TECHNO GEEK Don’t forget the IT in your building project

Since being involved in my first new build school project in 2008, it’s surprising how often the IT isn’t fully-considered in plans for new builds, refurbishments or extension works in schools.

For example, when a school is granted funding for another phase of any building development, the project is often put out to tender without any conversation with the school about their IT systems and requirements. It’s a common occurrence that you often see when you visit a newly-completed project - many items are added afterwards which don’t look as tidy as they could be.

The more IT solutions that can be designed into a project at the planning stage, the tidier the end result will be. It can also save on additional costs such as having to install extra infrastructure later, involving unsightly surface trunking and suchlike.

One recent project that I was involved with saw a central area of the school being turned into a new larger staffroom, meeting room and a large chapel/studio space with bi-folding doors into the main hall. The main remit of this project was to allow the studio space to easily become a stage area, accessible and viewable from the main hall. This required a full new PA system for the main hall and studio space, with connections in both spaces to allow for a variety of uses for concerts and performances.

We discussed our ideas with the electrical partners who were involved in the planning stages of the project, and a full system of cabling with sockets was installed in the correct locations, as well as having power and audio sockets in the speaker locations too. We also incorporated the network data points, AV locations and power for new LED screens around the various areas so that the final installations of this equipment would be much simpler and tidier.

The project teams on each occasion have been surprised by this approach, as the usual response from schools and IT providers is to not worry about the IT – ‘We will sort this out when the job is completed’. It’s very frustrating for the project teams, as they prefer to be able to offer a far more seamless process, with a truly polished end result. It’s unfortunate that the majority of schools and IT providers don’t have the foresight to incorporate as much as they can into the design of the build for the best outcome at the end.

Business managers can assist a great deal with this. Bear in mind that there’s a great deal that can be builtin at the design stage. It’s imperative that everyone has an opportunity to put forward their ideas so that these can all be considered and implemented once approved.

Finally, keep in mind the full range of new technologies available; don’t always base a new space on what you’ve done before.

As ever, if in doubt, give me a shout. It would be fantastic to discuss your future ideas with you all.

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