DT111/2 & DT117/2 Joint Class Trip

BIRMINGHAM 2014

This year a joint group of 2nd year students and staff from the BSc. Quantity Surveying and the BSc. Construction Management took part in a trip to Birmingham. This was the first collaborative trip in the new school structure and was organised and co-ordinated by Sonya Meekel and Charles Mitchell. Both Sonya and Charles sourced the sites and contacted the relevant contractors / client representatives in order to secure and co-ordinate each of the visits.

The trip took place from the 18th of March to the 2st of March 2014 and involved two site visits within the Birmingham city area. The idea of the trip was to introduce students to construction projects in other countries so that they could understand the similarities as well as being exposed to large construction projects.

Project 1:

Project Details: Birmingham City Dental Hospital

Client: National Health Service (NHS)

Contractor: Gallifordtry

Value: STG£35 million

Contract Type: JCT (Design and Build)

This project is publically funded and on completion will provide a state of the art dental hospital and training facility for the greater Birmingham area.

We were welcomed to the site by a senior management team who gave students and overview of the project since its conception to its current status. The structure is a cast in-situ concrete frame finished with glazing and insulated cladded panels.

During the site visit students were given the chance to inspect many construction details including post tensioned concrete slabs, formwork and block work to name but a few.

The site management team gave expert guidance and explanation during the whole visit.

Project 2:

Project Details: Birmingham City University

Client: Birmingham City University

Contractor: Willmott Dixon

Value: STG£42 million

Contract Type:NEC3

During this visit the group toured the new facilities at Birmingham City University. The campus is being completed on a phased basis and is still partially under construction. However, this project was more advanced than the Birmingham Dental Hospital and so gave the students a chance to see the more collaborative aspect of construction whilst giving an insight into the level of co-ordination required.

As with the first site visit, the group was provided with an opportunity to become familiar with the project during a briefing period prior to the site visit. This included an overview of the construction process, issues relating to the project and a briefing of the use of BIM on this project.

View of the recently constructed Birmingham City University Campus from the Phase 2 construction site.

Students & staff with the Wilmott Dixon Site Mangement Team.

Both projects were incredibly informative for the group in terms of their own disciplines and collaboration. Safety in construction was highlighted on every visit. The overall feedback from the students is that it was a beneficial trip at this stage of their studies and one worth repeating and building on.