New College Durham
| Contact Details: | John Widdowson, Principal & Chief Executive, john.widdowson@newdur.ac.uk Lynn Bertram, Executive Support Manager, lynn.bertram@newdur.ac.uk Alan Race, Assistant Director IT and Purchasing, alan.race@newdur.ac.uk |
| Type of Project: | New Build on existing site. |
| Start/End Date: | Started work on site January 2003 with a year's design work previously. Build completed September 2005 |
What Are Your Top Tips..
...For a successful new build? For embedding IT? For installing technology?
A project of this scale and complexity requires careful planning and total commitment both to the project itself and to the needs of the students and staff who will be studying during the construction period.
The Senior Management Team needs to play an active role, leading staff and taking decisions which can often be difficult and have long term implications. Design and construction teams will do their part but the College as client must be in a central position.
Be realistic about how long the design stage takes and how much senior management time it takes up. Make sure you allow enough time for it. You only get one chance and it's worth the effort to get it right up front.
The longer you take on the actual build the more difficult it is to control costs and manage change requests.
Spend as much time evaluating and negotiating on loan options as you do on choosing an architect. Your existing bank may not offer the best deal. Managing cash flow is critical.
Make sure your business is in good shape before you go into this.
Consider third party project management. You can't be an expert in everything. This was a difficult decision for New College Durham Governors but the amount spent was far less than the cost of getting it wrong.
Haggle and double-check. Value engineering was something that New College Durham instigated themselves. They checked on building work and required the builders to relay a concrete floor when it was evident it had been laid at the wrong temperature just in case this caused problems in future.
Build in maximum flexibility to respond to changing needs.
Think about the next 20 years and be prepared to live with every decision you make.
New College Durham took detailed photos at every stage of the build so that if anything goes wrong in future they have a record of the location of all underground pipes etc.
Keep a tight rein on change control and keep good documentation. All changes above a certain level required the Principal's approval.
