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The Highland Council

POST OCCUPANCY EVALUATION Wick Campus

70047574-001

DECEMBER 2018 PUBLIC

The Highland Council

POST OCCUPANCY EVALUATION Wick Campus

TYPE OF DOCUMENT (VERSION) PUBLIC

PROJECT NO. 70047574

OUR REF. NO. 70047574-001

DATE: DECEMBER 2018

The Highland Council

POST OCCUPANCY EVALUATION

Wick Campus

WSP

110 Queen Street

Glasgow

G1 3BX

Phone: +44 141 429 3555

Fax: +44 141 429 3666

WSP.com

QUALITY CONTROL

Issue/revision

First issue

Revision 1

Revision 2

Revision 3

Remarks

Issued for

Comment

Date

Prepared by

Angie Smith

Angie Smith

Signature

Checked by

Russell Moore

Russell Moore

Signature

Authorised by

Sharon Barrie

Sharon Barrie

Signature

Project number

70047574

70047574

Report number

DRAFT

Rev 1

File reference

70047574-07

70047574-07

Post Occupancy Evaluation WSP Project No.: 70047574 | Our Ref No.: 70047574-001 December 2018 The Highland Council

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CONTENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

INTRODUCTION 9

PURPOSE OF POST OCCUPANCY EVALUATION 10 PROJECT DETAILS 13

1 PROJECT BACKGROUND 14

1.1 BACKGROUND 14 1.2 SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS 15

2 PROJECT DESCRIPTION 16 3 DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION ANALYSIS 18

3.1 DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION ANALYSIS 18 3.1.1 COMPARISON OF BRIEFED PLANS AND SPECIFICATION AGAINST DELIVERY 18 3.1.2 BUILDING USER FEEDBACK - DESIGN 27

3.1.3 FORM AND MATERIALS – REVIEW OF THE BUILDING'S PHYSICAL COMPOSITION, SCALE AND CONFIGURATION WITHIN ITS BOUNDARIES. 28

3.1.4 BUILDING USER FEEDBACK – FORM AND MATERIALS 33 3.1.5 CHARACTER AND INNOVATION - WHAT PEOPLE THINK OF THE OVERALL BUILDING. 36 3.1.6 BUILDING USER FEEDBACK – CHARACTER AND INNOVATION 37

3.1.7 URBAN AND SOCIAL INTEGRATION - THE RELATIONSHIP OF THE BUILDING WITH ITS SURROUNDINGS. 38

3.1.8 BUILDING USER FEEDBACK – URBAN AND SOCIAL INTEGRATION 39 3.2 SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS 41

4 DEVELOPMENT, CONSTRUCTION AND COST REVIEW PROCESS 42 4.1 DEVELOPMENT, CONSTRUCTION AND COST REVIEW PROCESS 42

Post Occupancy Evaluation WSP Project No.: 70047574 | Our Ref No.: 70047574-001 December 2018 The Highland Council

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4.2 DEFECTS AND OPERATIONAL ISSUES 51 4.3 SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS 52

5 SUITABILITY ASSESSMENT 53

5.1 SUITABILITY ASSESSMENT 53 5.1.1 BUILDING USER FEEDBACK – SPACE AND SUITABILITY 58 5.2 SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS 64

6 ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY ASSESSMENT 65

6.1 ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY ASSESSMENT – M&E ANALYSIS 65 OBJECTIVES 65 METHODS OF EVALUATION 65

6.1.1 DESIGN REVIEW 66 6.1.2 ENERGY CONSUMPTION 83 6.1.3 WATER CONSUMPTION 83 6.1.4 INTERNAL ENVIRONMENT - QUALITY INSIDE THE BUILDING ENVELOPE. 83 6.1.5 BUILDING USER FEEDBACK – ENVIRONMENT 87 6.2 RECOMMENDATIONS 90

7 OPERATION AND COST ANALYSIS 91

7.1 OPERATION AND COST ANALYSIS 91 7.2 MAINTENANCE EVALUATION 92 7.3 CLEANING AUDIT 94 7.4 RECOMMENDATIONS 100

8 SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS 101

WSP Post Occupancy Evaluation December 2018 Project No.: 70047574 | Our Ref No.: 70047574-001 The Highland Council

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TABLES

Table 1 - Building user comments on design and form 35 Table 2 - Building user feedback – character and innovation 37 Table 3 - Building user feedback - urban and social integration 40 Table 4 - Consultant and Contractor Cost Predictability 44 Table 5 - Consultant and Contractor Time Predictability 45 Table 6 - Consultant and Contractor Feedback 45 Table 7 - Building User Comments - Space and Suitability 63 Table 8 - Building users feedback – environment 89 Table 9 - Building Maintenance Feedback 92

FIGURES

Figure 1: Overview of Wick Campus 16 Figure 2 – Design Proposal Figure 3 – As-built/ Final Construction Layout 18 Figure 4 – Design Proposal Figure 5 – As-built/ Final Construction Layout 19 Figure 6 – Design Proposal Figure 7 – As-built/ Final Construction Layout 20 Figure 8 – Assembly Space Option 1 20 Figure 9 - Assembly Space Option 2 21 Figure 10 – Design Proposal Figure 11 – As-built/ Final Construction Layout 22 Figure 12 - Design Proposal Figure 13 - As-built/ Final Construction Layout 23 Figure 14 – Design Proposal Figure 15 – As-built/ Final Construction Layout 23 Figure 16 - Design Proposal 24 Figure 17 - As-built/ Final Construction Layout 24 Figure 18 - Design Proposal 25 Figure 19 - As-built/Final Construction Layout 25 Figure 20 – Design Proposal Figure 21 – As-built/ Final Construction Layout 26 Figure 22 - Sketch showing scale of Building in relation to surrounding buildings 28 Figure 23 - Site Plan showing layout of Building and access points to Site and Building 29

Post Occupancy Evaluation WSP Project No.: 70047574 | Our Ref No.: 70047574-001 December 2018 The Highland Council

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Figure 24 – Frontage of the Building with the Colonnade to the left and the translucent panelling reflecting the sun set to the right. 30

Figure 25 - Translucent polycarbonate panelling to Sports Block 31 Figure 26 - Curtain Walling to Teaching Wings 32 Figure 27 - Nursery Playground looking South-west 32 Figure 28 - Block A 'The Street' with Rooflights along its length and large open areas. 36 Figure 29 – Bucket collecting water from roof leak in Block A 84 Figure 30 - Carpets in Block E classroom damp from water penetration 84 Figure 31 - Signs of dampness on concrete slab below curtain walling system 85 Figure 32 – Leak to Plant Room 85 Figure 33 – Damaged and missing flashing around Rooflight 86 Figure 34 - New carpet tile replaced. Note difference in colour to existing tiles. 87

APPENDICES

Appendix A – Acoustic Compliance Measurement Report

Appendix B – Example of Building User Questionnaire

WSP Post Occupancy Evaluation December 2018 Project No.: 70047574 | Our Ref No.: 70047574-001 The Highland Council

5 CONTRIBUTORS

The Highland Council

Sharon Barrie

Ryan Sutherland

Robert Campbell

Tom Murdison

Wendy Cameron

Iain Nicol

Kara Coles

Brian Porter

Eddie Boyd

David MacIver

WSP

Russell Moore

Angie Smith

Ryan Marshall

Joe Levy Sheehan

Laura Mayne

Wick Campus

Grant MacKenzie

Lilian Wark

Alan Larnach

Consultants and Contractors

Craig Wilson, Operations Manager, hub North Scotland Limited

Jonathan Jones, Design Manager, Morrison Construction

Kathleen Higgins, BuroHappold (Structural Engineering)

Sam Haston, BuroHappold (Services and Structural Engineering)

Rory Wilson, LDA Design (Landscape Architecture)

Richard Mackenzie, RMP Acoustics

Matt Haggerty, Ryder Architecture

Ian McDonald, Albann Limited

K MacLeod, Barr and Wray Limited

Alex Barnie, GA Barnie Group

S Scott, James Scott and Sons

Archie Fotheringham, Techcrete

Donald Turner, Veitchi Interiors Limited

Post Occupancy Evaluation WSP Project No.: 70047574 | Our Ref No.: 70047574-001 December 2018 The Highland Council

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Background Findings Pre-Operation

Design and Build Contract Form

V/E pressures and Contractors efforts to maximise profit can result in erosion of materials quality during the design stage. Poor quality finishes was an observation from all parties. The Highland Council Design Team handed over a well developed scheme design which didn’t fit with the Affordability criteria. Value Engineering yielded necessary savings but diverted the new team from their design optimisation effort.

Change Management Pre and Post Contract

A significantly higher level of change was introduced post Financial Close. Much of the change was necessitated by V/E and demanded sub contractor engagement. This diverted the designers from preparation of construction information and in turn impacted the project programme.

Highland Council have recognised the lesson that disruption and costs are incurred in the uncontrolled introduction of change. This was recorded by Hub and MCL

A significant number of V/E items were added back into the contract during the construction phase.

Location Factor

The influence of the remote location of Wick was not fully recognised at the outset. The benefits of a robust procurement pipeline were not delivered by the Hub/the Hub Contractor. Insufficient local capability meant that the substantial majority of specialist subcontractors operated from the Central Belt or beyond. Prices were inflated by the cost of travel, subsistence and a reduced working week. In addition single tenders in many cases meant that a significant procurement premium was levied by winning subcontractors.

Handover

The handover process fell well short of the Clients reasonable requirements.

The project started in October 2013. For contractual reasons PC was certified in January 2017. There were issues with all the principal utility supplies. The facility was not ready for occupation until late April 2017

A number of serious issues remain to be resolved at the time of this report. Commissioning was ongoing at the time of PC. This fact alone can be expected to leave a lasting legacy of imbalance and underperformance with M&E services.

In excess of 6,000 snagging items were recorded at the time of PC.

Crimped water pipe fittings failed during February 2013, following PC. Highland Council have now banned use of this pipe jointing system.

IT provision was not to expected standards.

WSP Post Occupancy Evaluation December 2018 Project No.: 70047574 | Our Ref No.: 70047574-001 The Highland Council

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BMS Commissioning and Training

Issues remain with the operation and control of the Building Management System (BMS). Operational expenditure for utilities for Q1 was £14K. Projected cost per annum £10K. There appears to be a weakness in the Handover and training regime for FM operators. Suggested remedies:

Appoint and engage FM operator much earlier in the project programme to enable training and clear understanding of the systems. This should ideally cover the commissioning period. BMS training during handover should involve the FM Contractor, Commissioning Manager and Controls Contractor. This should ideally be video recorded.

All areas of the buildings should be reviewed for operational capability and emer gency procedures demonstrated.

Environmental Control

As noted in Section 6 there are serious shortcomings with heating and ventilation provisions for the new facility;

Heater batteries adequately temper the incoming cold air form the North Sea. Complaints of  classrooms being too cold.

BMS actuates opening windows in naturally ventilated classrooms when CO2 levels rise. The design fails to recognise the strength and regularity of winds in Wick.

Question of whether Passive Ventilation is appropriate for Caithness?

Atrium rooflights open in response to CO2. Override closes rooflight when rain detected. No manual override. High incidence of rain in Wick renders the ventilation system inoperative for much of the time.

THC Maintenance Team question the ability of heat emitting rafts at ceiling level to deliver comfort level heating.

FM team have carried out seasonal commissioning earlier this year to overcome the adverse weather idiosyncrasies. Results being monitored.

FM Team made a valuable contribution pre-handover to establishing the maintenance strategy

Findings in Operation

Building User Feedback

Pupils responded positively to the materials and school design which they felt promoted a positive image. Teachers however were more critical of fixtures and internal finishes which attracted negative comments. Nevertheless, a majority of staff enjoy working in the buildings.

Building users enjoy the levels of natural light from which the buildings benefit. However heating and ventilation are strongly criticised. Lack of control of their environment leading to: overheating in summer; draughts and cold in winter; passive ventilation which is rendered ineffective by the by the frequent gales and strong winds. All serve to create frustration and discomfort.

Post Occupancy Evaluation WSP Project No.: 70047574 | Our Ref No.: 70047574-001 December 2018 The Highland Council

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Generally the building character is regarded positively. Its location and accessibility is the subject of some criticism. The former leisure facilities were within the Town Centre. Now it involves a ½ mile walk to the facility. This along with poor wayfinding can mean a further ½ mile to gain direct access at the appropriate point.

There is a lack of facilities to allow enjoyment of outside spaces are e.g. Covered areas, seating and tables for outdoor lunching.

The recurring theme from all building users is disappointment with general quality and durability of materials, fixtures and finishes.

Development, Construction and Cost

Whilst the briefing process was generally regarded as satisfactory, there was comment from users that there had been inadequate opportunity for consultation. Care and learning (CAL), commented that the Headmaster had exerted undue influence on the design.

The HUBco Design Team felt that the early stages of design had advanced too far and into too much details under THC D&I direction to permit meaningful contribution from themselves. There was considerable frustration at the disproportionate time expended in value engineering the THC design.

Conversely the high levels of satisfaction with the performance of HUBco North, their Consultant Design Team and Contractor belies comments from end users, THC and CAL.

Acoustic design was only considered at a late stage in the design, thus prejudicing best outcome.

The degree of change (Authority Change Notices) which continued to be introduced well past design freeze stage severely prejudiced cost and programme certainty. The Contractor cited change as a factor contributing to late delivery of the project (+ 4 Months) and cost increase.

WSP Post Occupancy Evaluation December 2018 Project No.: 70047574 | Our Ref No.: 70047574-001 The Highland Council

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INTRODUCTION

Wick Campus covers an area of 17,500sqm and incorporates Wick High School, Newton Primary School and East Caithness Community Facilities, this project replaced the previous Wick High School and consolidated existing primary schools, nursery provision, sports facilities, community library and swimming pool to integrate community facilities into the overall campus.

The £48m Wick Campus development was part of the Scottish Government ‘Scotland’s Schools for the Future’ programme which was delivered for The Highland Council on a Hub North Scotland Ltd contract with Morrison’s Construction as the main contractor.

The Highland Council commissioned WSP to facilitate and co-ordinate the Post Occupancy Evaluation (POE) of Wick Campus, Newton Road, Wick, KW1 5SA with suitability assessment, design and construction and cost analysis being carried out by The Highland Council and the environmental and sustainability assessment being undertaken by WSP. The purpose of this report is to provide analysis and evaluation of these assessments compared to the original brief and for use in future projects the report will identify;

Concerns and problem areas that need to be adapted for future projects Positives and successful outcomes which can be adopted in future projects Design improvements that can be incorporated into future schemes.

There are three forms of POE namely strategic, operational and project review, this report follows the operational form of review and will provide a robust and detailed review of the following five key areas;

Design and Construction Analysis

Development, Construction and Cost Review Process

Suitability Assessment

Environment and Sustainability Assessment

Operation and Cost Analysis

Our POE methodology incorporated the following quantitative and qualitative elements of review, research and analysis:

Post Occupancy Evaluation WSP Project No.: 70047574 | Our Ref No.: 70047574-001 December 2018 The Highland Council

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PURPOSE OF POST OCCUPANCY EVALUATION

The purpose of Post Occupancy Evaluation (POE) is to investigate, review and provide feedback on completed construction projects in order to evaluate if the building performs as intended, support the occupying organisation, review the project delivery process from inception to completion, assess if the project brief has been met and allow continual improvements to be captured for implementation into future projects.

The form of Post Occupancy Evaluation to be undertaken is dependent on how much time has passed since project completion/occupation (as set out below). All projects in the Scotland’s Schools for the Future Programme should be evaluated 12-18 months post occupation.

WSP Post Occupancy Evaluation December 2018 Project No.: 70047574 | Our Ref No.: 70047574-001 The Highland Council

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Strategic Review Operational Review

The Strategic Review would take place 3-5 years post occupation where users have had time to work with the building over a longer period of time. This enables the

opportunity to assess how the building meets the organisations long term strategy, with a full review of flexibility, fit for purpose, suitability and cost

effectiveness.

The Operational Review would be carried out between 12 and 18 months post occupation to allow various building systems and materials etc to bed in. This also allows a seasonal cycle to take place where feedback can be gained on how the building performs in a variety of conditions.

Project Review

The Project Review would be the initial POE which looks to gain end users feedback on how well the building is working operationally and if there are any immediate issues that need resolving.

The purpose of the POE is to better inform the briefing, design and execution of future projects and assess the scope for reducing operating costs and environmental impact, and/or to increase the whole-life value and improve user satisfaction.

The objective is to measure the efficiency and performance of the projects, and to ascertain the level to which expectations of a broad range of stakeholders have been met.

Each evaluation type should cover five areas (albeit to different levels of investigation and analysis dependent on evaluation type). The five areas are:

Design and Construction - Analysis of design proposals to cover: whether the building is being used in accordance with the client requirements/designer's intentions, whether consultation with stakeholders was undertaken/used and review of engagement with stakeholders throughout the life of the project.

Development, Construction and Cost Review Process - Review of construction and cost/budget to highlight any improvements that could be made to the process. Review of cost management including setting of project budget and management/control of same through the design, development and construction process, assessing areas such as affordability, how final costs align with original budget, cost management throughout the project stages etc.

Post Occupancy Evaluation WSP Project No.: 70047574 | Our Ref No.: 70047574-001 December 2018 The Highland Council

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Suitability Assessment - Assessment on suitability and sufficiency of space, specifically in terms of space management, adjacencies and efficiencies.

Environmental and Sustainability Assessment - Analysis and review of environment and sustainability to assess daylight, artificial lighting, temperatures, overheating, CO2 emissions, acoustics, energy consumption, water consumption and lifecycle analysis and how performance aligns with original requirements.

Operation Cost Analysis - Operating costs review to establish current spend is in accordance with predictions (especially energy and cleaning) and whether a building's lifecycle replacement, planned preventative and reactive maintenance costs are in accordance with predictions.

WSP Post Occupancy Evaluation December 2018 Project No.: 70047574 | Our Ref No.: 70047574-001 The Highland Council

13 PROJECT DETAILS

PROJECT NAME:

Wick Campus

LOCAL AUTHORITY:

The Highland Council

PROCUREMENT ROUTE:

Design-Build-Finance-Maintain (DBFM)

KEY DATES:

STAGE 1

24th March 2013

STAGE 2

2nd October 2014

FINANCIAL CLOSE/CONTRACT

AWARD

19th December 2014

CONSTRUCTION START

28th April 2014 (enabling works packages)

5th January 2015 (main contract)

PRACTICAL COMPLETION

10th January 2017 (Phase 1)

OPERATIONAL START DATE

26th April 2017

VALUE OF PROJECT:

£48,499,764 (stage 2 final price)

PROJECT TEAM

The Highland Council Education Culture & Sport Committee HubCo

CONTRACTOR:

Morrison Construction (Design & Build)

COST & PROJECT MANAGEMENT:

HubCo – Sweett Group

ARCHITECT:

GMA Ryder

M&E:

Buro Happold

OTHERS:

Service Engineers - Buro Happold

The Highland Council Design Team:

Project Management – Parsons Brinckerhoff (now WSP) Architecture – The Highland Council

Civil & Structural – Jacobs

Building Services – Arup

Fire Engineer - Arup

Quantity Surveying – The Highland Council

BREEAM - EBBA Consultants

CDM Co-ordinator – Parsons Brinckerhoff (now WSP) Landscape Architect - Grontmij

Post Occupancy Evaluation WSP Project No.: 70047574 | Our Ref No.: 70047574-001 December 2018 The Highland Council

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1 PROJECT BACKGROUND

1.1 BACKGROUND

The new build Wick High School and East Caithness Community Facilities formed part of the Scottish Government’s Scotland’s Schools for the Future programme. The new High School was to have a design capacity of 895 pupils, the campus was to host a new leisure centre containing a 25m, 6 lane swimming pool, toddler pool and fitness suite. Library facilities for use from both the community and school was to be incorporated within the new campus. The library, swimming pool, fitness suite and sports wing was to be operated by High Life Highland, the Council’s leisure trust.

After appropriate consultation process the Council determined that the campus was to be built on land adjoining the old existing Wick High School and the land was procured from the existing owner. The project scope included demolition of the 1960’s and 1970’s blocks of the old High School, new utility services were required along with road improvements allowing vehicular access to the new campus.

The objectives for the project included providing a fit for purpose school with a life expectancy of 60 years, create a stimulating environment which supports learning and teaching, improved community facilities whilst being in full compliance with Disability Discrimination Act, and an exemplar for sustainable design and facilities management, reduce energy use and carbon emissions and overall running and lifecycle costs by combining services on one site.

The initial dates for the project proposed a site start date of October 2013 with completion projected in June 2015. The Council’s approved budget at Outline Business Case for the project was £34m. Changes to the scope of the project which were identified during the briefing process resulted in the cost plan for the briefed scope of works to increase to £37.2m excluding VAT and land acquisition costs.

A replacement primary school (Newton Primary School) to replace the existing South Primary School and Pulteneytown Academy Primary School, was incorporated into the project in January 2013 when the project was already past Stage 1 review. The Wick Campus project was extended to include the design and build of the new Wick High School, Newton Primary School and East Caithness Community Facilities.

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1.2 SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Significant changes to scope at any stage of the project lifecycle can severely affect the time, cost, quality balance. The outcomes may not be fully realised until late in the project.

Location of the project should have been taken into account during initial costings. Local sub-contractors did not have the capacity to undertake the scale of the works or accept the risk structure set out in the standard Design-Build-Finance- Maintain (DBFM) contract. Contractors from elsewhere in the country incurred higher costs associated to travel time, accommodation costs and subsistence.

The issue noted above, also restricted the number of tender returns for some work packages due to buoyant market conditions in more accessible areas. Local resource restrictions for materials, plant and equipment were also noted as casual factors to the increase in cost and this should be a consideration for future projects being undertaken in remote locations.

Post Occupancy Evaluation WSP Project No.: 70047574 | Our Ref No.: 70047574-001 December 2018 The Highland Council

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2 PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Wick Campus comprises of multiple blocks which integrates the High School and Primary School facilities with the community campus located in a separate building, as shown in the image below;

Figure 1: Overview of Wick Campus

The architect’s design is focused on an internal street which runs the length of the building with a wing arrangement where teaching accommodation is separated based on departments and their individual requirements. The street is utilised as additional breakout space, dining area and performance space. The space between the teaching wings are used as external courtyards which provides semi-sheltered play space.

The campus provides classrooms for;

Science

Maths

English

CDT

WSP Post Occupancy Evaluation December 2018 Project No.: 70047574 | Our Ref No.: 70047574-001 The Highland Council

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Social Science

Home Economics

Art

Physical Education

Primary Education

Nursery School

The community building comprises;

Public library

Fitness suite

Swimming pool

Sauna and steam room

Changing facilities

External space includes;

Car parking

Pupil drop-off

Playground

Basketball and netball court

An orchard and planting area

Football pitch

Running track

The Highland Council appointed hub North Scotland as development partner when the project was at design stage C and from there it was transferred from Highland Council to HubCo.

With escalating costs, a value engineering exercise was undertaken which produced savings during Stage 1 in relation to amending the roof structure and finishes to the building, removing the timber batten ceiling to the multi-purpose hall and replacement with perforated MF ceiling and removing the polished finish to the Pre-cast fins.

Construction methods and materials used to construct the campus include;

Reinforced ground bearing pad foundations, structural steel frame, raised seam roof to Blocks B, C, D, E and F, 3 layer tar roof to Block A.

The façade comprises of aluminium clad timber windows, curtain walling, precast concrete and Rodeca cladding.

The ground floor is a ground bearing concrete slab and the first is precast concrete floor slabs and structural screed.

The first floor is accessed via precast concrete stairs or lifts housed in precast concrete lift sections.

Post Occupancy Evaluation WSP Project No.: 70047574 | Our Ref No.: 70047574-001 December 2018 The Highland Council

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3 DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION ANALYSIS

3.1 DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION ANALYSIS

3.1.1 COMPARISON OF BRIEFED PLANS AND SPECIFICATION AGAINST DELIVERY Swimming Pool Changing

Pool Changing Area layout and access to Pool altered. Original design had numerous access points into the Pool which would be difficult for the Staff and Families with young children to manage and control. Design was changed through consultation with HLH who would be running the facility to permit one point in and out of the Pool/ Changing Area and that people were directed through the showers before entering the Pool.

Figure 2 – Design Proposal Figure 3 – As-built/ Final Construction Layout

WSP Post Occupancy Evaluation December 2018 Project No.: 70047574 | Our Ref No.: 70047574-001 The Highland Council

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Community Facility Reception

Original concept indicated Reception area separate from Library. This was changed through consultation with HLH who would be running the facility. HLH requested that the library and pool reception be combined to reduce cost of manning two desks.

Figure 4 – Design Proposal Figure 5 – As-built/ Final Construction Layout

Post Occupancy Evaluation WSP Project No.: 70047574 | Our Ref No.: 70047574-001 December 2018 The Highland Council

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High School Assembly

Bleacher Seating was to be fitted in the Street to create a flexible space for Assembly. This was removed during Construction at the request of the Headteacher as they didn’t believe this was a suitable space for Assembly. It would also create additional Dining space.

Figure 6 – Design Proposal Figure 7 – As-built/ Final Construction Layout Figure 8 – Assembly Space Option 1

WSP Post Occupancy Evaluation December 2018 Project No.: 70047574 | Our Ref No.: 70047574-001 The Highland Council

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Figure 9 - Assembly Space Option 2

Post Occupancy Evaluation WSP Project No.: 70047574 | Our Ref No.: 70047574-001 December 2018 The Highland Council

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High School ASN Layout Changes

The original design proposal included 3no small stores, small Teaching Space, Therapy Room and Medical Room all accessed from a separate corridor off the main Circulation space through the block. A separate Snoezellan was intended. The Café and Life Skills Kitchen had the flexibility of being open to the large Classroom on either side. This was all significantly changed during construction at the request of the High School to provide 2no additional classrooms, removal of Café and removal of open plan flexibility to adjoining rooms and removal of Snoezellan to accommodate Laundry facility.

Figure 10 – Design Proposal Figure 11 – As-built/ Final Construction Layout

WSP Post Occupancy Evaluation December 2018 Project No.: 70047574 | Our Ref No.: 70047574-001 The Highland Council

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Meeting Room Provision

The original design proposal had the High School Meeting Room located adjacent to the Headteacher and Depute Head Offices. This was moved to the Primary School block at the request of the Headteacher to replace the proposed Health Services Offices which allowed the Depute Head Offices to be enlarged. The Meeting Room could now function as a joint space between the two schools.

Figure 12 - Design Proposal Figure 13 - As-built/ Final Construction Layout

Figure 14 – Design Proposal Figure 15 – As-built/ Final Construction Layout

Post Occupancy Evaluation WSP Project No.: 70047574 | Our Ref No.: 70047574-001 December 2018 The Highland Council

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Nursery Store and Kitchen

The original design proposal did not indicate a separate Accessible WC within the Nursery area. The inclusion of this resulted in the Nursery Store and Kitchen becoming smaller to accommodate.

Figure 16 - Design Proposal

Figure 17 - As-built/ Final Construction Layout

WSP Post Occupancy Evaluation December 2018 Project No.: 70047574 | Our Ref No.: 70047574-001 The Highland Council

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Primary School External Wall Finish

Timber cladding was intended for the Primary School to provide a different appearance from the High School. The timber cladding was changed to Techcrete and this was instigated by the delivery Architects to keep the materials of the Primary wing consistent with the rest of the building. The Techcrete was ribbed in texture at the Primary entrance to create a different identity.

Figure 18 - Design Proposal

Figure 19 - As-built/Final Construction Layout

Post Occupancy Evaluation WSP Project No.: 70047574 | Our Ref No.: 70047574-001 December 2018 The Highland Council

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ASN Courtyard

The Courtyard between the High School and the Primary School was to be an outdoor space specifically for the ASN units in both schools which both overlook and open out into this Courtyard. Both schools requested a change to divide the Courtyard into two separate designated playgrounds for the High School ASN unit and as a quiet external space for the Primary School.

Figure 20 – Design Proposal Figure 21 – As-built/ Final Construction Layout

WSP Post Occupancy Evaluation December 2018 Project No.: 70047574 | Our Ref No.: 70047574-001 The Highland Council

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3.1.2 BUILDING USER FEEDBACK - DESIGN

75% of pupil respondents believed the design and construction of the building was innovative however only 38% of teachers and 43% of non-teaching staff believed this to be the case.

Building Position & Access - Pupils

Do the lifts provided meet requirements?

How would you rate the functionality of external doors,…

Is it easy to access the student entrance(s) to the building…

How would you rate the security of the building?

Does the layout and landscape around the building provide …

How easy is it to exit the building in an emergency?

Is it easy to find your way around the building?

How clear is the signage?

How easy is it to travel through corridors and stair wells at…

How easy is it to travel through corridors and stair wells?

How easy is it to arrive/depart the building at the start of…

How accessible is the main entrance to the building from…

How accessible is the building to wheelchair users?

1.00 2.00 3.00 4.00 5.00 6.00 7.00 8.00 9.00 10.00

Building Position & Access - Teachers

How would you rate the functionality of external doors,…

Does the layout and landscape around the building provide …

Is it easy to find your way around the building?

How easy is it to travel through corridors and stair wells at…

How easy is it to arrive/depart the building at the start of…

How accessible is the building to wheelchair users?

1.00 2.00 3.00 4.00 5.00 6.00 7.00 8.00 9.00 10.00

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Building Position & Access - Non-teaching Staff

How would you rate the functionality of external doors,…

Does the layout and landscape around the building provide …

Is it easy to find your way around the building?

How easy is it to travel through corridors and stair wells at…

How easy is it to arrive/depart the building at the start of…

How accessible is the building to wheelchair users?

1.00 2.00 3.00 4.00 5.00 6.00 7.00 8.00 9.00 10.00

The pupils, teachers and non-teaching staff surveyed scored the ease of finding your way around the building an average score of 7.46 whereas feedback from parents and the local community had a lower average score of 4.5 and commented that the building is “not easy to get around if you are unfamiliar with it.”

3.1.3 FORM AND MATERIALS – REVIEW OF THE BUILDING'S PHYSICAL COMPOSITION, SCALE AND CONFIGURATION WITHIN ITS BOUNDARIES.

The building’s form and materials changed very little through the design and construction process. The original form was a two-storey building to integrate with the surrounding area being small residential and agricultural buildings. The roof pitch is low to reduce the scale of the building. However the low pitch is encouraging more seagulls to nest and breed at the building which is a problem to control leaving a mess of fouling, feathers and debris which is a nuisance to users of the building.

Figure 22 - Sketch showing scale of Building in relation to surrounding buildings

The layout was arranged in a linear wing format to provide separate areas for different departments and separate blocks for the Community Facility and Sports Halls. Block A was the link between the wings and came to be known as ‘The Street’. This forms the Dining Space and main circulation route through the building with the Main Entrance at the east end of the Block. This is the busiest part of the Building and can feel overcrowded during Break and Lunch. The areas between each wing should provide semi-sheltered outdoor courtyards for the pupils. The orientation of the wings from North-west to South-east should give some protection from the prevailing South-west wind. The orientation of the Primary School wing parallel, and in close proximity, to the Site Boundary can create a wind-tunnel effect through their Playground. The simple, linear layout of the School buildings and circulation areas should make it easy to navigate.

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Figure 23 - Site Plan showing layout of Building and access points to Site and Building

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The frontage of the Sports and Community Blocks dominate the site when accessed from Newton Road, especially as the building sits higher than the street level at the entrance from Newton Road. The roof is concealed behind parapets and the inclusion of a translucent polycarbonate panelling system to these elevations helps reduce this scale by reflecting the sky and surrounding environment.

The entrances to the Community Facility and High School is dominated by the colonnade of concrete fins which can be seen as you enter the site and as you enter Wick from A882 from the North-West. This gives the building a sense of importance and a civic presence to the Town.

Figure 24 – Frontage of the Building with the Colonnade to the left and the translucent panelling reflecting the sun set to the right.

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Figure 25 - Translucent polycarbonate panelling to Sports Block

The approach to the Primary School from the opposite end of the site, at Seaforth Avenue, gives a different perspective of the building’s scale. The building appears to be a single-storey building due to change in levels across the site. The Primary School entrance area is actually single-storey to accommodate this change in level. The Primary School site entrance is softer and more welcoming as the access is flanked by the large expanses of greenery on either side consisting of a MUGA pitch, Sports pitch, amenity grass and wildflower areas as opposed to the large expanse of Car Park at the Main Entrance and the large concrete facades and colonnade to the High School and Community Facility Entrances.

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The curtain walling system to the teaching wings contrasts with the mass of concrete to the Main entrances. The dark finish in contrast with the white concrete fins helps reduce the scale of the building.

Figure 26 - Curtain Walling to Teaching Wings

The Nursery Playground is frequently colder and windy being higher than the majority of the site and exposed to the South-West prevailing wind.

Figure 27 - Nursery Playground looking South-west

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3.1.4 BUILDING USER FEEDBACK – FORM AND MATERIALS

Pupils were positive in their assessment of the building materials used and design of the building with all pupils thinking there was a clear vision for the building and that it created a positive image for the school, as shown below;

Materials & Character - Pupils

How would you rate the maintenance procedures carried out

on the building?

Are there any signs of wear and tear already?

Do you think the materials and finishes selected will last?

How would you rate the quality of the furniture and fixtures?

Do you think there is good use of colour and texture?

How would you rate the interior finishes of the building

(walls, floors etc?)

1.00 2.00 3.00 4.00 5.00 6.00 7.00 8.00 9.00 10.00

Teachers were significantly more critical of the materials and finishes used in the building. Comments included;

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“Quality of the fixtures, fittings and furniture is poor overall which detracts from what should be a lovely quality building.”

“I do not feel the materials used are of high quality already corners are off the surface of doors, walls are marked, spaces between carpet tiles…”

“Cheap materials used. Not built to last. 'Character' was thought about more than the actual functioning, safety, running of the school.”

This did not detract from teachers liking working in the building with 75% of respondents confirming they do like working in the building and 68% of respondents thought the building created a positive image for the school.

Materials & Character - Teachers

How would you rate the maintenance procedures carried…

Are there any signs of wear and tear already?

Do you think the materials and finishes selected will last?

How would you rate the quality of the furniture and fixtures?

Do you think there is good use of colour and texture?

How would you rate the interior finishes of the building…

1.00 2.00 3.00 4.00 5.00 6.00 7.00 8.00 9.00 10.00

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Non-teaching staff were also critical of the quality of the building finishes with comments received included “no quality” and “paint easily marks.” However, 75% of non-teaching staff like working in the building with 69% of respondents think the building creates a positive image.

Materials & Character - Non-teaching staff

How would you rate the maintenance procedures carried…

Are there any signs of wear and tear already?

Do you think the materials and finishes selected will last?

How would you rate the quality of the furniture and fixtures?

Do you think there is good use of colour and texture?

How would you rate the interior finishes of the building…

1.00 2.00 3.00 4.00 5.00 6.00 7.00 8.00 9.00 10.00

Table 1 - Building user comments on design and form

User Group

Comments

Pupils

It’s easier to move at the end of the day when P1-3s have gone home

Teachers

Because of the half walls in the middle of the corridor, it is very difficult to get past when the children are in the cloakrooms

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Teachers

I like the position [of the building] but the play area, growing zone and pond are well out of sight of the school building

Non-teaching staff

Disabled users struggle once in the building as doors are not automatic and are very heavy

Non-teaching staff

No signage directing people to the

[community]building

3.1.5 CHARACTER AND INNOVATION - WHAT PEOPLE THINK OF THE OVERALL BUILDING.

Users of the building comment on how much natural light there is which gives an open and airy environment to work and learn. One of the key principles of new school design is to increase the use of natural light to promote a healthier environment and to reduce energy usage through artificial lighting.

Figure 28 - Block A 'The Street' with Rooflights along its length and large open areas. Users frequently complain about the heating and ventilation of the building where: Some areas can overheat in the summer.

It can feel cold due to the draughts entering through the external louvres.

The lack of consistency between the different rooms and spaces where some rooms are warm and others are cold.

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They also feel they have a lack of control over the heating and ventilation system to provide their desired environment which leads to increased frustration and stress for the staff and pupils.

Passive Ventilation is good in theory but perhaps is not the best solution in Caithness where the area has more wind and gale force days than most other areas of the UK. The building being on the outskirts of town is fully exposed to the prevailing South-west wind. Staff prefer the option to control the environment they work in so that they can concentrate on doing their day job.

Users complain about the lack of control over lighting and automatic windows and rooflights which can cause a nuisance and frustrate users. The principal of automation is to reduce energy usage and wastage by controlling the environment against set parameters. However everyone has varying degrees of comfort and standardising the parameters and not providing local control leads to complaints from those affected.

3.1.6 BUILDING USER FEEDBACK – CHARACTER AND INNOVATION

Table 2 - Building user feedback – character and innovation

User Group

Comments

Teachers

Clear vision behind the building – maybe but not as a functioning primary school

Character was thought about more than the actual functioning, safety, running of the school

The ‘floating ceiling’ downstairs gives a dark and dingy feeling

I like having a new building but the drabness of black white and grey is not great

Non-teaching staff

The building creates a positive image because it is new

Lovely new building. People working in it could have been consulted more at design stage

Parents

Lots of windows is nice for all the natural light but badly fitted so water ingress is a common 

occurrence, may leaks in window walls as well as roof

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3.1.7 URBAN AND SOCIAL INTEGRATION - THE RELATIONSHIP OF THE BUILDING WITH ITS SURROUNDINGS.

The original form was a two-storey building to integrate with the surrounding area being small residential and agricultural buildings. The roof pitch is low to reduce the scale of the building.

The Library and Swimming Pool are now located on the outskirts of town about 0.5 miles from the Town Centre whereas previously they were in central locations within shorter walking distance.

Some members of the Public have complained about the lack of direct pedestrian access from the Seaforth Avenue side of the Site to the Community Facility and instead face an additional half mile walk to get to the Facility.

Ironically, the white concrete panels of the new building are not too far dissimilar to the precast concrete panels of the existing adjacent High School which over time look grey and dirty.

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3.1.8 BUILDING USER FEEDBACK – URBAN AND SOCIAL INTEGRATION

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Table 3 - Building user feedback - urban and social integration

User Group

Comments

Teachers

The garden is lovely

Teachers

I don’t understand the idea of fake football pitches like the MUGA but the growing area is a huge asset

Teachers

Parents would like to have a place for them and the pupils to shelter outside in poor weather

Non-teaching staff

There should be more outdoor social areas i.e. suitable seating to have lunch outdoors

Non-teaching staff

Some frustrations and little things like design of glass roof that is covered with bird dirt – takes away from what it a lovely building

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3.2 SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS

The feedback from building users is that the quality of the materials used and fixtures and fittings are of poor quality which are already showing signs of wear and tear. The poor quality is giving the impression that the materials, fixtures and fittings and furniture will not last any length of time and this is detracting from the many positives of having a new building.

Access issues are causing concern to building users with no access from the western area of Wick due to the perimeter fence and this may be causing more vehicular use for getting to and from the school. This requires further investigation to ensure there are no safety issues caused by increased traffic in and around the school and to ascertain that there are safe walking routes and access to and from the campus.

Building users commented on having more of an input at design stage. Further research into the stakeholder management of the project would highlight if communications were effective in sharing the vision for the campus and the design concept. This may have a positive influence in the way building users understand the building shape, design and vision.

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4 DEVELOPMENT, CONSTRUCTION AND COST REVIEW PROCESS

4.1 DEVELOPMENT, CONSTRUCTION AND COST REVIEW PROCESS

Please see the response analysis from the feedback received from the hub North Consultants and the key Contractors;

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Cost and Time Predictability

Table 4 - Consultant and Contractor Cost Predictability

Design

What was the estimated cost of construction (A) at briefing stage?

£39,971,000

Construction

What was the estimated cost of construction (A) at tender stage (tender sum)?

£48,499,764

What was the final cost of construction (C) at completion (final account)?

£49,605,872

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Table 5 - Consultant and Contractor Time Predictability

Construction Project

What was the estimated duration (number of weeks) of the construction project at tender?

132 weeks

What was the actual duration (number of weeks) of the construction period at completion?

183 weeks

Table 6 - Consultant and Contractor Feedback

Do you have any suggestions to improve the relationship with Consultants/ Estates / Users/ Facilities Team?

Contra

ctors

Information was shared well via the Fieldview system and the key parties in the most part responded to this exchange of information in a timely manner. This ensured the project progressed and either key approvals were achieved or that matters that required further resolution were always in dialogue. Key decision makers from the contractor and the council attended all meetings although the consultants were often reluctant to travel given the remoteness of the site and the pressure their fees would have been under given the Value Engineering (VE) exercise 

There were however, occasions where too many people attended meetings. These meetings were time consuming and lacked any real input suggesting that perhaps there is a need to review the number of external advisers as the mechanisms required to inform and allow review and cross checking slowed the lines of direct communication and the process. 

More regular on-site meetings between all parties. 

Close out design changes prior to Financial Close. 

Sometimes easier to phone than send emails 

Early engagement of the subcontractor to review and advise on buildability issues.

Consu

ltants

We inherited a scheme was had already been developed but under went significant changes due to costs. This made it difficult to build relationships as a design team which may have

been viewed by the incumbent team as trying to change their design.

Regular interim design and delivery reviews in order to better facilitate changes to client requirements/project scope and to ensure that the original design aspirations/quality are met.

Involve acoustic designer as early as possible in design process to achieve the best outcome. Ensure clear consultation between end user and acoustic consultant on theproposed us e of the space and the desirable acoustic environment for each space.

Early, open and transparent dialogue from the outset only assists the process. The HUB design team inherited a scheme which required significant adjustment to better align with budget. Early dialogue was difficult and prevented the scheme developing as positively as it could have in the circumstances.

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Please provide feedback on the handover between the design teams - client design team and contractor design team?

Contractors

The design team was retained by the contractor and thus in effect there was not a handover so the process should have run seamlessly. In reality however, the extensive VE exercise undertaken just prior to contract signing meant that there was not only a great number of drawings and reports which no longer captured the contractual requirements which needed to be updated but with an immediate start on site the consultants struggled to develop and coordinate warrant information and construction information at the simultaneously. 

Paperwork from design team was very good. 

This was fairly smooth. 

Not effective as M&E Design Team did not fully engage during Installation Phase, post handover M&E Design team stepped back leaving resolution of M&E issues to be resolved by GAB. 

Demo/handover booked well in advance of agreed date 

All good 

Our handover to the main contractor was completed using simple, but effective sign off sheets.

Please provide any comments on how you found the procurement process?

Contractors

The procurement process was also affected by the VE exercise as it subsequently proved difficult to provide coordinated drawn information to subcontractors to refine their price and achieve the levels of VE that had been assumed/ agreed at commercial close. This was further hampered by the RDD and ACN processes which created uncertainty and introduced risk. 

Morrisons procurement to Albann went very well 

The procurement process was find considering the distances involved in the project 

Procurement process can be improved by having realistic values being placed on work elements, WCC suffered from being passed to GAB late in the process due to other commercial issues between MCL and others, not ideal however workable with the correct team driving the project. 

All was good 

Fair and reasonable 

Procurement of our works package was done via a competitive tendering exercise with all aspects of our tender thoroughly reviewed.

Consultants

The project setup meant that all the consultants were at risk in terms of payment of their fees until financial close was achieved. A significant amount of work was required to get to this point leaving the consultants “at risk” for long period of time.

Value Engineering to get to financial close added a level of complication to the process and had the knock on effect of compressing the stages following financial close where we were catching up with incorporating the VE changes.

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The process was quite difficult for a number of reasons. Firstly it took a significant amount of additional work to get the project to financial close during which point most parties were at risk in terms of fees being paid. Getting the level of sub-contractor engagement during this phase to allow suitable decisions to be made was difficult potentially for this reason. By the time financial close was achieved there was a design which was taken to a certain level and a list of VE items that needed to be applied to it however the programme did not allow for the significant effort required to get the design up to construction ready and fully coordinated with the various agreed VE items.

The competitive nature of the procurement process did not in all instances allow for best value.

Difficult for this project. Having worked on many Hub projects since, it has worked extremely well. The inherited information and implications of the information relative to budget made the journey to Financial Close hugely difficult and unnecessarily protracted – in a climate where fees where at risk. This impacted on the design team / contractor / sub-contractors etc in what was a hugely extended timescale up to FC. As a result, the commitment from some areas to develop information and engage with subcontractors to a technical level (which we have done on subsequent projects) was not there beyond what was required of the standard outputs for that stage. This in addition to a significant VE list as well as client changes at the start of post FC made the process difficult – with no extension of the wider programme to reflect changes.

Please provide any comments on how you found the construction process?

Contractors

The general air of uncertainty in interpreting the expectations and number of variations instructed into the contract meant that design freeze was impossible to achieve and this led to out of sequencing working, increased tensions and friction on site and necessitated regular on site coordination and plan ahead meetings to try and facilitate progress around areas which had been bubbled by the consultants as “on hold”. 

Construction took longer than was on our installation programme 

The construction process went smoothly with no major issue.

Construction process could at time be frustrated by various sub-contractors leading the overall process to their agenda while sacrificing programme, daily meeting would be more beneficial mid-afternoon rather than first thing in the morning to allow all Sub-contractors to plan the next days works to mitigate delays being created by reactive re-scheduling of work teams. 

All was good 

Well structured 

The Construction process was very programme focussed. This led to fit out works commencing prior to the Building being fully wind and watertight which resulted in some re-work. The coordination of M&E Services with the internal fit-out works could also have been improved.

Consultants

A significant amount of coordination was still occurring throughout the construction process due to the adopted VE being incorporated and also input from subcontractors. Design packages from specialist subcontractors were received relatively late on during the programme (sports equipment, moveable partitions, pool covers etc), input from these subcontractors would have been better suited to be received earlier on during the construction programme, making the coordination and SER certification sign off a bit smoother.

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As above the construction programme was compressed due to the lengthy VE exercise to achieve financial close while at the same time leaving a lot of redesign and coordination while the construction was ploughing on. The change of M&E subcontractor was a further complication during consrtuction although GA Barnies were a very proactive and collaborative member of the team.

There were a number of client design changes instructed late in the works which required additional input/recourse to resolve. In many cases these elements had knock on effect to other portions of the works which were not always foreseen at the time.

As noted above the period to FC was hugely protracted and impacted on the level of FC information at the time. When moving into construction, the design and contractor team immediately needed to incorporate the lengthy VE and client changes, which impacted on the construction issue programme. Changes to the personnel within the main contractor team added to the difficultly, as well as changes to the M&E subcontractor throughout the process. Again, as noted above – the level of VE and client changes which were significant did not appear to adjust in the wider programme.

The construction process could have been improved by more time taken to finalise the Authority Construction Requirements (ACRs) / Room Data Sheets (RDS). This project has a large number of Authority Change Notices (ACNs) during the construction phase.

Please provide any comments on how you found the handover process?

Contractors

As is increasingly common the contract detailed a number of conditions which were precedent to PC and whilst this approach is probably beneficial to all parties it does mean that achieving practical completion is an administrative heavy task for the contractor and the use of Viewpoint greatly facilitated our approach. 

The independent verifier produced a list of requirements very early in the process and this list was replicated in Fieldview. When items were complete and available test certification and letters were mirrored into this folder structure and thereafter trackers utilised to measure progress against the documentation required for handover 

A similar process was utilised for building control with information then being printed out and collated into a series of file binders for the technical standards officers. 

Handing over a major project is a difficult and onerous task yet we thought that the Fieldview system offered everyone the opportunity to review files which been uploaded along with providing an opportunity to review and comment as appropriate. 

Handover process was a but drawn out, with the client not ready to take ownership of the pools when the commissioning process was complete. 

Handover process to the client and FM ran smoothly, programming of completion of construction within Blocks / Floor / Areas did not meet programme leading to all areas being worked on in parallel, some of this can be attributed to Design sign-off however more detailed baseline programme would help to mitigate some of these issues. 

All was good 

Reasonably smooth

Consultants

With the issue noted above impact at handover was a compressed commissioning period which lead to a number of issues that needed resolved while the building was operational.

Programme pressure resulted upon elements of the works not been fully completed during the construction phase of the project which resulted in additional time been required in order to

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resolve these. We would however mote that the contractor took a proactive approach where possible minimising potential impacts on the design team.

More time should be allowed in program for acoustic testing at completion of building.

Difficult for all parties. The contractor clearly worked extremely hard to make the process as smooth as possible in what was a difficult set of circumstances.

Do you have any other comments in respect of the project?

Contractors

We worked very closely with the client and the end user to overcome numerous challenges to deliver a product that everyone involved in the project and the people of Wick should be proud of. The building has won several awards and has been shortlisted as a finalist for even more and I think these external accolades and the fact that the project itself has already been recognised as ‘gold standard’ within its field is testament to the improved planning, procurement and delivery of community-based infrastructure throughout Scotland. 

The interaction between Client / Design Teams / FM / Contractors requires to be firmly in place at a very early stage of design to ensure the end user delivery expectations are being achieved. 

All was good 

Well run with good working relationships. 

All dealings between the main contractor and ourselves were conducted in a professional and straightforward manner. 

Veitchi are pleased to have been involved in the successful delivery of this significant project.

Consultants

The project would have benefitted from an earlier agreement and close out of the extension of time claims.

With regard to the programme:

Were there any significant changes to the programme?

What impact did these changes have on the final completion of the project?

How effective were the change management procedures?

Contractors

Yes, there were significant changes to the programme as the project faced a significant element of variations and/or additional works being instructed into the contract, each of these disrupted to a degree the normal progress of the works but several led to out of sequence working and some to an inability to complete the works within the defined programme. 

Managing change is essential to the success of a construction project, whilst it is accepted that minor adjustments are a fact of life the scale of the changes implemented as part of the contract were considerable with circa 90 ACN changes and a significant value. 

At bid stage prior to contract signing extensive value engineering proposals were considered and a significant number were accepted and incorporated into the price though not necessarily the captured within the drawn information provided by the design team. The contract was therefore defined by way of amendments to the drawings and specifications and also the introduction of a “schedule of derogations”.

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During the contract therefore RDD submissions had to be assessed relative to the Authority Construction Requirement including these derogations and the Contractors Proposals which for some of the RDD packages meant that information was changed from that which appeared to be apparent in the Contract. 

This led to the RDD process being protracted and in many instances when submissions were considered the value engineered solutions did not find favour. The RDD process was therefore been used to refine the design as opposed simply checking compliance with ACR’s/CP’s which resulted in many iterations of proposals and may in part be the cause of a large proportion of the Authority Change Notices. 

The level of change inherent within the RDD process and the ACN variations process disrupted the flow of information from an already struggling design team (since from the outset their drawings had not been updated to define the contractual requirements) as through the ACN process the design team were forced to re programme work and evaluate changes – this created a great deal of instability and removed certainty over the quality of the information which eventually affected the progress of the project as design freeze was difficult to achieve. 

The Process itself leads to delay and the search for cost and programme certainty embedded within the process results in confusion and disruption to the contract teams. The difficulty is in the acceptance of the transfer of risk and the recognition of the impact these changes have on 

programme and in reaching an agreed value, particularly with such imprecise Contract Requirements eg the heavily derogated AR’s etc. The parties who cause most difficulty/dispute in the process are the sub contractors as their quotes are difficult to analyse/dispute and the use of the traditional post instruction evaluation methods requiring full substantiation of cost whilst possibly resulting in less certainty at time of instruction provides a more equitable balance of risk and clear direction to the Project. 

The commissioning of the pools went later than originally programmed 

Planning had to be revised with respect to resources 

Change management procedures were adequate. 

Contract over-run of approx. 4 months, design information not frozen prior to start of the installation Phase which lead to delays 

When ACNs were followed the process was effective, however once ACNs were submitted these were not approved in a timely manner leading to out of sequence installation -- delays. Many changes were undertaken out with the ACN process. 

Yes - there was a degree of programme slippage. 

Finishing works were condensed into a shorter period. 

The change procedures were reasonably effective. We always received clear, concise instructions relative to variations to our work scope.

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4.2 DEFECTS AND OPERATIONAL ISSUES

There were a number of issues experienced by the stakeholders, most of which were post practical completion (PC) with some issues yet to be concluded with the problems continuing. Key issues are noted below;

Building was certified as PC in January 2017 but Highland Council did not believe it was in a fit state to occupy and open until April 2017.

6000 snags (approx.) recorded at PC.

Works and commissioning ongoing after PC had been issued.

Issues with the Gas, Electric and Heating system upon PC.

Heating and ventilation issues persist although changes and improvements have been made (refer to section 7.2). Please refer to Section 3.1.5 where it is documented that Passive Ventilation does not work in Caithness where it is windy more often than not.

Significant Crimp Fitting failure was experienced in February (after PC had been issued) which flooded some rooms on the First Floor and rooms and corridor below. Fortunately this happened before the building was occupied. Section 6.1.4 of this report highlights examples of other issues regarding workmanship and quality.

The apparent lack of progress of works on site during Construction.

Hub appeared to take a back seat and leave Highland Council and Morrison Construction to resolve issues and review Reviewable Design Data

The number of Change Requests by the Client is noted by Hub and Morrison Construction as affecting and delaying the progress and completion of works. This also affected the Highland Council team in directing resource away from our normal duties. In hindsight the most frustrating aspect are items that have been Value Engineered only to be added back into the contract during the works. This is a complete waste of time and effort and makes the VE exercise pointless.

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4.3 SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Remoteness of the site restricted the number of meetings attended by consultants due to associated travel costs causing undue pressure on fees. Increased use of conferencing facilities and alternate locations for scheduled meetings may alleviate this issue on future projects.

A robust communication plan will make clear required meeting attendees and communication lines to ensure smooth and timely flow of information. Regular scheduled design and delivery reviews will ensure changes are incorporated without compromising quality.

Early involvement of designers and sub-contractors will allow buildability issues to be identified and rectified at the earliest opportunity to minimise any cost implications.

The Value Engineering (VE) exercise hampered handover between design teams due to the volume of changes required, the impact of the exercise also affected the procurement process with a lack of updated drawings and information available for pricing. The amount of effort and work involved in the VE exercise caused considerable delay and put the consultants at risk prior to financial close. The delay to financial close and required changes were not reflected in the wider programme which put the schedule under pressure going into construction phase.

The number of changes required and associated pressures to programme may have been factors impacting on the quality delivered. There were a high number of snags at handover and the commissioning carried out after practical completion which meant that remedial action and works occurred for several months after handover rendering the building inoperable. There are continuing issues with the gas, electric and heating system which require review and action to ensure the system is up to standard and works as expected, as detailed in section 6.2.

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5.1 SUITABILITY ASSESSMENT

A suitability assessment was carried out at Wick Campus for the High School and Primary School. The summary of findings are presented below followed by the breakdown for each area.

The definitions and grade banding are noted below;

High School Suitability Assessment

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Primary School Suitability Assessment

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Key finding and concerns are noted below;

Entrance and Dining – This can be a bottleneck at lunchtime between pupils using the school dining and pupils leaving the building. Headteacher noted it was overcrowded and dangerous when the building first opened. Also shared used with the Primary School is an issue in terms of management and availability/ capacity. Dining area is not big enough. The Servery design and layout is not suitable for Primary School pupils.

Access/ Egress – All pupils are now directed to enter and leave via one point in the High School whereas in the previous building there were numerous entry and exit points. One point of entry increases security but this can become overcrowded.

Drama Studio/ Assembly – Space cannot accommodate the entire High School. Note however the original design intention to have Bleacher seating in the Block A ‘street’ to act as Assembly which was removed by the HT.

Primary School Dining – Shared use of Sports Hall with Dining space creates operational issues where half of the hall is out of use for a period of time before and after lunch for setting up and cleaning.

Library – The intention of the school using and accessing the Library doesn’t work with the High School. The Library is in a separate building and members of the public complain about the noise from children.

High School Reception – This does not work. Desk was facing the front door which led to complaints of cold draughts from the staff. Security is an issue as once visitors are given access through the front door there is not a second line of security to prevent them accessing the remainder of the High School.

External Areas – High School note limited space and areas not being attractive for pupils therefore it is underused.

Car Parking – Lack of safe pedestrian routes within Main Car Park. People are taking the shortest route by walking directly across the car park and road to access the building rather than using the footpath around the perimeter at the opposite end of the building which is considerably longer.

Primary School Sports Hall – Cannot be used for Performances/ shows as it is too bright and blinds were not fitted to provide dark space.

Staff Room – High School Room is underused due to its remote (and central) location. Instead staff use the Staff Bases in each Block as Staff Rooms.

MUGA – Community cannot access the new pitch without entering the Primary School grounds which is a security concern for the HT. A separate access should have been provided.

Main Car Park Drop-Off – Being misused where people use it to park which reduces the drop-off spaces available or stop at the corner nearest the Building which prevents vehicles from passing.

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Community Facility Reception – Reception is located within Library to serve the entire facility (Library, Pool, Fitness Suite etc). As a result the desk can become busy which creates an ambient noise and disturbs Library users.

Breakout Areas (High School) – Areas within Teaching wings are used by pupils for study and also used as additional teaching spaces due to lack of space.

Breakout Areas (Primary School) – Ground Floor works well but the First Floor is too small due to the space taken up by the voids.

5.1.1 BUILDING USER FEEDBACK – SPACE AND SUITABILITY

Building user groups were asked to review and comment on areas of the campus and their responses are shown below;

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Table 7 - Building User Comments - Space and Suitability

User Group

Comment

Pupils

Get more security

Windows are considered a perceived health and safety risk

Someone could get run over

Teachers

Not enough storage space for resources and teaching

Not enough classrooms/closed rooms of an appropriate size or layout for effective use

It is very inconvenient having one hall for everything

Windows in flexible spaces open on windy/rainy days and cannot be controlled

Non-teaching staff

PE cupboards not fit for purpose

Poor access to the cupboards – not everyone who requires regular access have a key

Staff room far too small for High Life Highland.

Limited space/flow in street for P4-7 lunches and split space due to staircase

Staff changing is in the wrong place and far too small

Parents

There is no dining hall it is part of the main entrance completely inadequate too much queuing and waiting

Too many unnecessary corridor type wasted spaces

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5.2 SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS

The shared dining space is a matter of concern with overcrowding and bottlenecks occurring, the servery design and layout is not suitable for the primary school pupils and this design needs to be highlighted so it can be considered for future projects.

The primary school dining area is a multi-use space which is also the gym hall and assembly area, this causes scheduling/timetabling issues where the hall is not available for long period of time when setting up/clearing during the lunch period. This issue should be considered and accounted for in future school designs.

Underused spaces such as the high school pupil’s external area and the teachers staff base should be addressed in future projects as the lack of space, location and attractiveness of the spaces are factors in the lack of use. These spaces are currently not being utilised so a re-allocation of the space may be appropriate.

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6 ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY ASSESSMENT

6.1 ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY ASSESSMENT – M&E ANALYSIS OBJECTIVES

Design information review, including highlighting areas for improvement

Site visit including feedback from Facilities Management Team to establish if plant is optimised and working as designed

Lighting and daylight – including feedback from staff and measurement of lux levels

Temperature and overheating – including interrogation of BMS once satisfied BMS is recording temperatures correctly

CO2 – including measurements on-site and feedback from users.

Water consumption – including review of metered information available on BMS and comparing to benchmark figures

Energy consumption – including review of water meter information available on BMS and comparing to benchmark figures

METHODS OF EVALUATION

Visual survey / inspection by WSP on 6th September 2018.

Recording of internal conditions such as temperature, CO2 levels, humidity and light levels during and following the survey.

Discussions with building users.

Review of ‘as built’ drawings and BMS information.

The campus was handed over to the Highland Council in 2017 for occupancy and use that year. From handover there has been a full-time facilities management team (Galliford Try) present on site to operate the building and deal with any queries. There have been changes made to the services installation in the time since handover and these will be highlighted as part of the report.

The campus comprises of Wick High School, Newton Park Primary School and the Wick Community Campus; all of which operate separately. The High School and Primary School form part of the same building while the community campus sits separately. The teaching block has 2 floors and an accessible roof plant area.

There are various plantrooms within the teaching building housing ductwork and pipework distribution. The main plantroom sits underneath the gym hall areas and houses air handling units (AHUs), biomass boilers and associated systems, extract fans and a sprinkler system. The roof plant consists of AHUs, external condensers and associated pipework. The accessible roof plant area also allows access to the roof vents.

The community campus has two accessible floors and a plantroom basement area which houses most of the swimming pool services equipment. The swimming pool has a ‘viewing area’ which can be open to or separate from the swimming pool depending on requirements. The community campus building is entirely self-serviced.

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There are three main methods of ventilation within the teaching campus; natural ventilation via windows with extract into atrium areas, roof vents on second floor and centralised air handling unit supply & extract. Most rooms on the ground floor are naturally ventilated with acoustic louvres passing air into the adjacent atrium to be exhausted through the automatic rooflight vents. The exceptions are rooms with requirement for more permanent ventilation solutions, i.e. home economics food preparation rooms. All teaching spaces on the first floor feature an automatic roof vent which is actuated by the BMS and internal room controllers. General areas such as gym halls are ventilated directly via air handling units.

Heating is generally provided via suspended radiant panels in classrooms or heat emitters as part of the sill design for low level diffusers. This is controlled via the BMS based on the internal room set point but can also be adjusted by staff using the wall controllers in each classroom.

6.1.1 DESIGN REVIEW

General information and observations noted during the campus survey and information from discussions with staff and building users and is provided in the table below. No information was provided directly from pupils but was relayed through teaching staff.

Observations

Potential Improvements / Recommendations (if applicable)

Most of the naturally ventilated classrooms rely on automatic controls of when to open and close the roof vents. This lack of user control can lead to cold spells when the CO2 is over a certain level but the heating system can’t adjust to the external air quick enough.

Consider if manual operation could override automatic controls in some areas.

The high-level extracts in the atrium rooflights open based on CO2 concentration in the space but automatically close when the rain sensor is tripped. In the event of large rainfall this removes the extract entirely from the ground floor rooms and leads to stuffiness and high CO2 concentrations in the atrium areas, as well as classrooms.

Provide a manual override on the BMS to allow the rooflight openings to open in the event of noticeable stuffiness. Consideration will have to be made to ensure rain cannot enter the atrium in the event of a manual override.

A seasonal commissioning exercise was completed by the on-site FM team to allow the MEP services to better cope with the adverse weather. This was carried out in early 2018 and the team are confident this will significantly reduce occupant complaints during the colder seasons.

Monitor the effectiveness of the seasonal commissioning results.

The CO2 room limit was changed by the Highland Council in February of 2018 to 2500 ppm to have the roof vents open less often. This allows a significantly higher average CO2 concentration before and one that is higher than the allowable values in the relevant regulations. The contract states that the CO2 concentration

This sits significantly above the CO2

concentration level noted in the MEP

specification and does not comply with technical guidance. We suggest this value is changed back and another method to prevent roof vents opening less often is found.

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must not exceed 1500ppm for more than 20 minutes of the occupied day.

The standard temperature settings in each room was changed by the Highland Council to be 19°C with the controller capacity of ±3°C. It was noted by the FM team that the off coil set point was also changed to be 17.5°C which will work against a controlled set point of (19±3°C).

Review the temperature set points of all systems to define acceptable temperature ranges that do not clash.

Incoming air to classrooms is often complained about as being too cold. Heater batteries are not sufficient to bring up the cold air from the sea.

Review design of heater batteries with BMS data to establish if they are sufficient.

Facilities Management (FM) team was involved pre-handover in the creation of the maintenance strategy. This has significantly reduced any issues in the first year of operation.

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All rooms have been provided with a BMS thermostat controller; some with a LED screen indicating temperature and CO2 concentration and buttons to adjust set point, others with no screen and just a wheel to adjust set point. The placing of these appears random and no mention is made in RDS or MEP specification to define how this has been decided.

Clarify why two different types have been installed and the strategy behind this. Providing more information to staff via the LED screen enables them to control their environment more effectively.

Maintenance Manager Feedback

A Post Occupancy Evaluation form was supplied to the campus’ maintenance manager, some of the points relate to the MEP services installation. These are noted below and are the opinion of the maintenance manager not WSP –

The utility bills are significantly higher than projected. The gas bill for the first 3 months of operation was £14,000, compared with a projection of £10,000/annum.

Gas storage system is non-compliant.

It is the maintenance manager’s opinion that the heat emitters will not be able to deliver the correct comfort levels required as the velocity of air movement has not been suitably considered.

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6.1.1.1 Design Criteria

To assess the data collected during the survey the appropriate design criteria needs to be identified, via the services specification or relevant regulations at the time of design completion. The Services specification for the Wick Community Campus has been provided so can be referenced and compared with the measured conditions. The services specification references several design guides;

BS EN ISO 7730:2005

CIBSE Technical Memorandum TM36

CIBSE Technical Memorandum TM37

CIBSE Guide A

CIBSE Guide A

CIBSE Guide AM 10

Building Bulletin 101

Scottish Building Standards Technical Handbook Section 3.1.4.2. and Section 6

Below are some excerpts from the Wick Community Campus MEP specification which directly relate to the environmental conditions, specifically those being measured and discussed in this report.

“Section 7 – Mechanical Ventilation, Cooling and Air Conditioning Systems

7.2.1.2. Where practicable the majority of the areas shall be naturally ventilated. Toilets, large storage rooms, and rooms which do not have access to an external façade will be mechanical ventilated.

7.4.1.1. The toilet areas shall be provided with mechanical extract ventilation systems. Section 8 – Natural Ventilation Systems

8.1.1.1. The carbon dioxide concentration in classrooms shall not exceed 1500ppm for more than 20 minutes each day. The control set point shall be 1,000ppm.

8.2.2.1. The internal temperature shall not exceed 25°C for more than 5% of the occupied hours of the year.

8.2.2.2. The internal temperature shall not exceed 28°C for more than 1% of the occupied hours of the year.

8.2.3.1. There shall be no more than 120 hours when the air temperature in the classroom rises above 28°C.

8.2.3.2. The internal air temperature when the space is occupied should not exceed 32°C. Classrooms – Ground Floor

8.3.2.1. Winter air inlet: Outside air shall be introduced via a motorised damper incorporated into the external wall at low level. Heater batteries removed (as part of agreed VE item) and instead heat emitter within cill detail is to be sized to deal with space heating plus load from minimum fresh air in winter. The detail of the inlet shall be developed to eliminate the risk of warm air leaving through the motorised damper.

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8.2.2.2. Summer – Mid Season Air Inlet: Air shall be introduced via high level opening windows to facilitate adequate ventilation whilst minimising heat loss. By locating the operable windows at the highest part of the classroom the brief specific requirements shall be achieved and nuisance draughts shall be minimised.

8.3.2.3. Summer – Peak Season (air inlet): Air shall be introduced operable windows are a lower level than for the ‘mid season’ openings. These windows would be the last to be used and would be for the relatively still warm conditions. The location will allow buoyancy driven ventilation to be maximised.

8.3.2.4. Air Inlet: Air in ground floor classrooms shall be extracted via high level outlet grilles located at the back of each classroom which pass air through an attenuator then into the ceiling void of the ground floor. The air shall then pass through ceiling void through grilles in the ceiling to pass through the atrium to rise up and out of the motorised openings at roof level.

Classrooms – First Floor

8.3.3.1. Winter air inlet: Outside air shall be introduced via a motorised damper incorporated into the external wall at low level. Heater batteries removed (as part of agreed VE item) and instead heat emitter within cill detail is to be sized to deal with space heating plus load from minimum fresh air in winter. The detail of the inlet shall be developed to eliminate the risk of warm air leaving through the motorised damper.

8.3.3.2. Summer – Mid Season Air Inlet: Air shall be introduced via high level opening windows to facilitate adequate ventilation whilst minimising heat loss. By locating the operable windows at the highest part of the classroom the brief specific requirements shall be achieved and nuisance draughts shall be minimised.

8.3.3.3. Summer – Peak Season (air inlet): Air shall be introduced operable windows are a lower level than for the ‘mid season’ openings. These windows would be the last to be used and would be for relatively still warm conditions. The location will allow buoyancy driven ventilation to be maximised.

8.3.3.4. Air Outlet: Air in first floor classrooms shall be extracted via motorised louvres within roof terminals.

Music Rooms

8.3.4.1. The music recital room (E.01.33) shall have a mixed mode ventilation strategy. In natural mode it shall operate as per the standard classrooms on the first floor. If tighter control of noise break out is required then the natural ventilation system can be closed and the space mechanically ventilated via a unit incorporating heat recovery. The music room (E.01.27) shall be ventilated with a natural ventilation strategy only as per the other standard classrooms on the first floor.

8.3.4.2. The music practice rooms shall be mechanically ventilated only with the exception of the room E.01.31 which shall also have local DX cooling.

ASN Spaces

8.3.5.1. ASN treatment rooms shall not have operable windows in accordance with the recommendations of the acoustic consultant, instead motorised dampers shall be used.”

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CIBSE Guide A

Recommended comfort criteria for specific applications (CIBSE Guide A – Table 1.5)

General summer indoor comfort temperatures for non-air conditioned buildings (Guide A – Table 1.7)

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Benchmark summer peak temperatures and overheating criteria (CIBSE Guide A – Table 1.8)

Approximate maximum sedentary CO2 concentrations associated with CEN indoor air quality standards (CIBSE Guide A – Table 4.2)

The IDA classifications are defined in Table 4.1 –

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Humidity (extracts from section 1.3.1.3.)

“Humidity has little effect on feelings of warmth unless the skin is damp with sweat or water from a shower/swimming pool. For sedentary, lightly clothed people moisture may become apparent as operative temperatures rise above 26-28°C. Thus, for more practical purposes, the influence of humidity on warmth in moderate thermal environments may be ignored and humidity in the range of 40 – 70% RH is generally acceptable.

For the purposes of designing air conditioning systems, a maximum room relative humidity of 60% within the recommended range of summer design operative temperatures would provide acceptable comfort conditions of human occupancy and minimise the risk of mould growth and house dust mites.

If possible, at the design temperatures normally appropriate to sedentary occupancy, the room humidity should be above 40% RH.”

BB 101 (2006)

Performance standard for the avoidance of overheating (BB 101 – Section 1.7)

“The performance standards for summer overheating in compliance with Approved document L2 for teaching and learning areas are:

There should be no more than 120 hours when the air temperature in the classroom rises above 28°C

The average internal to external temperature difference should not exceed 5°C (i.e. the internal air temperature should be no more than 5°C above the external air temperature on average)

The internal air temperature when the space is occupied should not exceed 32°C

In order to show that the proposed school will not suffer overheating two of the three criteria must be met.”

Recommended ventilation performance standard for teaching and learning spaces

“Ventilation should be provided to limit the concentration of carbon dioxide in all teaching and learning spaces. When measured at seated head height, during the continuous period between the start and finish of teaching on any day, the average concentration of carbon dioxide should not exceed 1500 parts per million (ppm).”

Natural ventilation for teaching and learning spaces

“Purpose-provided ventilation (i.e. controllable devices to supply air to and extract air from a building) should provide external air supply to all teaching and learning spaces of:

a minimum of 3 l/s per person (litres per person), and

a minimum daily average of 5 l/s per person, and

the capability of achieving a minimum of 8 l/s per person at any occupied time. Additional ventilations could be used to provide this extra ventilation e.g. supplementing windows with the addition of louvres or stacks. This ventilation may not be required at all times of occupancy, but it

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should be achievable under the control of the occupant. When fresh air is supplied at a rate of 8 l/s per person, the carbon dioxide concentration will generally remain below 1000 ppm.

These flow rates should be based on the maximum number of occupants likely occupy the space, and should be achieved under the design conditions indicated in Section 6.”

Mechanical ventilation for teaching and learning spaces

“If a mechanical ventilation system is specified, it should be commissioned to provide a minimum daily average of 5 l/s per person. In the addition, it should have the capability of achieving a minimum of 8 l/s per person at any occupied time.”

Related performance-based standards

“The average relative humidity in a room should not exceed 70% for more than two hours in any 12- hour period during the heating season.”

6.1.1.2 Site Survey and BMS Data

Temperature, CO2, Humidity and Lighting Levels were measured on site during the survey in 10no. rooms. See list below noting the ventilation and heating methods in each –

Electronics D.00.13, ZA/0/074

Natural ventilation supply via motorised damper in winter and windows in summer, extract via high level extract grilles to centralised atrium. Heating via incoming heat emitters at natural ventilation entry during winter, no cooling.

Home Economics D.00.29, ZA/0/057

Mechanically ventilated via roof mounted AHUs, 3no. supply grilles near windows and 2no. extract grilles above cookers at the room perimeter. Heating via radiant panels and heat emitters during winter, no cooling.

English E.00.16, ZA/0/032

Natural ventilation supply via motorised damper in winter and windows in summer, extract via high level extract grilles to centralised atrium. Heating via incoming heat emitters at natural ventilation entry during winter, no cooling.

Room 18 F.00.35, ZB/0/040

Natural ventilation supply via motorised damper in winter and windows in summer, extract via high level extract grilles to centralised atrium. Heating via incoming heat emitters at natural ventilation entry during winter, no cooling.

Science D.01.15, ZA/1/094

Natural ventilation supply via motorised damper in winter and windows in summer, extract via high level motorised louvres within roof terminals. Heating via radiant panels and heat emitters during winter, no cooling.

Physics D.01.22, ZA/1/085

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Natural ventilation supply via motorised damper in winter and windows in summer, extract via high level motorised louvres within roof terminals. Heating via radiant panels and heat emitters during winter, no cooling.

Business E.01.17, ZA/1/045

Natural ventilation supply via motorised damper in winter and windows in summer, extract via high level motorised louvres within roof terminals. Heating via incoming heat emitters at natural ventilation entry during winter, no cooling.

Music E.01.27, ZA/1/031

Natural ventilation supply via motorised damper in winter and windows in summer, extract via high level motorised louvres within roof terminals. Heating via incoming heat emitters at natural ventilation entry during winter, no cooling.

Room 3 F.01.30, ZB/01/016

Natural ventilation supply via motorised damper in winter and windows in summer, extract via high level motorised louvres within roof terminals. Heating via incoming heat emitters at natural ventilation entry during winter, no cooling.

Room 9 F.01.17, ZB/1/029

Natural ventilation supply via motorised damper in winter and windows in summer, extract via high level motorised louvres within roof terminals. Heating via incoming heat emitters at natural ventilation entry during winter, no cooling.

5no. temperature and humidity loggers were left in rooms to compare against the BMS readings for approximately 2 weeks. See list below –

Home Economics D.00.29, ZA/0/057

English E.00.16, ZA/0/032

Science D.01.15, ZA/1/094

Business E.01.17, ZA/1/045

Room 9 F.01.17, ZB/1/029

The Galliford Try Facilities Management (FM) team on site were able to provide some BMS data during the loggers’ two-week operational period. Due to BMS maintenance only 4 days could be recorded; 13th, 14th, 17th and 19th of September.

6.1.1.3 Lighting and Daylight Analysis

Lighting analysis was completed by use of lux level measurements in 10no. classrooms during the site survey. A grid system was used to provide an average of lux level readings across the classroom at desk height (design height). Teaching staff present were asked for feedback on room lighting where available.

The minimum lux level for a classroom is defined by CIBSE LG5: Lighting for Education 2011 as 300.

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The light level at desk height in the classrooms on the ground floor was measured between 500 – 1200 lux. On the first floor it was significantly higher sitting between 1000-2300 lux.

The light level measured adjacent to windows, specifically on the first floor, reached 2500 lux and above.

No teacher complaint was received regarding lighting; the consensus was the lighting is generally sufficient and the sunlight can be effectively controlled via the blinds.

6.1.1.4 Temperature and Overheating Analysis

The campus BMS records temperature and CO2 measurements every 8 minutes, 24 hours per day. The temperature comparison data was compiled over four days via the BMS (13th, 14th, 17th and 19th of September) and two weeks via on-site data loggers (6th – 19th of September).

Due to how the BMS software operates the data is generally collected from midday for 24 hours before resetting. This means the BMS data provided by Galliford Try only has one full day of data on Thursday the 13th having to been recorded on either side of a weekend and BMS maintenance carried out on Tuesday 18th. Half day information is provided for Wednesday 12th, Friday 14th, Monday 17th, Tuesday 18th and Wednesday 19th. Due to this lack of comparable data sets we would recommend a similar exercise is carried out with at least a full week of measurement in summer and winter conditions.

It was noted by the FM team at Wick Campus that work was being carried out on the BMS before and during the recording period; which may account for any inaccuracies if found.

The occupied period of the campus has been assumed as 9am – 5:30pm Monday to Friday. Temperature readings (°C)

Temperature readings are taken via the BMS sensors in all rooms within the campus, and this reading is used to operate window vents, centralised AHU ventilation and dedicated ventilation (HRUs etc).

Temperature readings were taken during the survey of all rooms noted above, but BMS data was not provided for this day so comparisons cannot be made.

The local external temperature (during occupied hours) for the 4 measurement days was as follows:

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