Case Studies

Glasgow Academy

glas1.jpg

The project involved the construction of a new preparatory school on the existing school site, providing classrooms, break out spaces, offices, a multi-purpose assembly hall, nursery zone, toilets and wash areas, staff space, boardroom, and a series small food preparation areas and external playground, circulation and plant spaces. The total internal area of the facility extended to approximately 3,275m2 laid out over four floors.

Cadogans was appointed as M&E services engineers for the project and supported the client from the project’s inception to completion and in various post contract negotiations with the contracting team.

We undertook various design and option appraisals, during both the design and construction periods, assisting the client with his choices for the facility and responding to changes in the teaching staff’s briefing requirements for the building.

The total construction cost excluding VAT and fees was around £7M.

The tendered mechanical and electrical services cost was of the order of £1million and the final account element for the services works was returned below this figure.

glas2.jpg

The services were designed to comply with the Building Standards (Scotland), CIBSE guidance and the relevant Department for Education and Skills Building Bulletins for guidance in the design for Schools.

The services installations designed by Cadogans included gas distribution infrastructure; gas fired (including condensing) boiler plant; automatic controls with local BMS and networking; LPHW heating, mains pressurised, non storage domestic cold and hot water distribution networks; mechanical ventilation with heat recovery and including variable speed control; hybrid natural with mechanical support ventilation to classrooms; above ground drainage; electrical power distribution; general, emergency and controlled lighting; fire detection and alarms, I.T. and telecommunications infrastructure containment; CCTV; security systems; door entry systems and lightning protection.

Two particular client requirements were the need to provide future flexibility in terms of classroom sizes and arrangements and to minimise the visual impact of the services.

Classroom flexibility was achieved by configuring the systems in a modular arrangement with risers positioned sensitively to reflect possible future room remodelling and by providing service openings and routing zones to suit future anticipated requirements.

The visual impact of the services was dramatically reduced in the classrooms, which had solid blockwork walls and concrete ceilings, by integrating the service drops to the raised floor into the fixed furniture and by providing, in advance, conduit containment cast into the concrete floor slabs and extending back, fully concealed to the position of the main containment which would run in the corridor false ceiling. This required the unusual provision of very accurately dimensioned conduit and outlet drawings.

Engineering Discipline

People