Set in 320 acres of rolling parkland, the University of East Anglia (UEA) is an internationally renowned university that provides academic, social and cultural facilities to over 13,000 students.
UEA is ranked amongst the top 20 in the UK by the Sunday Times and recently came top of the most recent research effectiveness league table published by Research Fortnight.
In 2003, as part of the University’s desire to continue to expand and improve its facilities, Davis Langdon were appointed as integrated Project and Cost Manager’s on the development of new student residences on the campus.
The project initially had a budget of £16m, representing the first phase of the development of 401 units in an overall development master plan to the eastern end of the University campus.
Following the completion of Phase 1 the University instructed the team to proceed with design development to RIBA Stage D&E, on the basis of reducing the project costs by £2,000 per unit. With an agreed contract sum negotiated with the contractor, Phase 2 was incorporated as a variation to the Phase 1 contract, in full consultation with the University’s solicitors.
Phase 2, due for completion towards the end of 2007, involves the development of 886 further units with an overall anticipated construction cost of £40m. The buildings have been built on poor ground conditions and as a result have piled foundations.
Each building has been constructed with concrete cross wall and a combination of render facing blockwork, timber clad elevations, monopitch and curved roofs; and pre-fabricated bathroom pods in concrete shells.
Davis Langdon led a series of value engineering workshops to establish the necessary changes to the development, without compromising quality or functionality. Modifications to the core projections, building footprint and roof profile, together with substantial number of minor changes to the interior design, contributed towards a £2,000 saving per unit on the project cost. Davis Langdon proposed these changes to the UEA, which were agreed.
The contract sum established a building only cost at £26,000 per unit which delivered the £2,000 per unit saving to the satisfaction of the University.
Davis Langdon has been critical to the cost and procurement of the project, helping the University to achieve value for money and their overall targets. The residences have been widely acclaimed as some of the most innovative in the UK.
