Continuing Professional Development Offsite M&E manufacture
Where early involvement is achieved the M&E consultants’ design can be developed to fully incorporate how the services will be broken down. The ability to translate information from the design drawings direct to manufacturing drawings greatly improves the programme benefi ts that offsite manufacture provides, but does not preclude an offsite strategy being implemented after a design has been completed. This requires consideration of how products will be developed and the fi nal coordinated drawings to be developed with manufacture in mind. In considering the initial scope of works
for offsite manufactured products, thought should also be given to the incorporation of specialist works such as fi re protection sprinkler pipework and BMS controls. To gain maximum benefi t all offsite assembly components should be labelled and be clearly identifi able, and where possible, testing and commissioning should be completed at the factory. This consideration can signifi cantly reduce commissioning times on site, reduce costs and contribute to a successful completion and handover.
A healthy option One project where lean manufacture, just in time delivery and prefabricated M&E components helped to deliver a cost- effective, energy effi cient and safe build solution was at the UK’s second largest healthcare site, Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham (QEHB). Balfour Beatty’s project director for the £500m scheme, Roger Frost, was named Construction Manager of the Year 2011. Designed by BDP architects and built
by Balfour Beatty for University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, BBES was appointed to complete the £230m M&E package at the 137,000m2
hospital
after the company successfully demonstrated its Modular Systems + team had the capability to use the latest offsite, prefabrication techniques to deliver signifi cant savings in man hours and expenditure, as well as providing a much safer way to work. BBES’s Modular Systems + team designed and built more than 600 shower and WC pods that were installed throughout the hospital. Utilising a quick,
48 | OCTOBER 2013 | CONSTRUCTION MANAGER
simple and repetitive installation process, the units were assembled offsite to eliminate the need for hot works such as welding or brazing of pipework joints at the hospital, saving 6,800 man hours. However, it was in the creation of the
complex M&E systems for the project that BBES’s offsite capability was able to truly shine. In total, hot works were reduced by 112,220 hours, onsite manual handling cut by 156,480 hours and working at height was reduced by 183,840 hours. In fact, offsite prefabrication enabled the M&E elements of this project to be completed 12 months ahead of schedule while reducing man hours by an astonishing 452,540 hours when compared to a traditional M&E approach. BBES also utilised an innovative modular wall system and delivered more than 300 ward wall modules to site, each with integrated services as part of the overall design. The complete wall panels include electrical accessories, medical gases, nurse call and lighting, with all electrical and mechanical services built in. The panels have anti-microbial vinyl coating, and are fully fi tted with no follow-on fi nishing required. The hospital was also supplied with
offsite manufactured services risers, plant rooms, modular wiring and more than 1,800 modules supporting ductwork, pipework and cable containment.
The easy cell The creation of new prison facilities is another area that presents opportunities for sustainable improvements and in
Offsite manufacture of pipework can reduce the need for hot works on site
terms of M&E components, there are a vast range of requirements, including heating and ventilation, comfort cooling, power, lighting, fi re detection and security/CCTV. At HMP Oakwood, a new £200m prison facility in Wolverhampton, BBES’s offsite approach for main contractor Kier Construction and client the Ministry of Justice reduced man hours on site by approximately 50% when compared to a traditional M&E approach. Offsite modularisation of M&E
components included fully serviced four-storey risers, electronic water control panels and “plug and play” underfl oor heating pipework. It not only saved on labour time but also delivered associated build effi ciencies, consistent quality, reduced waste and safer working conditions This was the fi rst time such an
innovative approach had been used in a UK prison, but the results speak for themselves.
The modular risers installed at HMP
Oakwood were developed with the client and project team over a period of nine months. There are 240 risers in total with 180 four-storey risers comprising all services that were tested and insulated offsite. At 11.5 metres long, each riser is able
to service multiple levels and was installed using a bespoke lifting method developed by BBES. An installation rate of fi ve units per day reduced the amount of hours spent on site when compared with traditional methods.
Drilling saved
The BBES team also installed 12,000 pre-formed conduits in pre-cast concrete panels. Incorporating unistruts in the pre-cast structure meant the team was saved the task of drilling 70,000 holes in concrete which would have had to be done while working at height. As part of the project, Modular Systems + also delivered a fully modularised energy centre to provide a number of sustainable building service systems, including four 0.35MW dual fuel boilers, a 1MW biomass boiler and combined heat and power unit. To meet the client’s strict sectional
completion dates, the Modular Systems + team used a fully integrated lean construction philosophy with offsite
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