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Project name: Ysgol y Garnedd, New School
Scope of Works: New build primary school
Location: Bangor, Gwynedd
Contract: ECI
Value: £8,000,000
Duration: 65 weeks
Client: Cyngor Gwynedd Council
Summary:
Award winning scheme to deliver the new Ysgol y Garnedd primary school in Bangor as part of Gwynedd Council’s 21st Century Schools Programme.
Read were appointed to deliver the new Ysgol y Garnedd primary School in Bangor as part of Gwynedd Councils 21st Century Schools Programme. Following an Early Contractor Involvement which engaged the Read team in the design process from RIBA stage 1, Read worked closely with the client and their design consultants to deliver the £9m BREEAM Excellent project.
The new 420 place school provides modern accommodation including fourteen classrooms, two ALN classrooms, a nursery, a Cylch Meithrin and a large hall, along with a number of other teaching spaces, staff and administration areas.
This project was used to further enhance our Soft Landing protocol. The team collaboratively deployed digital construction tools and techniques to delivery Building Information Modelling (BIM) to Level 2 with a data rich asset model provided to the client to aid the ongoing efficient operation of the building during its ‘in-use’ phase. Extended familiarisation sessions were delivered by the site team to continue supporting staff post handover to ensure systems are operationally effective.
The scheme was shortlisted for three Constructing Excellence Awards, and won the award for Digital Construction, as well as our client, Gwynedd Council, winning Client of the Year for the scheme.
Throughout the contract, Read were committed to investing in initiatives to provide legacy added value. The team regularly engaged with local schools, colleges and the community, encouraging active engagement with the project. The scheme achieved the targets we committed to at tender stage, despite being delivered during the global pandemic,. Read delivered over 20 educational interactions throughout the construction period – both virtually and in person before the pandemic hit. These interactions included ‘Writing for a Purpose’ tasks – asking for pupil’s support to research sustainable construction methods, eco committee workshops and careers events.
Having Read Construction working alongside the Design Team for the new Ysgol y Garnedd School was beneficial from the outset. Read’s Team assisted with the whole project development by bringing their construction expertise to the table and reviewing the projects buildability, key details and sequencing of construction. Read’s relationship with their North Wales supply chain helped in being able to advise on the selection of construction type, materials and how these could be utilised in the most efficient way to reduce waste and provide best value for money.
Their early involvement gave Read’s site team a great platform and understanding of the project which lead to progress being ahead of programme before the Pandemic struck. The site team were always proactive in forward planning and picking up any potential issues early to make sure they we resolved with adequate time. Read adapted quickly to the impact of the Pandemic on the Construction Programme and completed the School to a very high standard with these difficult situation. From the early stage Read Construction have added value to the team and project which shows in the final product.
As BIM Managers, Read worked collaboratively with the Design team and helped their Subcontractor upskill to capture the relevant site information to populate the Project Information Model (PIM) and the Asset Information Model (AIM) which lead to Ysgol y Garnedd being one of the first BIM level 2 schemes delivered in North Wales.
The way everyone at Read’s have approached this project has been a major factor in it’s success, and for that I thank you.
Looking forward to working with you on future projects should the opportunity arise.
Many thanks for everything that has been done by everyone on this project. This is our first venture into the world of BIM and you must be congratulated on your perseverance that has brought this to completion.
Beyond BIM, I would like to say that working with Reads has been a pleasure and I very much hope that we will work together in the future.
Take a look at the work we do.
Well done to Read Construction all your sub-contractors that have collected and inputted the data which has made the production of this information possible. Therefore both the AIM and the PIM have been delivered on this project in accordance with the requirements of BIM Level 2.