Catholic Education, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart College Gym and Dance Facilities

Working together to find solutions

Sarah’s experienced inhouse Building Information Modelling (BIM) department worked with the project team to identify early constructability issues. This early collaboration allowed the entire project team to prioritise challenges, develop solutions, and set realistic timeframes for the amended architectural drawings.

Value Management Process

We find that the best solutions are created when our teams work collaboratively with clients and project partners in the early stages of a project. Sarah’s team commenced a Value Management process in the project’s tender phase and continued to work through identified items with the client and design consultants immediately after award.

Managing program delays

The project’s program was impacted by several factors outside of Sarah’s control including inclement weather, the current constraints of the construction market, and latent conditions including buried asbestos.

Sarah’s team continually reprogrammed the works to respond to these challenges, adding extra work fronts and working weekends to prepare the site for trades as scheduled.

Transparent and timely communication with all subcontractors was key to getting the balance right.

Adding extra value

The Value Management process led by Sarah’s team enabled the College to increase the development’s scope to include a new sports field (three times the size of the existing area) and a new sports and maintenance shed.

Protecting environmental assets

The site featured several significant trees on the school grounds and the bordering council footpath. Sarah’s team worked with arborists to establish tree protection zones, and construction proceeded without impact to these important environment assets.

Finding better ways

The Value Management process was driven by finding alternative, cost-effective construction materials.

Sarah’s inhouse Solution Centre is home to alternative, sustainable and innovative material selection displays, BIM and digital engineering displays, and several commercial prototype rooms.

The Centre’s research and knowledge of innovative alternative materials was leveraged on this project to identify significant cost savings, without compromise to quality, warranty or constructability.

Sarah identified several opportunities to reduce costs and improve quality including:

• A $60,000 saving by using an alternative cladding material, and
• $30,000 saving when replacing the gym’s internal lining with an alternative product with the same warranty.

Taking clients on the journey

Our project team invited the consultants, client, and the college’s personnel on frequent walkthroughs at critical stages of the development. This pro-active approach allowed for changes to be identified and incorporated at the right time, without additional cost or impact to the program.