This is the third in a must-have series of step-by-step guides to using the new RIBA Plan of Work 2013 on your project. Drawing together stages 4, 5 and 6 this book explains what needs to have been achieved for Technical Design to begin, how to achieve success in the construction phase as well as the importance of a comprehensive Handover Strategy.
Providing a practical tool to running an efficient project each guide follows the same format leading you through the core tasks at each stage supported by tips, definitions, templates and useful techniques. Five theoretical scenarios are used throughout the guides to illustrate how the Plan of Work can be applied on various project types and sizes including an extension to a house, a new library and a large office building.
These guides will provide unrivalled support for practices on all projects ā large and small ā and across all types of procurement.
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Having produced a coordinated design at Stage 3, it is now time to develop the Technical Design of the building. Initially the Technical Design information will represent the design intent of the design team, and as specialist subcontractors become part of the team the details will incorporate the components and products that the building is to be constructed from. Exactly how far to take the Technical Design will depend on whether the construction on site will be based on the information produced by the design team or on the information to be developed by a specialist subcontractor. In any event it is more than likely that the architect will be active as the lead designer and asked to coordinate all of the design work, and in many instances this will mean ensuring that the information describing the building is fully representative of the final detail. To do this accurately they will need to know who is doing each activity, and when they are delivering their Technical Designs.
This chapter will explain how to get started on the Stage 4 Technical Design. It will describe what level of information needs to be provided at this stage; how to adjust the Design Responsibility Matrix, if necessary; and how to develop a Design Programme for this stage. Many of the decisions taken during Stage 4 are affected by the procurement route selected at Stage 2 or 3, and within this chapter there is an explanation of how this selection affects Stage 4.
In the next chapter we will examine in more detail the key support tasks that the project team will need to complete, and clarify what should be in the Sustainability Checkpoints and Information Exchanges at the end of Stage 4. There is also a description of the key items that the project team will need to consider during Technical Design. Whilst in practice Stages 4 and 5 will overlap for most projects, the work on an individual package or section of the design must be complete at Stage 4 before Stage 5 Construction can commence.
What is Stage 4?
The core objectives for Stage 4 are:
To complete the Technical Design required for all architectural, civil, structural, building services and specialist subcontractor information to be ready for construction, allowing for any overlap between Stages 4 and 5.
To clarify who is responsible for each and every item of the Technical Design.
To develop a new Design Programme in order to ensure that the stage is completed in a timely manner.
Having defined the Project Objectives during Stage 1, it is important that the technical solutions are defined in sufficient detail to ensure that those objectives can be delivered. Just as in earlier stages, it is important that the project lead continually tests the projectās development against the Quality Objectives and Project Outcomes previously developed.
Throughout Technical Design the project is developed to ensure that architectural, building services and structural engineering designs are refined to a level that will enable construction to take place. At the conclusion of Stage 4, the following will have been achieved:
The project team will have completed a fully integrated set of technical information sufficient for construction.
The cost consultant will have completed an updated construction cost estimate that is fully integrated with the Technical Design information.
The specialist subcontractors will have completed their design, and it will be integrated into the construction documentation.
All disciplines will have completed their technical details.
The Construction Strategy will have been finalised and will be understood by all.
Any planning conditions will have been discharged.
All statutory approvals required from the design team will have been secured.
Is a Construction Cost Estimate useful at Stage 4?
The benefit of keeping the construction cost estimate up to date is that it ensures that the client is fully aware of the cost of the building before he of she goes to tender. However, it may prove more expedient under a traditional contract to replace the pre-tender estimate at Stage 4 with a real construction price for the works. Should this price prove to be in excess of previous estimates, then value-engineering studies can be undertaken with the preferred contractor to produce the optimum result.
The detail in Figure 2.1 (overleaf) illustrates:
The relationship between the primary structure, the structural floor, the finishes and the balustrading system.
That the specialist subcontractor would be expected to produce fabrication drawings for the balustrading based on the architectās technical design intentions.
That the architect would be expected to provide integrated construction details for the flooring, acoustically insulated fascia and service tray, the last-named of which may be a proprietary product.
Preparing for Stage 4
Before embarking on Stage 4 it is important to ensure that the following actions have been completed:
The Stage 3 design has been signed off by the client.
The architectural, structural and building services designs have been coordinated.
The fee for Stage 4 has been agreed with the client (where this has not already been agreed, as recommended, at Stage 1).
The Information Exchanges for the stage have been clearly defined.
A Design Programme for the completion of the integrated Technical Design has been agreed, including the work of the specialist subcontractors.
The Design Responsibility Matrix has been adjusted to align with the contractorās final position on the role of any specialist subcontractors.
The appropriate resources have been identified.
2.1 An example of the level of detail produced for Stage 4.
How do you select the level of detail to be included in the information to be exchanged at the end of Stage 4?
The level of detail to be included in the Information Exchange needs to be carefully considered. The information needs to be sufficient to describe the full scope of the works that the contractor is going to carry out. Although CAD information is produced āfull sizeā, it is typically issued or exchanged in āhardā (prints) or āsoftā (electronic) formats with the level of detail added to the CAD model dictated by the scale of the output (eg 1:100, 1:50, 1:5). BIM will change this approach, and whilst it is likely that 2D āslicesā through the model will continue to be used for construction purposes for some time the requirement to provide fully digital information as a means of communicating with the fabricator is already a reality. As with CAD information, it is preferable to restrict the level of detail in the model to match the purpose of the output.
Level of Detail
On drawings that need to illustrate the fire compartmentation of a building, it will not be necessary to show the cladding extrusions of the curtain walling. The level of detail required would be commensurate with a plan produced at 1:100.
General-arrangement information will have been inherited from Stage 3. This will range in scale from 1:200 to 1:50 depending on the size of the project. It should now be enhanced to include setting-out dimensions, enabling the contractor to position all components in the building accurately. References should also be included to key components for scheduling purposes, and to larger-scale drawings. Where specialist subcontractors are going to be engaged to complete the drawings, then details only need to be prepared to show the design intent. Where there is no requirement for specialist subcontractors, the design team will need to draw the construction details at a typical scale, ranging from 1:20 to 1:5; in practice, this will be the point at which full-size details in CAD or BIM are appropriate to generate the output.
2.2 Sketch (right) illustrating design model received in the Information Exchange at the end of Stage 3, together with the Technical Design drawing (facing page) prepared by the design team at Stage 4.
The design information in Figure 2.2 (previous page) illustrates the development of a complex project facade by Pascall+Watson architects. The information shows that:
By the end of Stage 3 the relationship between facade, structure and roof edge has been coordinated.
The sizes of glass panels and the transom positions have been fixed.
At Stage 4 this information is conveyed at a larger scale than hitherto. Setting-out geometry is also shown on the drawing.
All the major components are described, and extrusion shapes and sizes for the steelwork components are illustrated.
