BCIS analysis of the month: Early learning and childcare centre

The BCIS CapX featured project for November 2020, submitted by Renfrewshire Council, is the recently completed £1.91m early learning and childcare centre in Strathclyde.

The project was procured as a design and build using the SBCC Design and Build Contract 2011.

 The single storey ‘L’ shaped on plan 535m² early learning and childcare centre providing 128Nr placed for children aged 3 to 5 years old, comprises:

• 4Nr open plan playrooms (55-61m²) each with external doors leading to the outdoor zone,
• reception/office (21m²),
• 2Nr staff rooms (16m²),
• cloakrooms (25m²),
• dining area (26m²),
• parents’ room (15m²),
• food preparation room (15m²),
• plant room (14m²) and
• pupil kitchen (6m²),
•  WCs
• changing areas
• stores.

These areas equate to:

• 395m² usable area (74%)
• 39m² circulation area (7%)
• 86m² ancillary area (16%)
• 15m² internal divisions (3%)

The building cost at £2,020/m² (1Q2019), compares with the average of £2,251/m² for 107 nursery school projects on the same basis on the BCIS Online database. The functional unit cost equates to £8,442.68/pupil place.

Substructure, at £177/m² includes:

• In-situ concrete insulated raft foundations

Superstructure, at £747/m² includes:

• timber frame
• pitched timber roof, metal purlins, Kalzip standing seam finish including 2Nr rooflights
• facing brickwork, timber inner leaf
• aluminium double glazed windows and doors
• timber stud, block partitions and cubicles and
• 19Nr single and double solid and glazed doors.

Finishes, at £137/m² include:

• plaster, skim, emulsion and hygienic splashback wall finishes
• anti-slip vinyl sheet to learning areas,
• carpet to office,
• floor paint to plant room and barrier
• matting floor finishes
• and suspended ceilings.

Fittings and furnishings, at £115/m² include:

• kitchen units
• worktops
• appliances
• shelving
• shoe boxes
• display units
• pinboards
• bench units
• coat pegs
• window blinds
• safety gate to playrooms
• and signage.

Services, at £814/m² include:

• sanitary ware
• commercial dishwasher
• gas boiler fired hot water central radiator heating, radiant panels to play rooms
• ventilation to kitchen and toilets
• power and lighting including 46.5m2 photovoltaic panels (7.125 kWp)
• access control
•  data
•  fire and intruder alarms.

Prefabricated Buildings, at £30/m² include:

• 13m2 prefabricated drying room with 2Nr toilets, on concrete base.

External and facilitating works at a cost of £576,027 include:

• site clearance
• paving
• landscaping
• fencing
• play equipment
• drainage
• services and soil stabilisation works as building and play area was located above a decommissioned mine

The £/m² figures include preliminaries at 15.19%.

BCIS would like to thank Renfrewshire Council for providing the data and all those who have submitted projects to be published online.

Cost analyses are available as part of the BCIS Online service.

BCIS regularly receives projects where the contract comprises buildings with different functions that are analysed as complex contracts within the BCIS database. Every effort is made to prepare a separate analysis for each building type and each analysis shows the total scope and cost of the contract, which will influence the pricing levels.

Each analysis is cross-referenced to the other analyses in the contract, which allows BCIS to capture separate analyses, £/m² rates and functional unit rates appropriate to each building, e.g. number of vehicle spaces. The functional unit rate is the total cost of the building excluding external works, with preliminaries apportioned by value and divided by the appropriate functional unit.

BCIS CapX is an industry repository for building project costs analysed elementally. It provides clients, consultants and contractors secure online access to their project data. The analyses can be prepared from contract documents used in most procurement routes, for example: