Millennium Mills Redevelopment

Millennium Mills Redevelopment

PART B Technical Report

Section I: Design Issues

The complexity and processes involved in construction designing and consultation pose a challenge to many industry players. Specialized professionals are involved in the architectural designs of planned constructions; these architectural designers have little or no contact with real time construction and could, therefore, lead to incompatible designs. With the coming of technology and the introduction of Artificial intelligence in the architectural field, it is possible to design modernized commercial and residential designs with fewer struggles (Sevcik et al., 2014). A well-designed technical design should have the practical implementation capability and fit within the available financial budgets allocated for the plan to ensure the success of a project. Construction designs are an essential phase in the consultation and planning phase. They create a projection of the future of the project, including but not limited to the number of workers at the site, physical layout, and financial budgets.

Commercial and other business constructions always call for great attention to ensure they come out as intended. The redevelopment of the Millennium Mills commercial properties invites keen designing, applying the knowledge of its environment and the need for the building to take a strong shape. With changes in climate trends, rise in temperatures, and anticipated sea level effects due to the location of the project, it is important to put up the redevelopment to be resistant to these factors making it 2050-ready (conditions in the future). From the working design, there is a need for sure that people who work and visit the commercial development are safe and will not be injured or their businesses face losses. The technical design should cater to the construction safety requirements as stipulated by health standards requirements, including how to arrest emergencies as involving as the design’s look may take, it is paramount that the outcome is one that can be implemented.

The anticipated standout Royal Docks standout development feature is expected to cost about £12million, being part of the £3.5 million Silvertown partnership. The lead client for the redevelopment work is the Government Building Foundation for Growth Enterprise Zones Capital Grant to be delivered through the London Enterprise Panel. The technical design for the redevelopment works of Millennium Mills is delivered by Lendlease, who is supposed to deliver an integrated design to work. The design should answer sustainability questions and how long the locals in East London will benefit from the development. There is a need for a financially viable design that carries a strong commercial strategy and evidence with infrastructural strategies and improvised transport access for businesses in the area and locals seeking to access it.

An outline of the process to be followed in the redevelopment works can follow the RIBA work plan; it breaks the consultation and design phase to appropriate stages, preventing overlap of roles and ensuring every detail of the process is take care of; is completely explored. The first four stages of the RIBA plan of construction apply to bring the projects up to the design outcomes level. They generally take place one after the other without overlap following the order; stage 0 Strategic Definition, stage 1 project Preparation and Briefing, stage 2 Concept design, stage 3 Spatial Coordination, and stage 4 Technical Design. These stages can be used as sole preparation guidance and delivery of professional construction and building services (Holden, 2015). The individual steps involve different activities as described:

Stage 0: Strategic Definition

The first stage of the RIBA outline of work aims at ensuring client requirements are met. The stage involves the preparation of client requirements, developing feasible options for the business case to include a review of budgets and risks brought about by the project, construction site appraisals and feedback review from previous related projects. Where the outcome describes the building as the best of clients’ requirements, the client moves on to Stage 1.

Stage 1: Preparation and Briefing

This stage’s desired outcome is an approved project brief confirmed by the client, which can be accommodated on the site. The preparation and briefing stage involves preparing a project brief, which includes the project outcome, sustainability analysis, spatial requirements, and quality aspirations. Setting and settling on a project budget and undertaking feasibility studies of the project occur at this stage and prepare a program for the project and an execution program (Friedman, 2010). A design team is appointed, a source for pre-application planning advice is acquired, and alignment of the project to the building regulations.

Stage 2: Concept Design

The overall outcome desired of this stage is a client-approved concept of architectural design, which is also aligned with the project brief. This stage is centered to the architectural design, it so involves the preparation of the architectural concept, incorporation of strategic engineering requirements and aligning to the cost plan, outline strategies. Review of designs with the client and stakeholders involved in the project is done together with the preparation of design programs for the different stages. Sourced planning advice should have been acquired by this stage and final submission of the planning application.

Stage 3: Spatial Coordination

Coordination of engineering and architectural information should be achieved by the end of this stage, in a spatial approach. This stage involves design studies, cost exercises, and analysis of the engineering design to test the architectural concept, resulting in a spatially coordinated design related to the updated cost plan, project strategies, and outline specification. The design program and planning application for this stage are prepared, and change control procedures are initiated. The design is reviewed against building relations with the initiation of the bidding process.

Stage 4: Technical Design

This stage is designed to produce design information required to come up with a complete project by the end. Stage 4, in most of the projects, overlaps with stage 5. This stage involves developing technical engineering and architectural designs, building systems, integrating specialist subcontractors, and preparing a design program for the stage (Holden, 2015). Submission of building regulations and preparation of the construction phase plan is included in this stage.

The redevelopment of Millennium Mills, considering the application of the RIBA stages for the design issues, will be broken down to a small step by step approach, which easily achievable and less complex. The process to follow in the technical design phase is described in the table and Gantt chart below:

Table for the action

Gantt chart

In relation to the Millennium Mills redevelopment;

• Preparation and brief of the project will give solid customer fulfillment improving their interest and confidence in the construction structure and layout. It creates the investor’s desire to work with the contracting team later. In the redevelopment works, the client needs to see the preparation and brief of the project for them to get satisfied. It feels better when paying and waiting for the completion with a brief description of how the preparation and whole project is to look.
• The concept design configures the idea making it possible through step by step blocks to accomplish the design. The client, the design team, and other involved parties from time to time review the compatibility of the plan at different levels (Sevcik et al., 2014). The complexity of the Millennium Mills cannot be underestimated; it cannot be approached or tackled without proper alignment of mechanisms of how to work and a reflection of how it will look at the end. Lack of a clearly defined concept design to configure the idea of redevelopment properly makes the team involved fear initiating the project.
• Detailed design stages include architectural, engineering, and layout plans which assess the resilience and geometry of different plans involved in the project. It incorporates the desired physical appearance to come up with a finished and exact look of several items. With the outcome in mind, it is important to apply architectural, engineering, and construction design and approaches that support the outcome characteristics. For the commercial redevelopment, there is a need for resilience of the materials and design used, it can be made possible from the detailed designs acquired.
• Technical design is led by professionals to ensure proper implementation of the designs. At this level, all plans are well defined and reviewed to relate to the cost budgets and other factors in the project. It is the last point of the technical design before initiation of the construction project at the site. Other technical design may keep coming up in the course of the plan in the process concerning minor developments.

Financial data and considerations

Normally, commercial developments demand a lot of financial and technical investment. On financial investment, it is high as opposed to many residential developments and requires an improved system of handling and following up with all transactions included. This may call for the need of professionals to handle accounting and auditors. There may be a need for custom-developed systems to ensure that finances are used appropriately and to track where they are used (Warren, 2016). The need to smooth resources such as labour and construction materials comes in because of the need to save on finances.  Payment procedures should be well defined involving the relevant people undertaking the project with definite payment periods to evade the effects of poor management of funds and the effects that come with it. The motivation behind creating a budget is the appropriation of finances in the best way possible, transparency, easy tracking of funds used, and the official recording of the project.

The budgeted amount will be used to cater for payments for professionals working on different stages of the design development. These include design teams or any contracted persons. The budget includes costs incurred by meetings and consumables.

Budget

Estimated costs based on items

The great challenge that is posed for project executives involved in this case is ensuring control and record tracking of finances. There has to be an easy to understand, transparent and detailed approach to financial management for the project to be undertaken (Warren, 2016). Projects and associations that do not embrace modern technology have shown records of slow or poor output in several cases, application of the most efficient digital financial program is important for the project to be sustainable.  The budget aims at controlling overhead costs related to labour and utilities.

Application of Building Information Modelling (BIM)

Building Information Modeling is a modern technological representation of a facility’s characteristics. It includes functional and physical characteristics of the facility. It is a model which creates shared knowledge resource with information about a facility forming a reliable basis for decisions during an assets life cycle. Unlike traditional building design, which to a great extent relies on two dimensional (2-D) drawings showing only the geometry, Business Information Modelling (BIM) extends the 3- dimensional model to include information about the time (4-D BIM) cost of construction (5-D BIM) sustainability and asset management. Business Information Modelling covers more than just geometrical values on the technical design drawings, it is a one-point model for solving a range of challenges, it is appropriate for modern developments, which are to take a lasting modern shape and style (Hardin,2011). Application of BIM in the redevelopment works helps to ensure that design is up to the best standard, these designs can also include other details such as costs and timing.

BIM enables a range of collaborative processes about construction of an asset from initial planning to complete construction throughout use and lifetime (establishment to demolition) by covering spatial relationships, geographical information, bill of quantities, and building properties. The management of the process of Millennium Mills redevelopment is a complex one that requires keen evaluation, the business information modeling tool is helpful as it brings together different aspects of the redevelopment and use of the commercial buildings, also monitoring how they are put under use. It also relates to different environmental factors making it an all-round tool. The BIM tool approach allows for the extraction of different views of a business model for production and other uses such as marketing, they allow for solid shapes and void space orientations, making it easy to create and create select custom views.

Building Information Modeling allows creation of a virtual model where information can be shared by the teams involved in design issues, contractors and subcontractors, and the clients. It offers a pool of interdisciplinary information combining several skills and professionalism to create the desired outcome with various checks eliminating errors. Thus, a consultative site ensures the step-by-step approach in construction is attained, leaving the desired results. Professionals involved in the redevelopment project can create a virtual meet point where information can be shared, edited, clarified, and referenced. This approach model helps run a project within the stipulated time since consultations, design, and changes can be done off the site and involve all players in the project. It will improve the accountability of the project since all involved moves are known to all parties.

The Business Information Modelling can be applied s throughout the lifecycle (existence to demolition) of the development of a facility in the following ways:

1. Management of building information models in the development phases of the asset, including preparation, designs, construction, and use. During the span of concept development to the occupation of structure, BIM managers can be required to help run the model successfully. The BIM manager is required from initial design phases onwards to create and track the design, which is objectively designed to aid forecasted performance objectives and to support different disciplines. The BIM tool gives a holistic approach from the beginning point; modern designs required in the redevelopment works can be drawn using this model, tested, and certified in the knowledge of all players to come up with an efficient structure. For example, the redevelopment is supposed to develop a resilient, modern design, environmentally friendly, and lasting commercial building. All required checks can be integrated with BIM.
2. Construction management includes financial factors, time, labour, construction designs, among other factors. Traditionally, professionals in the field are faced with tight budgets, inadequate manpower, accelerated schedules, and lack of information or high consultation fees Hardin, 2011). Building construction management is an approach that coordinates the different disciplines involved, supervisors, institutions, and executives to share from a common point. This helps in the design of work schedules, passing information and communication, managing very large and complex construction sites, and procurement consultation. The redevelopment project’s complexity requires such interplay to ensure it is completed within time and that it is keenly supervised to take all the characteristics of resilience needed. In the construction process, one thing happens after the other. There is, therefore, need to ensure that there are no conflicting phases of the construction, and if any is present, it should be identified in advance so that it is reviewed. BIM helps identify collisions and the presence of discrepancies in a project at the early stages of the project. Therefore, with this intelligence, it is easy to evade possible collisions that come to disrupt the project, cause misuse of funds and wastage of time. The model allows for virtual construction before the real physical construction, this helps kill uncertainty, improves safety, helps solve foreseen problems, and analyze potential impacts of the project. Through virtual construction, different teams can update their designs to suit the preference of the project description accordingly. It offers an opportunity to prefabricate the virtual construction process making it as easy and as workable as possible with a platform where subcontractors from different disciplines can input critical information and merge up some systems off-site. It makes work easy, quantities shared can easily be retrieved, levels can be isolated and defined, sequences are followed here and emphasized on a relative scale. BIM prevents the occurrence of errors by enabling the detection of conflicts, creating virtual constructions identifies the team where parts of the building model may go wrong, and a common information sharing point.
3. Following redevelopment and beginning of the use of the facility, there is a need to manage the operations of the facility, checking any errors, correcting damages, and general maintenance. BIM can be used in facility operation management and regular checks of the complete facility using the development designs that were applied in the construction phase. Maintenance can be done by anyone who has access to the Building Information Modelling created during the development, it divides roles and makes the maintenance an easy task that would otherwise be weighted on an individual or firm. For example, a water leak or liquid waste spillage realized by the owner during abnormally heavy rains after completion of the project can be referred from the plumbing design or liquid waste management systems installed during the construction by the owner without involving other players if they wish to since they have access to all vitals related. Therefore, the BIM tool is important to cut costs in managing the asset with costs intended in these works being directed to other needs.
4. The redevelopment plan of the Millennium Mills is supposed to take an environmentally friendly course reducing carbon-related pollution, using materials with less carbon content, and equally managing waste in the best environmentally friendly way. BIM is an important tool in green building it helps in architectural, construction and engineering entities to better sustainability in the building site and can allow environmental professionals engaged in the project to share their view on matters relating to analysis and integration of the need to care for the environment as sited in the design with the lifecycle of the cycle and how the two to relate. To come up with an environmentally friendly design, BIM can help assess the surroundings, hold consultative discussions on the matter, and modern planning and designing. In this redevelopment works, as a need to care for the environment, there is a need for an efficient waste management system that ensures safe and proper disposal of waste materials as a result of the utilization of the commercial space. The BIM model can be applied in the drawing, assessment, testing, constriction, and maintenance of a practically workable design. Consultation with other professionals using the information tool can help clarify certain points, including drainage points and effects associated with either aiming to protect the environment fully.

Technical designs in the construction field are important projection tools designed with the extent of professionalism. The redevelopment of the Millennium Mills is a complex project that calls for project-specific and professional designs to create the desired commercial space and create a resilient and strong building that will withstand changes in the environment, including sea effects. The interplay of professionals using the RIBA steps of building works applies to this project, it makes it easier. It breaks it to a appoint by point plan, therefore, easing the process. The different design stages outlined by RIBA help in identifying and preparing for the project, creating a design , creating checks to monitor the process of design issues, identifying different organizations and people to work with, and elaborating on the sustainability of the plans and actual development of the designs. These steps, when taken in order overseen by a respective team of professionals, make the redevelopment work an achievable plan.

The Gantt chart outlines events following each other, and related events in the construction works outline the sequence of events in a graphical format. The Gantt chart is drawn against time to be taken to complete each of the involved items, it is useful in checking tasks against timelines and can be easily be used to check the progress of the project. Budgets are created to act as a check system for allocated funds, track transactions involved in the delivery of the designs, and avoid spending outside the allocated budgets. For such projects, it is important to have a financial team in charge of records, payments, and other money-related details.

The application of Building Information Modelling in construction is a change of the traditional construction designs, which creates a more holistic approach to the entire construction process. It creates an inclusive consultation platform where different teams involved in the construction works can consult, share information, change the course of actions, and create a reference point for the future. BIM models can successfully be applied in the redevelopment works from the very early pre-development stages to designs through ought the construction period and the asset’s life cycle. The tools can be used successfully in managing building information models, managing construction works, facility operation management, and environmentally friendly construction, also referred to as BIM green building.

Integration of the steps involved in construction from stage 0, strategic definition, to the technical design stage and the several other tools that aid in its operation will help actualize the demands that come with the redevelopment. These methods create a reliable, easy, and trackable approach to the preparation, actual construction, and the lifecycle of the facility after completion of construction activities.

References

HARDIN, B. (2011). BIM and Construction Management: Proven Tools, Methods, and Workflows. Chichester, John Wiley & Sons. http://public.ebookcentral.proquest.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=706579.

HOLDEN, P. (2015). Construction: a practical guide to RIBA Plan of work 2013 stages 4, 5 and 6. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9780429347030.

WARREN, D. R. (2016). Civil Engineering Construction Design and Management. https://public.ebookcentral.proquest.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=5640839.

FRIEDMAN, D. (2010). Historical building construction: design, materials & technology. New York, W.W. Norton & Co.

SEVCIK, L., LEPSIK, P., PETRU, M., MASIN, I., & MARTONKA, R. (2014). Modern Methods of Construction Design: Proceedings of ICMD 2013. Cham, Springer International Publishing. https://link.springer.com/openurl?genre=book&isbn=978-3-319-05202-1.