EDGE Provides Sports Facility Refurb Support for University of Wolverhampton
Following procurement through our Professional Services Framework, EDGE was appointed via a direct award to provide support on a £3m project for the University of Wolverhampton, which we’re pleased to see was successfully completed in December 2023.
To succeed, the university required a specialist in project management within a university environment. To realise expectations EDGE provided a team who were university and leisure specialists, tapping into the key components of the scheme detailed below. This project management team were also NEC accredited, enabling EDGE to further support the client with administration post-contract, ensuring compliance.
What did the project involve?
The works, which needed to be completed by a set deadline for teaching purposes, included a refurbishment of the university’s sport facility at the Walsall campus, namely at its Sister Dora and William Penny Brookes buildings.
The Sister Dora buildings required more cosmetic refurbishment works, including new flooring and partitions and redecoration, as well as M&E, IT and AV equipment upgrades.
Meanwhile, the William Penny Brookes building needed far more substantial works to allow for the creation of a new prehab, rehabilitation, and strength and conditioning suite.
This included the infilling of the existing swimming pool to provide a level finished surface to install new specialist rubber and turf track flooring, which allowed the space to be equipped with upgraded gym equipment. New floors needed to be strong enough to withstand both static and dynamic loads, while also meeting SR1 levels for surface regularity.
An existing glazed conservatory was removed and replaced with curtain walling, while new internal and external doors with access control were installed. Force plate integration fixed two new treadmills into the new flooring, and additional power and data requirements were provided for increased AV requirements.
Finally, from a practical point of view, new WCs were added for increased occupancy, alongside a supervisor office and teaching rooms.
Positive outcomes for the client
A number of key objectives were set for the 12-month project, including providing improved building energy performance through replacement of M&E provision and new curtain walling, and ensuring a high-quality environment for athletic assessments and teaching. These objectives were successfully delivered, along with meeting the required project timelines and budgets.
The refurbishment of the sports facility at the University of Wolverhampton generated £60,218.64 in social value, calculated using our partners at Loop‘s social value software.
Jonathan Oram, Director of Frameworks at Pagabo, said: “The refurb of the University of Wolverhampton’s sports facility is one that will undoubtedly add tremendous value to both the local community and the students which study there.
“EDGE’s expertise was key in the successful delivery this exciting project and we’re pleased they were able to secure the work through our Professional Services Framework, and we now look forward to continuing this fruitful relationship.”
Unjulee Karadia, Associate Director at EDGE, said: “There were a number of challenges for us to tackle throughout this project, with the main constraints born from the programme allowance. However, after being appointed swiftly via direct award from Pagabo’s Professional Services Framework, we were able to consider the best course of action straight away. To overcome these particular challenges, we recommended the project commencement be brought forward to account for risk, and contract knowledge as not all parties were aware of the contract procedures under NEC.”
Thanks to this scheme the University finds itself in a much stronger position, with more teaching space available, improved aesthetics and building quality, and risks managed proactively in line with NEC.
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