Cherry Tree Family Centre

Key Features

After a single-stage competitive tender process with Lambeth Council, Etec were selected to carry out the refurbishment works to the former Cherry Tree Nursery School.

The instruction of the works was to repurpose the existing building to provide a Family Contact Centre and Family Assessment Centre in the heart of Lambeth.

The works included the full 725sqm structure’s strip-out, structural alterations*, internal refurbishments, MEP installations (including Fire Alarm Systems, CCTV, and data), masonry repairs, roofing repairs, and controlled access systems. Additionally, the works included landscaping, and EV charging points installations.

*this included the opening up of a large number of areas to form consultation and clinical rooms, and the breaking out of block & beams to install new drainage runs.

Project Sustainability

At Cherry Tree, we undertook various environmental assessments to locate efficiencies to reduce our carbon footprint.

To reduce our Scope 3 emissions, we actively recruited as much local labour as far as reasonably practicable and encouraged the use of public transport to/from site, with our Bike2Work scheme advocated.

Detailed discussions with the client teams were held to identify, present, and examine cost-effective and sustainable materials to be used on-site.

An example of this is the implementation of the energy efficient lighting and heating upgrades. These differ from the original specification. However, these proved to be more cost efficient at construction stage, with reduced life-cycle cost implications. This will provide the client with both short-term and long-term cost savings, whilst lowering our and their carbon footprints considerably.

Challenges and Solutions

To accommodate for variations post contract award, we formulated direct communication channels to streamline RFI schedules with monthly and bi-weekly meetings with the client’s structural engineers and consultants arranged. Close collaboration and relationship management was essential for timely cost acceptances from the client.

The doors schedule required complete revision back to the design stage. As a result, there were major programme delays incurred. To bring back the project end-date to as close to the original deadline set as possible, our operations team carried out vigorous programme efficiency exercises across all other areas of the project to reduce the critical path as effectively as possible without compromising quality.

This was key in the efficient delivery of the Cherry Tree Family Centre project. As the site was surrounded by residential stakeholders, a communication plan was implemented with the aim of keeping them constantly informed of the works and having a key point of contact throughout to answer any and all queries. Client communication was of necessity also to ensure various factors included RFI schedules (previously mentioned) and Building Control regulations were met.

Value Engineering

We worked with the client in value engineering exercises to discover and implement various energy efficient lighting and heating measures, resulting in cost savings to Lambeth Council at construction stage and life-cycle costs.

As previously mentioned, we engaged in programme efficiency exercises for each stage of the critical path, with the aim of both reducing the extended deadline, but also creating cost efficiencies for Lambeth Council. This has allowed for Etec to remain within budget and provide Lambeth savings.

Across all of our projects, we seek to actively source labour and materials locally, both contributing to social value initiatives and competitive costs for the client. We have successfully managed to do so at the Cherry Tree Family Centre, with local labour employed for our landscaping packages and on-site Labourer and Site Manager for the internal refurbishment works. Furthermore, we have sourced a selection of materials for the internal fit-out portions of the works.