On the evening of Monday 28th April 2014, graduates
and students from the Midlands Counties regional group attended a site visit at
the Resorts World complex in Birmingham.
This new integrated leisure centre is being constructed on a
green field site, next to a lake. It will include a hotel, cinema, conference
centre and many restaurants, bars and shops.
Before going onto the site, the young members heard from
Phil Gilday, the Design Manager, and Craig Benham, who is in charge of
internals. Between them they demonstrated the major challenges so far on the
project. The young members learned about the procurement route, employer’s
requirements, BIM benefits and limitations, as well as the many changes and
variations that had been instructed on the project since its inception many
years ago.
Once on the site, our young members could clearly see the
construction methods used, which included steel frames, pre-cambered steel cell
beams, post-tensioned flat slabs, contiguous piled basement walls, insitu
concrete and metal decking. Seeing the live site first hand helped the young
members put their own design roles and learning into context, and the anecdotes
given around the site improved our awareness of client management and
commercial issues.
A big thank you must go to the staff from Galliford Try for
hosting the event , and accompanying the group on this tour, answering our many
questions.
If you have any ideas for us or you’d like to
get involved with the Young Members’ Panel please let us know at istructeymp@gmail.com
Post author: Tasha Scott
Post author: Tasha Scott
