St Michael's College, Stage 2

Adding Value in the ECI Phase

In July 2022 Sarah was engaged under an Early Contractor Involvement model or ECI to develop the project’s tender documentation alongside the College and the Design Team. This model fostered an early collaborative approach and continued to build the relationships forged during Sarah’s previous Stage 1 works.  

Sarah’s contribution to this phase included input from Sarah’s site team and supervisor, who leveraged their extensive knowledge of existing conditions, and recommendations for methodologies, subcontractors, and suppliers to suit the market conditions and labour shortages still somewhat impacted from the pandemic.  

Integrating the new facilities into the existing school

It was important that the new infrastructures blended seamlessly into the existing environment, and Sarah’s team invested significant time in understanding the best approach with attention to detail ultimately resulting in high-quality, integrated finishes.  

In one example, Sarah underwent extensive reframing between the old roof and new steel structure, which required 40m-long roof sheets for water tightness. As these lengths could not be safely transported to site, sheets were rolled directly from the coil on the College’s oval. This innovative approach required extensive coordination with the College, subcontractors, and trades, overseen by Sarah’s site and safety teams.  

Progressive structural steel design to accommodate existing structures

As several interfaces between the existing and new buildings could not be documented until after demolition works, Sarah progressively reviewed and completed the structural design as each area was demolished and the existing structure uncovered. 

This approach required extensive planning and attention to carefully removing materials without compromising structural integrity. Temporary engineering, propping and tailored timber and structural steel design was informed by Sarah’s experienced site team, providing cost- and time-effective solutions.  

Delivery within an operational school environment 

All stages of the project, including the additional scope of Stage 2C, were delivered within a fully operational school environment, including several areas in the existing building still being utilised daily by staff and students.   

The staged construction process was meticulously planned and executed, and hoarding and temporary works separated construction works from the College community.  

Sarah worked closely with the school to tailor construction and handover of specific areas around the ever-changing school environment, including accommodating a midyear intake of more than 100 students. Staging was continually reviewed to meet the needs of the College, and the project team leveraged its relationships with subcontractors, balancing trades between stages for best-for-project outcomes. 

Managing latent conditions  

Due to the nature of refurbishment of older buildings, the existing buildings contained asbestos in the flooring, walls, ceilings, and framing components. 

To manage the safety of the College community, Sarah’s team arranged for out-of-school hours removal and monitoring by specialist subcontractors and reprogrammed the construction schedule to mitigate any time delays. 

Challenging logistics and access requirements  

The College’s location on a main busy road and the bordering residential streets required detailed planning for deliveries and construction access to site, to ensure the safety and amenity of the College community, neighbours, and road users. 

As Stage 2B works required access across the College oval, Sarah’s team installed a temporary gate system to restrict construction access during recess and lunchtimes.  

The project team took a no-surprises approach to manage the expectations of residents and road users, providing advance notice and working closely with the local council. 

Developing Solutions Early

The Early Contractor Engagement (ECI) procurement model provided the ideal environment for Sarah to add significant value, and this was particularly evident when planning for educational continuity.  

To ensure the College was able to operate with increased student and class numbers the following year, Sarah suggested splitting works into a staged approach, and planned for a temporary canteen while the new one was under construction.  

Value for Money

The ECI process also allowed Sarah to identify a long list of value management items to provide the highest levels of quality within the original budget.  

The savings enabled the College to direct Sarah to add the additional scope of Stage 2C, which was ably managed to the project budget, and despite a value of $1M+, the additional scope was delivered in only another eight weeks from the original program.