Client
NSW Department of Education approached Advitech to provide concept civil and structural design services for a proposed upgrade to a community school in NSW.
Challenge
To assist with planned upgrades to the community school, NSW Department of Education were seeking a civil and structural consultant to assist with concept design. The concept design package was to include key design considerations for the project, options for the structural systems as well as an overall review of existing site conditions.
The civil and structural concept design package would:
- Provide the design and construct tenderers with background civil and structural information on which to base their tender offering and to indicate key areas which should be considered both during the tender and design phases of the project.
- Inform the Department of Education on the civil and structural considerations related to the proposed architectural design and site layout.
Solution
Advitech conducted a desktop review and inspection of the proposed NSW site and identified the following potential constraints to the proposed design layout.
- The civil concept design identified that further development of the proposed stormwater overland flow paths and proposed building access was essential to ensure the school met student accessibility requirements and was not impacted by flooding.
- The structural concept design identified that the proposed school building would need to be modified to avoid an existing underground tank which was identified within the proposed building footprint.
- A functional design review identified a usability issue for the canteen. Modifications to the design were recommended to ensure vehicles could access the proposed canteen.
- As part of the structural concept design, several construction options were examined including prefabricated structures, design for manufacture and assembly (DFMA) and conventional construction.
Outcome
The concept design report delivered by Advitech identified several areas where the design could be improved. When implemented, these modifications could reduce future costs to the Department of Education both during and after construction.
As of January 2021, work is ongoing to continue to develop the project, incorporating the civil and structural feedback.
