SeeFurther Education v3

LEARNING FROM THE FUTURE: EDUCATION ISSUE 1

ContentsCONTRIBUTORS

Mairi Johnson Global Education Sector Lead [email protected]

Neil Wotherspoon Associate, Building Surveying [email protected]

Gavin Hughes Associate Director, Design [email protected]

Jonathan Rose Principal [email protected]

Karen Millar Director [email protected]

Gary Chesher UK Education Sector Lead [email protected]

Mark Halstead Director [email protected]

Sasha Krstanovic Regional Director, Building Engineering [email protected]

Mark Walmsley Executive, Africa [email protected]

Gus Barrera Vice President, Southern States District Business Line Manager [email protected]

The contents of See further are for general information. The opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of the editorial board, do not constitute advice and should not be relied upon in making (or refraining from making) any decision. The information contained within is provided on an “AS IS” basis, and all warranties, expressed or implied of any kind, regarding any matter pertaining to any information, advice or replies are disclaimed and excluded. See further, AECOM and its associates shall not be liable, at any time, for damages (including, without limitation, damages for loss of any kind) arising in contract, tort or otherwise from the use of or inability to use the journal, or any of its contents, or from any action taken (or refrained from being taken) as a result of using the journal or any such contents.

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Loving change Embrace it, enjoy it, and be energised by it says Mairi Johnson

University challenge The University of Cambridge is making a large-scale investment in its future, Jonathan Rose is the scheme's architect

Tomorrow's world Before you leap into the future, ask plenty of questions advises Mark Halstead

Made to measure Neil Wotherspoon says it's time to take stock of your property condition

Expand and deliver Karen Millar discusses balancing supply and demand in new school places

A load off your mind Sasha Krstanovic says collaborate and communicate to save energy

The new space age Keep up with the pace of space change says Gavin Hughes

Breaking BIM Maximise your benefits with BIM says Gary Chesher

42A world of learning Gus Barrera and Mark Walmsley discuss how to provide new and better solutions around the world

For some people working in the education sector, the constant presence of change is irritating at best. However, in this dynamic environment, surely change should be embraced. It represents opportunities, and the possibility of making positive change, by improving ways of learning, creating stimulating new spaces and by inspiring the next generation to relish gaining skills and knowledge. It’s easy to say. And the journey of change can lead to any number of destinations. But the best possible way of dealing with change is to welcome it, use its energy, and try to guide and manage it.

Always striving for excellence means that change is a constant in the education sector. Embrace it, enjoy it and be energised by it says education specialist Mairi Johnson who also sets out here some of her thoughts on future trends

Loving changeAs with all successful enterprises, a management plan begins with a vision, a set of aims and objectives, and the ability to adapt when surprises happen along the way.

Our teams are working in every type of education environment in the UK and dozens of other countries around the world. Their experience is deep and broad, but their approach is shared — and involves assessing and anticipating, and then responding with tailored solutions.

Drawing on our recent experience, we have identified a number of trends. Taken together, these look set to introduce fundamental shifts in the way we design and use schools, and they provide points to consider for anyone thinking of embarking on a programme of change.

4 AECOM | See further: LEARNING FROM THE FUTURE: EDUCATION ISSUE 1

Space Whether working with existing structures or planning to build afresh, a vision encapsulated in a masterplan can provide the framework for guiding change.

It’s unusual to have sufficient funding to completely revolutionise the entire teaching and learning environment in one sweep. An overall masterplan will set out the big scale ambition so that smaller projects can be seen as a piece of a larger whole.

The masterplan should also include educational aspects. The more traditional of these could be offering a new subject, providing opportunities for project-based learning or team teaching.

It’s important to articulate the less tangible outcomes that are desired, even if they don’t seem to be directly quantifiable. These could be a desire for more calm in the circulation areas so that the school day is less stressful, an increase in staff satisfaction or a drop in reported incidents of antisocial behaviour.

Even once the initial masterplan is realised, the evolution will still continue. For inbuilt flexibility, make spaces slightly more generous than their basic use requires. That doesn’t mean that every classroom has to be huge, it just needs to be big enough for tables and chairs to be arranged in several ways and perhaps leave some open space for demonstrations.

Alan Turing Building, University of Manchester, UK Bringing together three schools of learning: astronomy, mathematics and photon science, the oversailing roof of this building holds a suspension system for the photovoltaic array, which produces 40,898 kW hours per annum, a potential saving of 17,000kg of CO2 each year.


Senses Some of the most important aspects of a good learning environment aren’t immediately obvious. A room’s temperature, ventilation and acoustic qualities have a significant impact on people’s comfort and ability to concentrate, communicate and to learn.

Types of heating, lighting and ventilation will also make a significant contribution to the cost of running a school long term, so it’s important that they work harmoniously and efficiently. The electricity used for lighting is often the largest item on the school’s energy bill.

The strategy for thermal comfort, lighting and acoustics will have a big impact on other parts of the design such as the floor or ceiling heights, the size and type of windows, and the layout of the interior.

The mechanical and electrical systems also need to be able to cope with change. For instance, if a space that was a staff room is to be used as a teaching space, then the acoustics will probably need to be softened with the addition of more absorbent surfaces such as curtains and carpets, or the addition of acoustic panels to the walls. These can make a huge difference to the usability of a space.

If the long-term masterplan for a school shows teaching spaces arranged in different configurations or extended as the years go by, then heating and ventilation design will need to be able to adapt to these changes; straightforward if they are known from the start, but difficult if they are unplanned.

Sustainability This is the Holy Grail and is linked to the preceding points above. To make the best use of any investment, the long-term impacts need to be considered for environmental, social and economic sustainability.

In terms of environment, this means flexibility to adapt and change to accommodate new ideas. In social sustainability this means creating a welcoming, safe and inspiring environment for all — teaching staff, pupils, governors and the local community. And for economic sustainability it means getting the best value from investment in terms of high quality, flexibility, durability and low maintenance and operating costs.

“Some of the most important aspects of a good learning environment aren't immediately obvious.”

7AECOM | See further: LEARNING FROM THE FUTURE: EDUCATION ISSUE 1

Understanding the condition of an estate’s property offers a range of benefits — targeting funds to where they are most needed, improving cost certainty, reducing spikes in annual expenditure and minimising liability. Knowledge is indeed a powerful thing.

During the downturn, the education sector, along with just about everyone else responsible for buildings, was forced to reduce spending on maintenance, refurbishment and new buildings. Today, while budgets are still squeezed, estate managers are taking stock and facing the facts — degrading estates and maintenance backlogs are now a very real and present concern.

To address the challenges, most universities have developed an estate strategy plan. These documents usually start with the same advice — before a programme of work is created, it is essential to assess and understand the condition of the estate. To move forward, it is crucial to gain a full and accurate picture of existing and future repair and maintenance liabilities. Using this information makes it possible to create a programme of works which prioritises spend on those buildings requiring the most urgent attention.

With the depths of the financial crisis behind us, short-term pragmatism is being replaced with longer-term planning. And universities in particular are starting to take a longer view of their estates strategy writes estate-assessment specialist Neil Wotherspoon

Made to measure

Our teams have been at work in this area for some time now. Higher education clients in the UK and Ireland include Lancaster University, the University of East Anglia, Trinity College Dublin and University College London. We also worked on the UK Department for Education’s Property Data Survey Programme (PDSP). This initiative was to gather information to provide an assessment of building conditions and the cost of bringing the nation’s schools to an acceptable state.

The PDSP obtained condition data for around 23,000 schools throughout England to inform capital allocations. Our building surveying team completed the survey of 6,600 schools across England. These high-level surveys provided a strategic overview of the condition and investment priorities of the buildings on a block-by-block level.

With the condition of the schools now accurately recorded, the Department for Education has been able to allocate its funds more efficiently and decide which should be improved first.

Made-to-measure iPad tools

To carry out the PDSP national

assessments, we developed a bespoke

tool for the job. Based on iPads for ease

of use, it achieves time savings of up to 50

percent over regular surveying methods,

and makes it possible for surveyors to

work securely, efficiently, remotely and

paper free. We collaborated with Kykloud,

our technology partner, in creating the

flexible, Web-based asset management

and surveying software. Depending on

the client’s specific requirements, the

survey findings are provided in standalone

reports or, more commonly, uploaded

directly onto their specification property

management system. For the school

surveys the information was uploaded

onto a database. Many universities have

developed their own asset management

tools and have now adopted Kykloud on a

permanent basis. The iPad tool enables surveyors to work securely, efficiently, remotely and paper-free.


University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK Working with the university for over 20 years, AECOM is key partner

in the transformation and improvement of its campus.

To encourage and nurture the brightest and best students, they need to be able to test, explore and create in an intuitive way. But how do we enable this? How do we create spaces and places that organically offer experiences and unexpected connections to knowledge?

The buy in We know that any new design involves change — whether it be creating new standards or delivering ground-breaking dynamic design — but buy in for its success is imperative.

We also know that by its very nature, the design of new learning spaces is a people-centred process and that the design will not sell itself. But who do you need to engage with, who do we sell the design to in order to deliver new inspiring spaces?

Through our work with schools, colleges and universities around the world, we have addressed this by creating frameworks for delivering new learning environments. These are structures that are creative and influential, and focus on the learning environment rather than other restricting factors (such as real estate). Identifying sponsors, main stakeholders, change managers and leaders is key to the success of the project.

– Sponsors: these are predominantly senior people who lead and endorse the messages throughout the design process.

– Stakeholders: a cross-section of representatives from throughout the organisation — teaching staff, parents and pupils — stakeholders ensure engagement and ownership at all levels.

– Change managers and leaders: these people will ensure that the proposed new design focuses on the teaching and learning environments, resulting in the inspiring and aspirational brief.

Education spaces that encourage curiosity are the best environments for teaching and

learning. Interior designer Gavin Hughes believes that to keep our learning spaces

alive and create a new age of teaching design, we must get buy in. This means

working collaboratively with the people who occupy the space to get the brief right, and

understand their needs for the physical environment and its performance

The new space age


Hunt Library, North Carolina State University (NCSU), Raleigh, North Carolina, USA The core vision for Hunt Library was driven by the university and the design team, to create a place where the students, faculty and partners could immerse themselves in interactive computing, multimedia creation and large-scale visualisation. AECOM worked with the design team and NCSU as the programming consultant. Credit: Marc Hall/North Carolina State University

The briefing process influences the project from concept through to handover and, in fact, the move in day will, ultimately, become the most important day for the success of the project. The momentum for this starts with the project kick-off, making the proposals familiar long before any building is constructed. The change managers are central to this process, creating communication lines at all levels — students, academics, staff and facilities management.

Doing your research Empowering the change leaders means engaging with them to explore their priorities and ambitions for the teaching spaces and how they can be transformed.

West Hill Primary School in South London was one of the pilot schemes that was part of our 30-month research programme looking at the implications of personalised learning on school design (see more on the results of this programme on page 17). This was focused on adapting the learning experience to reflect that different people learn in different ways and at different speeds.

The wider research was desk and field-based exploring person alised learning from a technology, pedagogy, school organisation, space and beyond-schools perspective. The delivery and assessment of pilot schemes helped with the development of tools and processes for incorporating personalised learning. These are still being used by schools today.

Using the results of the wider research programme, at West Hill Primary School, we worked with the key stakeholders — teachers, students and the local authority alike — to transform the heart of this Victorian school building.

The priorities for the stakeholders were for

– Outstanding teaching and learning at all levels.

– Pupils having more ownership of their learning.

– Good support for all pupils through people, resources and the physical environment.

– Increasing children’s readiness to learn through developing their social and emotional wellbeing.

The underutilised central hall, formally operating as just a link between different parts of the school and as such a main thoroughfare, became the focal point for the transformation of the West Hill Primary school (see image right) and the implementation of more personalised learning.

A generous and flexible space, the hall is now an active and special place for all the students. Fixed and movable elements create intuitive and flexible environments, which enable large-scale interactive learning (for over 60 students). More focused individual learning takes place in the fixed booth seating. Bespoke elements maintain boundaries and zones, enabling the hall to still act as one of the main connecting points in the school. Storage walls are also integrated around the perimeter with write-on magnetic finishes.

Even with this new, exciting, intuitive and usable space, we worked with the school on a programme of change management, supporting the users, creating ownership, and fostering a sense of value and trust in the students.

“It has transformed the way I look at the whole building and the possible use of space to support what we want to achieve to meet the needs of our children.”

“It is good to learn in a group ... you can share ideas ... with five people you have five ideas and you work better!”

Teacher feedback

Pupil feedback14 AECOM | See further: LEARNING FROM THE FUTURE: EDUCATION ISSUE 1

Pupil feedback West Hill Primary School, South London, UK, One of the pilot schemes as part of the personalised learning research programme.

For the new Hunt Library at North Carolina State University (NCSU), AECOM worked with NCSU, Snøhetta Architects and Brightspot Strategy to create a Web-based collection of tools and resources for planning, evaluation and operating technology-rich informal learning spaces.

Funded by the US Institute of Museum and Library Services, this publicly accessible toolkit (www.learningspacetoolkit.org) enables campus staff, space planners/designers, facility managers and campus experts such as library and IT professionals to assess their needs for space, technology and services and then plan how best to meet those needs. The toolkit is organised in six different sections, with each containing downloadable tools and materials to help institutions test activities themselves.

Hunt Library was one of the first libraries to be developed using the toolkit and is a state-of-the-art research library that allows students and faculty to use collaborative spaces and innovative applications of technology to inspire the next generation of engineers, designers, scientists, researchers and humanists.

Space programming

Working with North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA for the development of the Hunt Library, we used interactive group strategies to understand the universities culture, vision, and initiatives, as well as how students, faculty, and staff would use the building in its campus context. Credit: Chuck Samuels/North Carolina State University

Key findings on learning environments from the personalised learning research project carried out by AECOM.

– Teaching environments need to be more inspirational and encourage curiosity. Space is an active force with the ability to bring people together in ways that ‘encourage exploration, collaboration and discussion’ or ‘silence and disconnectedness’.

– Innovation should be considered at the level of the school or institution rather than subject by subject. This means linking subjects for project-based learning or teaching through a particular theme for a period of time.

– More multipurpose, adaptable spaces suitable for interdisciplinary teaching should be provided. Innovative environments do not need to cost more, in particular the active use of circulation areas can support the creation of innovative environments with learning happening in a variety of places, with choice in the hands of the student.

– Innovation in learning environments does not mean that traditional/specialised spaces such as laboratories will no longer be provided, however, the way these spaces are used may be different. For example, students may use a well-equipped laboratory for 20 minutes to carry out an experiment before moving to another space for writing-up and discussing while another group takes a turn in the lab.

– The implementation of new teaching and learning strategies, and innovative learning spaces may require staff to work in very different ways. It is essential that a change management approach is taken and staff members are involved in this process.

Inspiring, innovative, involving

University challenge


Ensuring its position as one of the world’s leading universities, Cambridge is investing in extensive development of its land to the north west of the city. The AECOM-designed masterplan for this ambitious scheme recently won the 2014 World Architecture Festival’s Future Projects - Masterplanning award. The scheme’s architect Jonathan Rose looks back over the past decade of working alongside the university

University challenge

The days when universities were only centres of learning appear to be on the wane. Many are now taking a long, hard look at their real estate and they’re becoming large-scale developers. Along with the financial benefits of realising the full value of their property assets, this work is also pivotal in providing world-class facilities and teaching to secure future success in an increasingly competitive global market. In the UK alone, it’s been estimated that the prestigious Russell Group of universities — two dozen of them, including Cambridge, Oxford, Imperial College, York, Manchester and Liverpool is undertaking capital investment to the tune of £9 billion.

One of the most ambitious schemes recently under way is North West Cambridge. Occupying 150 hectares of university-owned greenbelt land, the new £1 billion urban district and extension to the city is centred on a mixed academic and urban community. Contemporary in style, it will create two new college clusters, academic and partner research, walkable residential neighbourhoods and generous public realm. It will be a place that is sustainable and long lasting, and that will enhance the city and the university. It will accommodate the growth needs of the university, enabling it to attract and retain staff, and provide vital accommodation.

Along with 1,500 homes for its key workers, accommodation for 2,000 postgraduate students, 1,500 homes for sale and 100,000 square metres of research facilities, plans also include a local centre with a primary school, community centre, health centre, supermarket, hotel and shops. There are also parklands, playing fields, sustainable transportation and an extensive cycle network. The scheme has attracted a raft of well-respected architects with proposals from Mecanoo and MUMA, among others, now entering the planning phase.

North West Cambridge Masterplan, UK The masterplan for the University of Cambridge is the largest capital development project the university has undertaken in its 800-year history.


Our design and planning team contributed its masterplanning experience — which also includes the sustainable regeneration of central Doha in Qatar and London’s 2012 Olympic Park — to develop a scheme that reflects the collegiate urbanism that is Cambridge’s trademark. This new scheme is rooted in and reflects the city’s urban character and qualities, its layout, streetscape and green spaces.

Connectivity, community, character and climate The project represents the largest capital development the university has undertaken in its 800-year history. The robust brief was to address connectivity, community, character and climate, while being mindful of the UNESCO-listed town centre and unique university setting.

The development will be an exemplar of sustainable living. Homes will be built to the Code for Sustainable Homes Level 5 and other buildings will be BREEAM Excellent. The scheme is the single largest Code for Sustainable Homes Level 5 development in the country. The site also makes use of water management, energy and waste systems, and a green travel plan encouraging residents and neighbours to lead sustainable lives through the built infrastructure as well as through community-building activities.

We are developing a pioneering rainwater management strategy to capture and treat stormwater runoff from the site, using an integrated network of sustainable drainage systems (SuDS). Naturally filtered water is then stored and redistributed to homes to flush toilets and water gardens. This is the first stormwater recycling scheme in the UK and one of the largest in the world. Other key initiatives include an innovative waste collection system and a site-wide district heating network powered by a centralised low-carbon combined heat and power system. We are also advising on how behaviour change can help residents to live more sustainably.

More than a decade in the planning The planning process has been a lengthy one. The site was proposed for development in the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Structure Plan back in 2003. After this the university and the two local planning authorities, Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council, set to work to satisfy the necessary planning and sustainability requirements that allowed the development area to be removed from its designation as green belt (the UK policy for controlling urban growth).

In autumn 2009, planning inspectors published their report on the Area Action Plan (AAP) that has been jointly promoted by Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council. This established the planning policy for this site.

For two years, the university revised the strategic plan for the area to support the framework laid out in the AAP. After a period of consultation, the masterplan formed the basis of the university's outline planning application. Permission was granted in 2013 and phase one of construction is currently underway. This phase helps to set the sense of place for the entire development and will provide more than 1,300 homes, plus the central community amenities including the school, community hall, shops, health centre, a hotel and the key primary infrastructure.


“The masterplan is a highly competent response to an enlightened client brief, with a well resolved sustainability and landscape strategy, and incorporates socially sustainable mix-uses.”

Comments from the jury when announcing North West Cambridge as the winner of the Future Projects -

Masterplanning Award at the World Architecture Festival 2014.


Local authorities need to strike a balance between need, cost and time in how they prioritise the provision of new school places writes programme manager Karen Millar

As the UK education landscape changes, fresh thinking is being sought to meet the ever-rising demand for places and to manage school estates. As ever, budgets are at the heart of this — even though local authorities still receive some funding directly from central government, the rise of academy status schools, which is creating more independence from local authorities, means local authority estates teams need to be leaner but still make informed decisions on where and how to spend the money.

A forward-thinking wider project management framework, for a whole network of schools, can make this process easier and ultimately help the estate teams to persuade its school to accept development plans.

Managing the scale of expansion Rising birth rates and the subsequent need for additional school places has led Surrey County Council to set up a five-year, £300+ million programme of school expansions. Ranging from small internal adaptations to building new primary and secondary schools, these projects must be delivered in the most cost-effective way to minimise borrowing.

Our role in this programme is to manage the schools basic-need expansion programme and to support the property service. Starting in late 2013, we were supporting a limited portfolio of 30 schools with delivery dates in 2015 and 2016. Our initial success on the Surrey programme has led to our role growing to embrace the county’s entire schools estate. And through our parallel work with Hampshire County Council, who Surrey County Council regularly collaborates with, we are able to realise the wider benefits of the programme.

At the outset one of the main challenges was to help the local authority adapt existing systems and processes to cope with the scale of expansion, while always keeping a watch on cost effectiveness and education quality. Our programme management team was encouraged to question how things were done, to challenge the status quo, and to scrutinise cost and design information.

Expand and deliver

Hurst Park Primary School, West Molesey, Surrey, UK This school will be one of the first new build schools as part of the recent Surrey schools programme. Designed by architects

HLM it will create accommodation for 420 students by 2015.

Flexible frameworks One of our first steps was to introduce a project management framework flexible enough for any size of project and which sets out the key milestones with gateways at each stage. Gateway meetings are run to enable the programme team to check that the design is based on the agreed standard and that there is no scope creep or additional area above that required for the increase in pupil numbers. The most important area is deciding which schools are chosen for the expansion. The approach taken is a balanced scorecard with weightings applied to each stakeholder’s view to try to reach a consensus. The information for each school is then kept in a central database so that if there is a further requirement in the future these can be referred to.

There are sometimes competing priorities or interests between the various internal stakeholder groups which include planning, education, finance and property. The school that is the best to expand from an educational perspective might be the most expensive, or perhaps the school with plenty of space and appears cheaper, has complex planning issues that would result in programme delays. The key to minimising the costs is this early engagement so that there is time for mitigation. In these instances our team can become involved in finding a solution that best matches the requirements of stakeholders.

We monitor resources and address any shortfalls within the client team, supporting as necessary to enhance and provide short term additional staff as required.

Sayes Court Primary School expansion, Addlestone, Surrey, UK Due for completion in Jaunary 2016, the extension to this school will increase its intake by 210 pupil places.


Process and parameters A Programme Execution Plan (PrEP) was developed and the project management team was inducted to it in a half-day workshop to ensure a consistent approach to all work. Each project manager (PM) had his or her own way of working, so by setting out how projects and the programme were to be managed has meant there is less duplication, rework and reduced margin for error. In addition to the PrEP, a series of workshops was introduced to increase the knowledge base of the PMs, and ensure that all staff were clear on the processes and parameters within which they could work. These also included sessions on the governance structure of the programme, budgeting, including the Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP) and statutory processes of the county council.

The cost management of the programme was reviewed, and information provided by project quantity surveyors was challenged and checked. Adopting a consistent format enabled benchmarking, cost reduction and setting targets for cost per square metre.

“Transforming the management of our expansion programme — with quick access to the status of our projects — has meant we can focus on the risks and issues, with time and confidence on our side.”

John Stebbings Chief Property Officer, Surrey County Council

Most of the Surrey schemes involve increasing numbers of pupils at existing schools on tight urban sites and this creates unique challenges. Much of the work on standardisation that has taken place nationally is for whole new-build schools, so we worked with the council and other partners to develop a Surrey baseline specification for 1FE (form of entry) extensions that sets out acceptable standards.

With the success of the schools programme we are now starting to help Surrey to review its non-schools programme; adapting the schools approach and aligning management across the council’s property service.


Breaking BIMWhile the UK government has set the target of implementing Level 2 BIM for all public sector procurement by 2016, the education sector stands to reap significant rewards by fully embracing BIM sooner rather than later says education specialist Gary Chesher

It saves time and money, improves efficiency and effectiveness, and can help in the future maintenance and management of buildings. It’s no wonder, then, that hardly a week passes without more praise for the benefits of building information modelling — or BIM.

To maximise the benefits of BIM, particularly in cost savings, we have evolved a highly collaborative way of working — drawing together the wider design team, clients and contractors.

In the education sector, benefits include accelerating a co-ordinated design process to meet tight deadlines; creating standardised design and construction, adopting a kit-of-parts approach that can be repeated for follow-on schools in a batch; and end-user visualisation of space usage for non-technical stakeholders.


All Hallows RC High School, Salford, UK

Primary and secondary schools — using BIM for efficient design and construction Working with our main contractor clients, we have interpreted the UK government’s latest design criteria for new schools. With the help of BIM, with a mind to the government’s 2016 Level 2 BIM target, we have created standardised school concept designs, interlinked with lean construction techniques, which have now been rolled out under the Priority School Building Programme procurement.

These designs focus on achieving optimal environmental performance at a very low cost. This requires every efficiency to be made in the design and sourcing of building components, even to the extent of how they will be delivered to site and installed. Careful environmental modelling of the proposals is also required to confirm that the overall design will meet the specification required.

Further and higher (tertiary) education — BIM in the operational phase Much of our BIM knowledge gained on schools is being used in our college and university projects. For schools the emphasis is on controlling capital costs and maintaining tight construction programmes which translates well for higher education projects.

Looking ahead, BIM will be used beyond the construction phase into the operation and maintenance of individual buildings and entire building estates. Using BIM, asset management will benefit with operational costs minimised, space utilisation maximised, and the design life of buildings and infrastructure extended.

Increasingly, our university clients are also asking to incorporate the Government Soft Landings approach to ensure new buildings are handed over to users who can operate the building systems to their optimum efficiency. BIM will help with this process.

While much of this talk is aspirational as BIM evolves, on the horizon is the adoption of 6D BIM to enable clients to manage the operation and maintenance of their assets, particularly in further and higher education where the client has a long term interest in the building. As well as 3D design and programming, this will involve adopting a Soft Landings approach to ensure a fully operational building. Computer Aided Facilities Management including Planned Preventative Maintenance schedules and help-desk functions will also be helped. Ultimately, we all need to be able crack BIM in order to reap the benefits.


Walkden High School, Manchester, UK Completed in 2011 this school was delivered through the Laing O’Rourke

Design for Manufacture and Assembly programme (see page 30). AECOM was a partner here providing BIM expertise. Credit: AHR Architects Ltd/Dan Hopkinson


The Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA) engineering-led approach to modular construction has been championed by Laing O’Rourke over the past few years. It focuses on reducing project cost and duration to help deliver public and private sector projects when budgets are of concern.

Teaming with Laing O’Rourke on eight secondary schools as part of the Salford and Wigan Building Schools for the Future programme, we furthered the DfMA application and coupled it with BIM. The BIM application not only allowed a closer and more collaborative design and construction process, but it also enabled Laing O’Rourke to fully utilise the 3D BIM model, linking in to the elements and components of the DfMA process and programme. The school could see an accurate schedule of installation right down to each day of construction.

The schools achieved BIM Level 2 which exceeds the self-set DfMA target of more than 70 percent off-site manufacture, and were the first whole school buildings manufactured in Laing O’Rourke’s new £100 million purpose-built factory in Nottinghamshire. Our work included being part of a programme of continuous improvement, contributing development workshops including the following DfMA elements and BIM topics generated from lesson learnt meetings:

– Development of a design team BIM protocol.

– Development of a library of standard structural components, which has resulted in considerable time savings in the production of component drawings.

– Use of a timeline to create 5D (programme) models which can then be used for construction planning, just-in-time deliveries and progress monitoring.

– DfMA development including prefabricated service risers, prefabricated services horizontal distribution units and packaged plantrooms.

BIM connection


The full power of BIM is revealed when the building is occupied. Most building costs are incurred during operation and maintenance and, through using BIM, savings can and will be made over the whole lifecycle of the building.

Through our adoption of BIM we know that the data linked to a BIM model, to a database of building assets, can revolutionise the operation and maintenance of any facility. Managing any asset in this way means that maintenance can be scheduled, and financial planning and decision making supported. As it is continuously updated, BIM also works beyond the design and construction phase to provide accurate snapshots of any asset, linking to facility information such as warranties, serial codes, and operation and maintenance history of components of the building.

This is the aspiration of BIM but only by working directly with clients and, crucially, facilities managers can it become a reality. The end user operators must be part of the BIM process from the start of any project delivery, providing clear guidance on the requirements and classifications required for each asset entry type. This will, in particular, enable informed COBie (Construction Operation Building Information Exchange) data drops – an element of the requirements set out by the UK government as part of the adoption of BIM: operating an agreed intelligent asset register.

BIM inspiration

St Ambrose Barlow RC High School, Manchester UK Completed in September 2013 this 750 pupil place school

was delivered through the Laing O’Rourke Design for Manufacture Assembly programme (see page 30). AECOM

was partner here providing BIM expertise. Credit: AHR Architects Ltd/Dan Hopkinson


Tomorrow’s world

Tomorrow’s world Making well-considered investment

decisions about science and technology facilities is crucial for holders of school and university budgets. To get the right results you need to ask the right questions, says project management expert Mark Halstead

Do you need to build? This may seem an obvious

question, but it is often glossed over in the rush to develop

design concepts, put project teams in place, and raise staff and student expectations. A careful evaluation of existing space, capacity and usage is essential, and then map it against the organisation’s vision. Too often the potential to make the most of the current assets is overlooked. It is useful also to explore wider options as part of this strategic evaluation. Is the space in the best location? Are there opportunities for sharing? Is there a genuine demand for more space? Only when a strategic evaluation has exhausted all other options, should the initial decision be taken to commit to capital investment.

How will you use the space?

Once the decision has been made to build or refurbish

the next step is to ensure that the optimum amount of space is provided. The single greatest opportunity to maximise value is at the user briefing stage. Here the facility design team can work closely with the school or university departments to understand their requirements. Effective space planning should not be just about delivering the lowest metric for learning space, it is about looking at the whole requirement, the teaching patterns, and delivering a building that promotes collaboration and maximises utilisation. This also presents an opportunity to challenge and enhance the culture of an organisation.

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For schools and universities, investing in science and technology facilities involves a major investment of time, energy and money. However, the rewards can be considerable, not least in helping to build tomorrow’s science and technology community.

At the heart of the decision to invest, is the evaluation and understanding of the likely capital and operating cost for the facilities. At the start of every project, every investor has to weigh up the balance between time, cost and quality — or as project managers often say, ‘pick any two’. Cost is almost always the first or second priority; laboratories and associated facilities are expensive spaces to build, but this outlay is often exceeded many times over when it comes to the costs of running and operating them over a lifespan of 30 years or more. It is paramount, therefore, that educational investors and their delivery teams can maximise the long-term value of any investment by answering these key questions.

University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK Working with the university for over 20 years,

AECOM has been involved in the transformation and conversion of existing spaces to provide

teaching areas that meet changing standards.

How will you adapt the space?

There is one absolute certainty with all science facilities: the

teaching and learning needs will change. It is desirable that the space provides a level of future flexibility, and this is frequently seen high on the list of project priorities at brief stage. It’s worth noting, however, that sometimes small amounts of flexibility are all that are required. Recent AECOM research in one R&D facility shows that only 25 percent of highly reconfigurable labs were ever changed and the majority of those changes were minor, not requiring the degree of flexibility that had been built in. Ultimately, the fundamental question on flexibility is ‘just how frequently will you flex your lab space?’ Before specifying a high degree of inbuilt flexibility, with increased capital investment cost, educational organisations should carry out thorough evaluation.

How important are the running costs?

Given the engineering complexity within all but the simplest laboratory

spaces, it is unlikely that the answer to this question will be anything other than ‘very’. However, this is a significant cost driver through the lifecycle of any facility, particularly with energy costs increasing, intensive routine maintenance costs, expensive spare parts and a drive to reduce carbon footprints. To deliver optimal whole-life running costs for a laboratory, it is necessary for all building users to collaborate on finding savings. For example, a standard fume cupboard uses three times more energy per day than a typical household, and it is increasingly appropriate to see the number of cupboards, and their operating criteria, challenged at concept stage. Centralising specialist scientific equipment enables rationalisation and energy reductions.

Selecting the most appropriate level of specification for the facility may increase day-one capital costs, but it reduces lifecycle costs through extended replacement and maintenance cycles. For example, the most appropriate laboratory floor finish should be selected to resist the actual chemicals used in the facility, although this may be a more expensive capital option. Finally, ensuring that the building staff are fully trained in the management of these complex spaces is paramount to ensuring that actual operating costs meet those planned during design. The Soft Landings process assists greatly with this, advocating early involvement (during design) from the operator, and post-completion continuity from the delivery and commissioning team.

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The leading institution for biomedical research

in the UK, the Laboratory for Molecular Biology, is recognised as world-class. A new building, used by the University of Cambridge alongside the Medical Research Council, it replaces life-expired facilities

with a new state-of-the-art laboratory. With a gross internal floor area of 32,800 square metres with

net usable research space of around 24,400 square metres, it contains category 3 and 2 containment

areas, a 210-seat lecture theatre and an eight-storey atrium to facilitate scientific collaboration.

Along with complex technical requirements, the challenges included an initial cost overrun that had to be curtailed to bring it within acceptable

budget limits, complex stakeholder arrangements, liaison with Cambridge Medipark for delivery of

site and infrastructure, and an evolving regulatory framework and enhancement of licensing

guidelines during the project lifecycle.

Our solutions included an extensive value-management exercise undertaken through the

second stage of procurement. This, coupled with a retendering of all works packages to the market

to take advantage of the downturn in the economy, generated substantial savings. We also ran a

continual process of engagement and refinement with the project board including cost/programme

risks and their reporting. The project was delivered under budget. We consistently demonstrated

strong project governance and achieved Substantial Assurance ratings at project audits undertaken by the Research Councils Internal Audit Service and both Gateway 4 (Readiness for Service) and

Gateway 5 (Benefits Realisation) reviews achieved the highest ratings.

MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology


MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK One of the world's leading institutes, the MRC Laboratory of Molecular

Biology won the Safe, Successful and Sustainable S-Lab Award 'highlighting lab innovation around the globe, and revealing best practice among all the key

players involved in lab design, operation and management.'


When it comes to higher education science and technology buildings, reducing energy consumption and increasing environmental sustainability requires holistic thinking and great communication says low-energy engineering expert Sasha Krstanovic

A load off your mind

Science and technology buildings are energy hungry to build and to run. But when energy efficiency is designed in from the start, it is much more effective in delivering savings in build costs as well as running and operating costs.

Small changes: big savingsThe best results can be achieved by subverting the traditional design and construction process, breaking down the professional silos and encouraging collaboration and good communication.

When engineers work side by side with architects, especially during the first few months of the design process, there can be impressive results. Even small shifts and changes can produce substantial energy savings, for example changing a building’s orientation can make better use of natural daylight to cut lighting bills or create shading to reduce air conditioning costs. It’s also possible to work out the benefits of different floor plans — locating a lecture theatre in a lower-ground floor might be great for the acoustics, but will add substantial costs for lighting and ventilation. And, where engineers are involved early, it is possible to locate mechanical and engineering plant in areas that would otherwise have limited use.

And collaboration doesn’t end there. By bringing other professionals, such as cost and program consultants, early to the process, it becomes possible to secure further gains in energy efficiency without compromising the design. This is about continuously asking questions and making informed suggestions — for example making informed savings on cladding materials, which can be achieved by procuring differently, it could be possible to spend more on insulation where the energy-saving gain is greatest.

Energy Technologies Building, University of Nottingham

Innovation Park, UK.


Optimum operations: energy efficiency We monitor many of our projects over several years and have been able to build up considerable knowledge of occupied buildings. Using this data it is possible to identify best practice in operations — identical buildings operated by different teams will create a very different pattern of energy use. And this leads to the Soft Landings process where new building occupiers are guided through the best use of the building and its systems to keep utility costs as low as possible.

The delivery of a sustainable building is only a success if it can be operated, maintained and monitored effectively. To achieve this, the appropriate level of metering, monitoring and performance testing has to be provided. A sustainable building can then only move from a construction stage to an operational stage when

its controls and monitoring have been effectively proven, and there is an ongoing commitment for measurement and monitoring in place. The use of benchmarking can provide a degree of confidence in relation to design proposals; it is widely used in setting electrical loads for differing space types early in the design stage.

We may achieve zero carbon in many ways, and the government use of allowable solutions will help, but to reduce our unregulated loads, we will need to take personal control of and accountability for our consumption.

International House and Amenities Building, Jubilee Campus University of Nottingham, UK.


When planning any project, it helps to think about long-term use to maximise energy savings.

– Be clear about the priorities — how will the building be used now and what happens in five years time. Is that auditorium really necessary or would it be better to opt for a number of flexible spaces?

– Assess the predicted use and occupancy of the building — for example, hospitals and hotels are ideal for combined heat and power (CHP) generation, offices less so. If there is a need for a 24/7 operation, perhaps the plant should be modular so that only what is required is in use.

– Look at the available site orientation and any natural shading that may occur — use this to protect the building from excessive heat load, ensuring it does not overshadow the solar cells. Orientate the building so it maximises passive benefits such as heating from the low winter sun.

– Take into account the local climate — most places have a period when no heating, cooling or even electrical lights are required — spaces should be designed to benefit from this.

– Get to know the site and its surroundings — excessive noise, such as motorways or manufacturing plant should inform how the facade is treated.

– Perhaps there is a body of water available such as a pond, river, stream or an underground aquifer? All these can be sources of energy.

– Explore local legislation — limits and opportunities — there may be funding available such as renewable heat incentives (RHIs).

– Keep communicating — creating the most successful buildings is a two-way process. Clients need to articulate their needs, and designers need to explain where there may be obstacles in the way and how to overcome them.

Start right

The Energy Technologies Building at the University of Nottingham is a research hub like no other. The European-funded centre for research into alternative energies is a world’s first in-use, zero-carbon laboratory. This BREEAM Outstanding centre was built with a constrained budget, yet is able to support leading-edge research into biofuel technology, has an extreme-climate simulating facility and an advanced, multisource multiple voltage converter for grid and on-site produced electricity.

In the creation of this groundbreaking laboratory, the first inspiring ideas came from a design charrette involving our building engineering team at competition stage. By the end of the day’s charrette we had the concept for the building that won the competition along with numerous accolades once the building was completed.

Our engineering team worked with the university researchers and future building users to ensure that the operating systems (power, data, cooling and heating) were designed to be in sync with the work going on inside it. The unique combination of low-carbon design and energy-generating technology produces surplus heat and electricity which is redirected to a nearby campus building. This not only helps to reduce energy demands in a highly intensive environment, but also serves to keep operating costs down.

The laboratory complex also features designs to minimise demand for heating, cooling, lighting and ventilation including a biofuel district CHP. There is a green roof for rainwater attenuation and to absorb heat gain. And the centre’s hydrogen filling station is powered by renewable energy generated by the CHP as well as grid power — this is made possible via the Uniflex — the three-stage, smart-power distribution transformer being developed by the university. The roof is designed to carry PV panels in the future.

A world first

International House and Amenities Building, Jubilee Campus University of Nottingham, UK.

A world of learning

Making learning places distinctive, well-served and

fitting for local communities around the world means adopting

appropriate and relevant standards. With views from the US and Africa Gus Barrera and

Mark Walmsley explain how the right solutions work at any scale.

Many of the schools are being delivered in the most remote areas of the country and constructed without the use of power tools. However, the standards of the design and construction — using traditional construction methodology — are being managed and supervised as a whole programme to create a consistency of approach. The superstructures/external walls are load-bearing block work, generally plastered block work, and external walls are finished with plaster and paint. Roofs are constructed of timber trusses covered by aluminium profile sheeting.

For the project teams a truly collaborative environment has been centred around creating a legacy of education buildings for Liberian children with over 50 local staff employed and trained on the project. There are now equipped teams who can manage and develop more schools to specific standards in the future.

The first phase of the programme was completed in June 2013 and our project managers, cost consultants and engineers from UK and Africa offices, are working with local contractors and architects from the World Bank, and the development charity Plan International.

Out of Africa Helping war-torn Liberia to rebuild its education system, a large-scale school-building programme is under way in this West Africa nation. Due for completion in 2015, the two-year programme to build almost 70 schools forms part of the country’s Poverty Reduction Strategy. A generation of young people had little or no access to education, and many were child soldiers during more than two decades of political and economic instability.

The current administration, led by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf since 2006, is working to improve children’s access to education. The schools, from nursery through to secondary, are being built in 40 locations, with construction split into two phases to accommodate the six-month rainy season that makes many roads impassable.

Educational institutions around the world face a challenge and an opportunity when building and adapting their facilities and campuses to meet the global, technological and sustainable standards of a new age. Here we take a look at two very different projects where our skills and expertise have been delivered to create educational programmes specifically tailored to the local needs. Our work provides an all-round view of projects that embraces designing, building, financing and operating. Always the aim is to create socially vibrant, economically viable, ecologically healthy, distinctive places for education at all levels.

Pupils at Billytown Public Elementary

School in Montserrado outside of

Monrovia, Liberia with Kelvin Pavay

Davies, a former child soldier (image left).

Credit: Regency Foundation Networx.

Construction underway at one of the schools part of the Liberia schools programme.

Credit: Regency Foundation Networx.


Programme for prototypesIn Florida a new state law was passed which limited the size of classes and, as a result, many counties in the state needed to provide more classrooms as well as modernise existing ones. Working with Miami-Dade County Public Schools (MDCPS) we developed a school prototype programme which helped the county respond to the law, and also take the opportunity to revolutionise the design and development of its school programme.

Looking to state-of-the art education design solutions as well as creating efficiency in construction, operations, security and maintenance, we developed a kit-of-parts which could be pulled together to respond to different school and site conditions, yet never demand bespoke design. Flexibility was paramount, technological incorporation a given and legibility — creating logical, open and connected spaces across the campuses — inherent.

Hialeah Gardens Middle School, Hialeah, Florida, USA. Credit: Robb Williamson

To date, three schools have adopted the prototype programme — Hialeah Gardens Middle School, Hialeah; Zelda Glazer Middle School, Miami and Andover Middle School, Miami Gardens — all of which are now distinct, vibrant campuses. The multiple permutations of arrangement: one and two storey buildings adapted for their vocational use, linked by bridges, and scaled by courtyards and owned spaces include classrooms, cafes, media centres, arts and music spaces. The predominant material is tilt-up precast concrete panels which, easily produced by the local construction industry, not only allows for flexibility of expression with the integration of different façade languages, but is also durable in the extreme weather conditions experienced in Florida.

The intense design development, where we worked with MDCPS as well as consultants on the wider programme, has created a high performance, regionally responsive common approach for the whole of Florida’s schools programme.

Hialeah Gardens Middle School, Hialeah, Florida, USA. Credit: Robb Williamson

ABOUT AECOM

Ranked as the #1 engineering design firm by revenue in Engineering News-Record magazine’s annual industry rankings, AECOM is a premier, fully integrated infrastructure and support services firm, with a broad range of markets, including transportation, facilities, environmental, energy, water and government. The recent incorporation of URS furthers AECOM’s standing as a leader in all of the key markets that it serves. With nearly 100,000 employees — including architects, engineers, designers, planners, scientists and management and construction services professionals — the company serves clients in more than 150 countries around the world. AECOM provides a blend of global reach, local knowledge, innovation and technical excellence in delivering solutions that create, enhance and sustain the world’s built, natural and social environments. A Fortune 500 company, AECOM has annual revenue of approximately US$20 billion.

More information on our services can be found at www.aecom.com and www.urs.com

Follow us on Twitter: @aecom @urscorp

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