Preplanning delivers value

By - , Build 127

Keeping a complex workplace operational while it undergoes a major rebuild is no easy task. Early project team involvement has been instrumental in the successful redevelopment of BRANZ’s campus, the final Pathfinder project to appear in Build.

Phase one was completed with the handover of the STIC building.
Phase one was completed with the handover of the STIC building.
Workshops have been modernised during the refurbishment.

Since 2006, BRANZ has been considering a redevelopment of its research campus located at Judgeford. Established in the early 1970s and extended over the years, the buildings include laboratories and testing and administration facilities.

In 2008, Warren and Mahoney were engaged to develop a master plan for the redevelopment. Their site review found that the existing facility no longer fitted functionality requirements and suffered from a 1960s workplace design – complete with original furniture.

Using this assessment as a starting point, the design team worked with the BRANZ Board to change the traditional floor plan and spaces within the current structure. Open workspaces could enable better interaction between colleagues while providing privacy when required. The objective was to foster a more interactive and sustainable culture and end up with a flexible facility that could change functionality depending on future need.

The project team comprised Warren and Mahoney (design and project managers), the BRANZ steering group and Rider Levett Bucknell (cost control), consultant teams at Beca and Aurecon and Fletcher Construction.

Work began on site in August 2010, and phase one and two of the $11.4 million redevelopment are finished. Phase three is due for completion in March 2012.

Getting the brief right

Advancements in business and technology since the original build necessitated a full refurbishment inside and out, including the research laboratories, offices and administration facilities.

With the aim of providing a more functional and productive fit-for-purpose working environment, client briefings and site visits to other offices allowed BRANZ staff to view alternative options. This process also helped manage client expectations during the holistic and detailed planning process.

Design process a journey of discovery

Ralph Roberts of Warren and Mahoney describes the ‘journey of discovery’ he uses to take clients through the design process as one of 4Ds – discover, define, design and deliver. Key to this process was the design team gaining a full understanding of client requirements – a better working environment that encouraged more interaction that would, in turn, improve communication, outputs, business performance and profitability.

It was also important for the client to focus on aspirational needs before considering costs and programme-related issues. Warren and Mahoney could then guide them through the 4Ds process.

Fletcher Construction provided expert guidance on aspects of design and build, particularly reroofing and associated design, working alongside Warren and Mahoney as the detailed designs were worked up and finalised.

Planning for sustainable outcomes

From the outset, BRANZ wanted a long-term sustainable outcome. With no formal rating tool available for the type of building, it was agreed to align its approach with the principles of the New Zealand Green Building Council and other industry partners.

The team formed a sustainability matrix to identify priorities. These included:

  • increased insulation
  • decreased energy usage through the use of natural ventilation and light
  • double glazing
  • the use of sustainable materials.

A ‘hybrid’ building was developed with actuator windows and louvres to protect against northerly weather conditions.

The master plan offered the opportunity to define and shape the building’s context, its future use and associated infrastructure. For BRANZ, this meant planning the groups’ workshops and laboratories so they had access for vehicle loading and storage. Laboratories link directly to adjacent workplaces, staff facilities, administration and the public entrance.

ProjectBRANZ redevelopment
Client BRANZ
Architect Warren and Mahoney
Consultants Beca, Aurecon, Rider Levett Bucknall
Contractor Fletcher Construction
Region Wellington
Sector Office/commercial
Final contract value $11.4 million
Tender Design and build, GMP
Construction timescale August 2010–March 2012
Form of contract NZS 3915

Flexibility allows the facility to change as need dictates. It allows for:

  • research wings and laboratory expansions
  • an extended public educational facility
  • a sustainable model house
  • allocated site areas for underground cooling loops
  • increased solar energy use
  • a perimeter exercise track
  • landscape development.

Client engagement and preplanning

Views were sought from staff across all areas. Warren and Mahoney’s functional briefing process assisted client understanding and enhanced the communication of ideas. These ideas were reviewed, and solutions were communicated through discussion, concept drawings and modelling. Investigating ideas with different working groups allowed creative and lateral thinking to occur in parallel with the more detailed functional requirements of building design.

It had been agreed that the campus would remain fully operational throughout the three-phase construction process: extending the rear building, rearranging the workshops and laboratories and reconfiguring the administration buildings. The role of the BRANZ representative, Jack Lyons, has been crucial in making this work by fostering an excellent contractor/staff relationship.

Each week, Fletcher prepares marked-up plans of the work that will be undertaken the following week. These are displayed in the café so that everyone knows what to expect as work progresses. The contractor/client relationship has now become a social one, with regular ‘Fletcher Challenge’ events, currently led by Fletcher Construction.

A benefits-driven approach

Many clients lack an understanding of a benefits-led approach and what it can deliver. However BRANZ was receptive to this approach, which involved looking at examples where it had worked and exploring the alternative value-driven methodologies and benefits. An appropriate evidence base was built through liaison with other clients that had been through a similar value-driven process and relevant reference material used.

To make this approach work, the full backing of the construction team was needed. By BRANZ engaging them early in the decision-making process, their expertise could positively influence the outcome.

Positive outcomes all round

Having an integrated team from early in the decision-making process has driven this project’s success. The contractor was engaged during the design phase, and its liaison with the client was key to the campus remaining operational throughout construction.

Both project team and client bought in to the shared vision, developed a relationship and travelled through the process together. Workshops, social events and visits to similar working environments were all used to influence and manage client expectations.

This project has demonstrated how a different approach from an enlightened client can deliver a successful outcome. The BRANZ-led approach of focusing on future functionality and whole-of-life performance enabled the design team to develop an appropriate solution.

The result will be a sustainable, fit-for-purpose campus with the flexibility to meet BRANZ’s future needs.

Workshops have been modernised during the refurbishment.

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Articles are correct at the time of publication but may have since become outdated.

Phase one was completed with the handover of the STIC building.
Phase one was completed with the handover of the STIC building.
Workshops have been modernised during the refurbishment.

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