financial activity over a 12 month period
What is the risk if data is handled incorrectly
if data is not handled correctly then their is risk of exposing sensitive information
How do you price PV panels?
for PV panels, the brackety and connections and then i would benchmark the KW outputted specified using benchmarked data for other projects.
What other sustainable energy saving equipment are you familiar with, what are the drawbacks
Ground source heatpumps, they are expensive and also difficult to maintain regularly
Why did you need informed consent?
it would be best practice to ensure that the client knew that i have identified the connection to show that i am being open and honest but can still act impartially
Is there any British standards regarding QA or Quality management systems?
BS 9001
What is the RICS CHP timeframe
Acknowledge of receipt within 7 days and a update or full response within 28 days
What is your firms CHP time frame, how does it differ from the RICS?
My Firms CHP follows the precedent of the RICS template; however, it expedites the process from 28 days to 21 days
How did you calculate fees for a project?
I aided in calculating fees by looking at the overall deliverables for a project based on the scope and brief, i looked at the programme and total project duration, i would calculate the level of resource for each month based on this programe and calculate out total cost using our FBLR for each level plus expenses and then benchmark the costs against the total estimated contract sum to compare against other projects
Why is it essential to stay in regular contact with your Client?
it is important to stay in regular contact with the client to ensure that they are reassured that the project is being managed effectively
What are some barriers to communication?
Language, technology, writing styles and rapport
What are the different types of communication?
Written, spoken, digital, video call
is there etiquette with virtual communication?
Having the camera on during meetings and conversations so that people know you are both paying attention and present.
how do you formulate a strategy for communication
you need to plan what you want to communicate about and what information you want to gain, also what information you can provide in exchange, what are the facts and what are the points of contention
what are stakeholders, how do you manage them?
stakeholders are anyone with a vested interest in a project
What are meeting minutes, why are they used and are they binding?
n official written record of a meeting, encapsulating discussions, decisions, task assignments, and deadlines, if they have been signed by all parties they can therefore be legally binding
Parties under CDM and what are QS’s
QS are classified as designers, this is due to QS’ being within design workshops and suggesting items which need to be properly considered as required by the regulation
Is COVID-19 training still required?
COVID-19 is no longer a prominent pandemic however the training around spread of disease and training regarding looking after your own health is still relevant
What is a balance sheet?
A balance sheet is a financial statement that summarizes a company’s assets, liabilities, and equity at a specific moment in time. It’s also known as a statement of net worth or a statement of financial position
