The benefits of early collaborations

RESEARCH

The benefits of early collaborations

At each end of the country, MOE has worked closely with contractors on two complex laboratory facilities, from the very early stages. In addition, we have won a major framework agreement for the Danish Building and Property Agency that has a similar approach.

I do not remember having been part of a better collaboration in my, by now, many years in the industry.

Kåre Vistisen Production Manager MT Højgaard

In cooperation with Christensen & Co. and MT Højgaard, MOE is working on the new Climate Challenge Laboratory at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU). The same team built DTU’s Building 310, named ‘Årets Byggeri’ (building of the year) in Denmark in 2019. The project has also won several additional prizes.

One of the reasons Building 310 was such a great success was the collaborative efforts. The jury behind the award did not hide the fact that it was, most likely, the first time a building had won partly because of the working process.

Building 310 and the future Climate Challenge Laboratory are both known for their special collaborative model where the contractor and consultant work together closely from the very beginning of the project. Another important common trait is that digital tools are the cornerstones of the collaborations. MOE provided an extremely detailed building model for Building 310 and the ambitions are even higher for the Climate Challenge Laboratory. You can read more about this project on the following page.

University town The two DTU projects include extensive installations and technically advanced laboratories. In Aarhus, we are working in the same genre with the transformation of ‘Bygningskompleks 1870’ that belongs to the former municipal hospital and will now become part of the university town “Universitetsbyen”.

Through comprehensive renovations, the building will be made ready for the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics at Aarhus University. The department will, for example, need adjustable climate chambers for plant research, fish tanks sensitive to vibrations and, not least, laboratories where certain areas are prepared for GMO class 2.

A characteristic trait for this project has also been close and early collaboration between the contractor and the client FEAS, Aarhus University and the team of consultants consisting of C.F. Møller and MOE.

To speed up the process, demolition, shell, facades and roof were put out to tender, at an early stage. Mind you, before the final scopes of the installations, size of ducts and pipes as well as the main cable routes were known. MT Højgaard won the project that also contained co-design with the consultants and a fair share of fast, joint decision-making on site.

The transformation from hospital to modern laboratory required a brand-new stabilising system consisting of eight steel frames led to the new foundations. This alone made it an exacting project. The height of the building is also limited and because the building has been renovated on several occasions, we constantly met new surprises that we had not been able to see on the old drawings. Because of our close and efficient collaboration, we were able to solve the issues as they arose.

Rasmus Lautrup Head of Department Buildings Aarhus

Production Manager Kåre Vistisen from MT Højgaard was asked to describe the collaboration by the Danish paper, Dagens Byggeri, and his conclusion was positive:

I do not remember having been part of a better collaboration in my, by now, many years in the industry, Kåre Vistisen stated.

Strategic framework agreement The positive experiences gained from our early collaborations will be useful again in the next couple of years, as MOE, Hoffmann and Christensen & Co recently won the Danish Building and Property Agency’s strategic framework agreement for turnkey contracts.

The four-year agreement can amount to DKK 1 billion and contains building and maintenance projects in the whole country. The Danish Building and Property Agency wanted a model for collaboration by which the right skills were involved at the appropriate time. Thus, the whole team of consultants and the contractor are brought in from the beginning when the important decisions are made.

Universitetsbyen Client Feas Architect C.F. Møller Contractor MT Højgaard © MT Højgaard