Kate Glynn
Question 1 – The Practice has a new Prospective client: a housing developer who wants to construct some housing or rent, potentially above retail space on Vauxhall Road, Rochdale, OL16 5AQ. At this stage they are unsure whether they want to engage the practice past the Planning Application stage. Write a letter to the client outlining what the Plan of Works activities are and what you might undertake to reach this point.
Sky Associates 131 Liverpool Science Park Mount Pleasant Liverpool L3 5TF Taller Developments 12 Corn Exchange Liverpool L1 2AB Friday 29th April 2016 Dear Mr Brady RE: Redevelopment of Vauxhall Road, Rochdale, OL16 5AQ This letter is a confirmation of your contract with Sky Associates, to take your building design in relation to the redevelopment at Vauxhall Road, Rochdale through to the planning application stage. Allow me to take this time to describe to you how we operate. As an architect’s practice we can handle all actions from conceptual/strategic design to the completion of the project; we run within the guideless referenced in the RIBA Plan of work, of which I have attached a copy. The RIBA Plan of Work comprises of eight stages, each with clear boundaries that detail the tasks and outputs at each phase. The RIBA Plan of Work also reflects our fees, as we use the eight stages to segment our costs in accordance with the stages of the Plan of Works that you as our client wish to contract us to. This process allows us to customise and adapt a plan that is specific to you. Stage 0 – Strategic Definition: This stage of the RIBA Plan of Work is to identify your strategic brief along with your objectives and considerations. Our ethos is to involve our clients throughout the process (conception to completion) to ensure full client satisfaction. Stage 1 – Preparation and Brief: In order for the project to run smoothly, it is important at an early stage to highlight your project objectives including: site information, the quality of the design, sustainable aspirations as well as the project budget. These elements make up your initial project brief. Stage 2 – Concept Design: This is stage that you may be most familiar with, as it involves outlining the design along with the structural and the building service systems. It is at this point that preliminary cost information is given. It is important that the Project plan is constantly updated, we wish to keep you as our client fully updated with the progress of your design and to involve you in the process as much as possible. Further project strategies are devised with relation to your own design aspirations and the sustainability aspirations of your design these features later become the final project brief. Stage 3 – Developed Design: The design continues to develop from the concept stage, through the use of the guidelines that we outlined in Stage 0 - Strategic Definition, in order to coordinate the structural and building services
Question 1 – The Practice has a new Prospective client: a housing developer who wants to construct some housing or rent, potentially above retail space on Vauxhall Road, Rochdale, OL16 5AQ. At this stage they are unsure whether they want to engage the practice past the Planning Application stage. Write a letter to the client outlining what the Plan of Works activities are and what you might undertake to reach this point.
design as well as outline the specification of the materials that could be used, therefore updating the cost information as the design progresses. It is at the end of this stage when we have a more cohesive design with an understanding of the: structure, materials, sustainability aspects and how the building will affect its local environment that we enter the building into the planning application. It is at this point where your current contract with Sky Associates ends. However, as I have previously mentioned we as practice handle all actions from conceptual/strategic design to the completion of your building. The remaining stages of the RIBA Plan of Work reflect this, which you can see in your attached copy. We would be more than happy once the planning application on Vauxhall Road has been approved to continue with the remaining stages and take your project to completion. If you feel after your time working with us that this is the way you wish to proceed, please do not hesitate to contact me personally. At this time, we will arrange to meet and discuss your design as well as the remaining stages of the RIBA Plan of Work. We at Sky Associates look forward to working with you on this project and we look forward to developing this project with you and hope to hear for you in the very near future. Yours sincerely
Phil Green Project Architect
Question 2 – In preparation for submitting the Planning Application, identify what form of application is required and list in the form of a memo to your team leader the Project Architect (Phil Green), the documents that we will need to be prepared for the submission. Highlight and information that will need to be prepared in addition to drawing that can be extracted for the Building Information Model.
kate.glynn@skyassociates.co.uk to phil.green@skyassociates.co.uk
Planning Application – Vauxhall Road, Rochdale, OL16 5AQ – Documentation.
Hello Phil I just thought I would take the time to outline the documentation that we are going to require for the planning application for Vauxhall Road, Rochdale. Most of these documents we can pull straight off the Building Information Model, making the process much quicker and easier. However, there are certain elements that will need further research. Furthermore, as this is a new development on an empty brownfield site we are going to have to put in for a full planning application. The documentation as required for Rochdale Planning Office, that we can pull straight off the Building Information Model (BIM) includes: Location plan: 1:1250 (Ordnance Survey), north clearly marked with the site boundary in red, and any adjacent land (to the left of the site) owned by Mr Brady in blue. Layout plan: 1500 showing the development in relation to the site boundaries with written dimensions including those to the boundaries; buildings, roads and footpaths on land adjoining the site. This should include access arrangements; all public rights of way crossing or adjoining the site, as well as the position of trees on the site and on adjacent land that could influence or be affected by the development. Proposed elevations: 1:50. Proposed floor plans: 1:100. Site sections: 1:50. Roof plan: 1:50. (Rochdale planning office also require the existing elevations, floor plans and site sections, however as this is an empty brownfield site these are not relevant). Sustainability and energy statement: there must be a rating of ‘very good’ or better for the BREEM pre- assessment estimator, taken from the BIM. It can be used in order to assess the air tightness as well as the other policies involved with BREEM. Lighting assessment/details of lighting scheme: any external illumination needs to be shown on the elevations 1:100 and details at 1:10 indicating the height and location of any lighting units. The assessment should also include details of the level of illumination and spillage spread, this could be done in plan at 1:100. Open space assessment: the plans will show any areas of exposed land on the site including adjacent land. In the Vauxhall Road project, the car park is to the left of the site. An assessment will be required to accompany applications involving any development that leads to the loss of open space. As our site is an empty brownfield, this assessment is compulsory.
Question 2 – In preparation for submitting the Planning Application, identify what form of application is required and list in the form of a memo to your team leader the Project Architect (Phil Green), the documents that we will need to be prepared for the submission. Highlight and information that will need to be prepared in addition to drawing that can be extracted for the Building Information Model.
Foul sewage and utilities assessment: to comply with planning requirements we will need: Plan at 1:200 of the current sewer systems around the site Plan at 1:200 of the existing utilities around the site Plan at 1:200 of the proposed connection to the sewer system from the site. Plan at 1:200 of the proposed connection to the existing utilities systems.
Documentation required for Rochdale Planning that we can’t retrieved from the BIM include: Completed owners certificate: in this case as Mr Brady owns the land it will be certificate A. Completed agricultural holdings certificate: although there is no agricultural holding on the site this certificate is still required. Design and access statement: this consists of: an analysis of the site and context, the scale and massing of the surrounding area, the layout, design, landscaping, access statement and the consultations of the design. Summary statement: this is only required if our submission is over 100 pages; the summery statement needs to be less than 20 pages with a brief overview. Sustainability and energy statement: Following the information gathered from the BIM regarding the sustainability of the design, an energy statement meet be complied for the planning application. Planning statement: This statement must highlight information on how the Vauxhall Road project is in accordance with the development plan or other relevant planning policy documents. Statement of community involvement and pre-application discussion: As we have sought preplanning advice our applications may need to be supported by a statement setting out how the applicant has complied and taken into account the advice given to us by Christine Philpot (planning officer). The following documents are the mandatory documents list, and after some research we don’t require them: Retail impact assessment: We don’t need this report as the proposed retail unit on the ground floor is 104m2 under the threshold of 500m2. Flood assessment risk: This is not required due to fact that the site is not in flood zones 2 or 3 according to the Environment Agency, even though parts of Rochdale do fall under these categories. Crime Assessment: As we have less than 10 residential units, we do not need to carry out a crime assessment. Even though there is quite a lot of documentation needed as well as the main form, through the use of the BIM we will be able to pull the necessary information off quite easily. If you have any questions regarding the above, please don’t hesitate to contact me. Kind regards Kate.
㐀
㐀
㐀
㐀
Question 4 - You have not been instructed to prepare a detailed scheme for submission of Building Regulations. With reference to Part A – Structure, Part B – Fire Safety and Part M- Accessibility, write a memo to the project architect outlining the information that will need to be prepared for the submission for approval under the Building Regulations. Identify which other design consultants that might assist in preparing this information and copy them into the memo. If you think any change to the design may be required, you should state your reasons in the memo.
kate.glynn@skyassociates.co.uk to: phil.green@skyassociates.co.uk cc: m.perterson@killanstrctural.co.uk m.greenwood@marsden-fire-safety.co.uk veramerman@accessibilityconsultants.net
Building Regulations - Vauxhall Road, Rochdale, OL16 5AQ – Part A, B and M –
Documentation.
Hello Phil As you are already aware Mr Brady has decided to extend his contract with us so that we continue the project, Vauxhall Road, Rochdale, OL16 5AQ through the remaining stages of the RIBA Plan of Work to completion. With this in mind I thought I would take the time to outline the documentation that we will require in order to gain approval for Building Regulations in regards to Part A, B and M. At lot of the drawings required can be pulled from the Building Information Model (BMI) and then edited to fit the requirements. I have also copied into this memo the design consultants we may need to consult in gaining approval. Part A - Structure: In order to comply with this section of the Building Regulations (structural safety) we will need to pull the details of the masonry construction walls, the concrete block and beam floors and single ply flat roof design from the BIM. These are the details that we configured with the help of Killan Structural who we consulted on the structural elements of this project. The details and calculations that they helped us configure would be used in order to comply with Part A. An axonometric of the structure would also aid us in complying with this section. Part B – Fire Safety: Part B comprises of three sections: exits, alarms and quality of materials. The Vauxhall Road design has a continuous stairwell running up the right of the building. This stairwell creates one exit meaning that the maximum distance from the exit must be 12m. This would be needed to be shown on plans drawn at 1:100 to demonstrate this. I believe that the stairwell needs to be created into a fire refuge area in order to allow the disabled or the unable a place to take refuge from the fire to await the fire department. Therefore, this needs to be edited on the specification and plans as well as 1-hour fire doors added. The placement of alarms and emergency lighting would need to be shown in the design details, clearly showing them on a ceiling plan at 1:100 as well as indicating where emergency signage would be placed. Fire extinguishers would need to be shown in floor plans at 1:100, we would also need the specifications of the extinguishers that we would be using.
Question 4 - You have not been instructed to prepare a detailed scheme for submission of Building Regulations. With reference to Part A – Structure, Part B – Fire Safety and Part M- Accessibility, write a memo to the project architect outlining the information that will need to be prepared for the submission for approval under the Building Regulations. Identify which other design consultants that might assist in preparing this information and copy them into the memo. If you think any change to the design may be required, you should state your reasons in the memo.
The quality of all the materials including the fire doors would need to be given in calculations, taken from the specification given to us by the suppliers. If for any reason this information is missing, please let me know and I will look into it. I have also contacted Martin Greenwood at Marsden Fire Safely (of whom I have copied into this memo) on consulting with the Vauxhall Road project in order to ensure that the building is safe and will comply with this part of the Building regulations. Part M – Accessibility: This section of the Building Regulations - accessibility includes ramps, lifts and disabled parking. The plans need to be altered in order to increase the accessibility into the retail unit at ground level, the landscape outside the building is uneven and therefore requires a ramp. The maximum ration of a commercial ramp is 1:20. This need to detail specifically showing the calculation of the steepness and length of the ramp as well as being shown on the plans. Additionally, in order to aid the blind in navigating the space in front of the building as well as adjacent car park different floor textures will need to be implemented and therefore shown on the plans. There are currently no lifts into the apartments above the retail unit. However, there is a vacant space in the stairwell where a lift could be placed. This lift needs to be shown on the plans in order to comply with Part M. A disabled parking spot would also be needed on the adjacent land to allow easy access to both the retail unit and the apartments above. I do feel that we may need our renewed plans reviewed by an expect to check and assist in making our building accessible to those that are vulnerable and disabled or otherwise impaired. Once again I have copied Vera Merman into this email and I shall make direct contact with her in order to consult on the new plans. Corrections to the drawings: After reviewing the drawings and consulting the requirements for these sections of the Building Regulations I feel that some changes are needed on the drawings. I will quickly outline them now and the we can discuss them at the next team meeting:
The roof and ground floor plans need to be in context in order to show the ramps, car parking and its relationship to the design as well as our added disabled car parking and the changed to the floor textures as you enter the building. A lift needs to be added to the drawings. There is a void on the first floor this needs to be communicated through the use of a cross in the drawings as it is difficult to understand with the present plans. Also on the first floor the columns behind the glazing are not present, these need to added, in order to communicate the structure correctly. There is currently no door into the retail unit on the plans, this must have been missed from the BIM which these plans have been taken from. The kitchens are missing from some of the apartments this is a minor thing but I feel we should be consistent with the drawings. Presumably the empty space next to where we would place the lift in the stairwell is for the vertical circulation of the services this needs to be labelled correctly.
Question 4 - You have not been instructed to prepare a detailed scheme for submission of Building Regulations. With reference to Part A – Structure, Part B – Fire Safety and Part M- Accessibility, write a memo to the project architect outlining the information that will need to be prepared for the submission for approval under the Building Regulations. Identify which other design consultants that might assist in preparing this information and copy them into the memo. If you think any change to the design may be required, you should state your reasons in the memo.
These changes as well as the information I have outlined regarding the documentation required in order to gain approval on the Building Regulation is relation to Part A, B and M can all be discussed in the team meeting on Wednesday. However, if you feel that you would like to discuss these points or anything else that I have mentioned in this memo beforehand left me know and we shall schedule at time to go over them. Kind regards Kate