Octa was involved in the delivery of this project from day one, assisting the University to put together a Business Case for a 70 bed accommodation development on the Dovedale Campus. Following Business Case approval in July 2016, Octa worked with the Client to determine performance requirements for the development and managed the procurement of a Design-Build Contractor. In addition to development cost, key attributes considered were:
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Conceptual design merit
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Design-build programme
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Lifecycle costs
The timeframe for design and construction of this project was very challenging. The development needed to be ready to accommodate students by February 2018. The Design-Build Contract was awarded in December 2016 with only 13 months for full design, consenting, construction and fit-out. This was achieved with the full facility and exterior landscaping in place ready for students to occupy at the beginning of Semester 1 in 2018.
Transferring design risk to a Contractor increases the Client’s need to monitor the quality of that design and maintain control of the level of finishes produced. Octa fulfilled this role for the University, ensuring the needs of all its stakeholders were met within the proposed design and translated to the physical work on-site. Regular project meetings and site visits allowed work to be closely documented and Octa ensured the Client’s requirements were upheld within the approved budget.
To achieve the programme, innovative construction techniques were adopted. Wall panels and bathroom pods were prefabricated off-site, and then assembled in situ. Another advantage of prefabrication that appealed to the University was the decreased number of personnel on-site, reducing the health and safety risk profile for the project.
