LSBU Office for Students enhancement project

The University wanted to use the funding to expand, upgrade and reconfigure its practice-based learning environments for healthcare students. As well as giving the students a better experience and a stronger chance of success, the LSBU team hoped to contribute to the government’s target of training 50,000 new nurses by 2025.

Over several years, we’ve built a strong relationship with LSBU, becoming a trusted advisor to their senior estates team and playing an integral part in education construction projects. 

For this key scheme, we took the role of lead consultant, supporting LSBU internally to develop the brief, look at long-term demands on the building, and establish the spaces required. We then provided full construction project management, quantity surveying, contract administration and fire compliance advice.

From the start, we took a proactive approach, leading a tight programme to make sure works were designed, tendered and completed in time to claim funding each year. This included tendering for the design team and contractor, developing highly specialist spaces, and working with the University’s timetabling team to decant spaces, without disrupting teaching. 

We had to stay adaptable throughout, as the University lacked historical knowledge about the building’s condition, and many maintenance issues had long gone unresolved. This meant a complete redesign of the building’s M&E once the service voids were exposed.

We’ve completed the first two years on time, on budget, maximising the funding opportunity available to the University. With year three underway, we’re continuing to create immersive, flexible spaces that recreate the real-life environments students will go on to work in.

Space is being expanded and original spaces better used, giving students a vastly improved learning environment, with more high-spec simulation rooms, including new physio rooms, high-fidelity wards and skills labs. Equipment is being upgraded and the University has changed its curriculum to take advantage of the increased opportunity for hands-on practice.

This education construction project is already getting a hugely positive response from students and faculty. It’s also empowering LSBU to attract new learners and staff, and generate additional revenue by renting out spaces for NHS training.

• Project management consultancy
• Business case appraisal
• Procurement advice & management
• Project programming & planning
• Stakeholder management
• Value management
• Risk management
• Quality management
• Project governance
• Employer’s agent
• Construction planning 
• Planning & scheduling
• Estimation & costing
• Scope & change management
• Earned value management
• Quantity surveying & cost consultancy
• Measurement, estimating & cost planning
• Main contract tendering & tender analysis
• Contract documentation
• Contract administration
• Fund monitoring
• Feasibility studies
• Cost control (pre & post)
• Health & safety management
• Site audits & inspections
• General risk assessments
• Fire compliance advice