New Childresn’s Hospital Project Information
PROJECT INFORMATION
SCOPE: The construction of a New Children’s Hospital to deliver a replacement for the ageing Princess Margaret Hospital facility which is over 100 years old. The new hospital will consist of 274 beds with gross floor area of approximately 78,775m2. This includes 75 precent single bed rooms and enhance floor area to cope with family services of the patients.
Of note the hospital will be the sole paediatric hospital for Western Australia. This means it has a catchment 22 times larger than the UK.
PROJECT ORGANISATION
1. Client: Government of Western Australia, Department of Treasury and Finance – Strategic projects.
2. Managing Contractor: John Holland Group Pty Ltd
3. Consultants:
a. Architects – BCJH Alliance (made up of Jones Coulter Young, Cox Howlett and Woodland Bailey, HKS, Billard Leece Partnership.)
b. Civil and Structural Engineers – Aurecon
c. Services – Norman, Disney and Young.
STAKEHOLDERS (details to follow):
- Client
- State’s representatives
- Hospital Employees
- Telethon Institute of Child Health Research and universities
- Government Authorities
- Suppliers/Subcontractors
JOHN HOLLAND GROUP NCH STRUCTURE
The wiring diagram for the JHG NCH project is attached. In short my manger is Steven Chaseling, the construction director, who has worked with both Tony Cheales and Andy Wilson before. When I move to site I will work to Risteard Carroll. Though the details of my work have yet to be confirmed they see me in a supervisory role as a Project Engineer which will develop as the project moves forward.
PROJECT CONTRACT
Head Contract: Managing Contractor
I have spent an hour with the commercial team and the senior contract administrator to understand this better.
Though there is a non legally binding “one team approach to collaboration” legally JHG are the managing contractor for the project. This has the advantage that John Holland is embedded with the designers and architects and the client and enabling work on site has commenced as detailed design is completed and procurement for later elements is completed.
However, a unique aspect of working to the Government of Western Australia is that Stage 1 (80% of the project) must be procured by fixed lump sums (ie no schedule of works etc) by 22 Oct 12. When this is put in the context that the design is not complete, internal approval is required from project, JHG Region and Leighton Holding (JHG parent company) the deadline to design and complete tenders for work is June. This is putting the whole team under a great deal of pressure as tenders are being produced from designs that have not been signed off by the State yet.
TIMELINE
Managing Contractor Commencement date 5th July 2011
Concept Design Completed Sep 2011
Schematic Design Completed Jan 2012
Commence on Site Jan 2012
Detailed Design to be completed by Jun 2012
Project Complete Jun 2015
PROGRAMME
Detailed Programme to follow on. There are numerous short, medium and long term programmes all in different formats and I have not decided which is the clearest. JHG are producing a number of schematic construction sequence slides which are brilliant at painting a picture and understanding the sequence. What I do know is for the next 3 months I will be concerned with Piling and Excavating as the basement is dug and the piles are constructed – very similar to the Oxford site visit!
ENGINEERING ISSUES
This is hard to assess as I am receiving the induction propaganda view at the moment and I am not on site. However I have observed the following:
- The detailed design not being completed but procurement process started for work packages in order to meet Guarenteed Construction Sum 1 deadline will cause inevitable errors.
- A really restricted site. Numerous issues with loading and unloading stores, movement of the site office and welfare facilities, how to remove the excavated material and piling rig from the bottome of the excavation as the excavation is being filled with piles.
- Like all good design exercises the designers have started with the easy bit first. As a result the construction is sequenced from North to South (Office blocks and general wards to complicated theatres, hydro pools etc). This has been highlighted as an area of risk as the majority of the complicated work is scheduled for the end of the project. Work is being done to expedite the design and to surge on the central and southern zones to flatten out this surge.
- It has been explained to me (I need to confirm with research) that there is no Australian version of CDM. There is a policy of “Safety in Design” but this is poorly understood by the design team and is causing buildability and H&S concerns.
FUTURE WORK
- Enhance information above
- Complete site induction and get on site -take lots of pictures
- Bed in with the site team and understand the project and its problems – be more technical in my approach
- Find out if there is a propping system for the “big hole” no one has mentioned this yet!!
- Write essay plan for AER 1 for PEW comment
- Consider Engineering problems – select topic for TMR 1
Holdfast Training Services Trial Blog 
Looks like a large chunk of AER1 is written! Hopefully Gregg will comment on the commercial aspects. I understabd you Issue point no.4 to be correct in that CDM as an attitude and approach is directed primarily through the moral and ethical needs of a professional to avoid uneccessary risk and communicate efectively with colleagues and commercially through the desire to maintain longterm profit whihc requires good progress on site with no adverse press surrounding deaths and injuries which would also slow things considerably. Whether these aspects are recognised by those in the industry is questionable as many have not managed to reach that level of reflection – very 1970’s! Potential TMR in there….
Piling, yikes!! Sounds like John could be your new best friend!
Steve, Greg Tripp here. I am interested in the contractual relationships on your project. Am I right in assuming that the designers are employed directly by the Client and not the Managing Contractor?
Hi Steve, Steve Payne here. Interested in your comments regarding the APMP processes and how they map across with the John Holland procedures. Any examples would be gratefully received.
Kind regards