Manteena were engaged as a Construction Manager to value manage and deliver the construction of a uniquely designed pavilion building at the National Arboretum, Canberra. The community facility is approximately 400m2 in area and 10m maximum height. The Reflective Pavilion contains an expansive function hall, external deck, an operational servery and toilet facilities.
The project was originally tendered at 60% design using a GC21 Design and Construct form of contract. Manteena was assessed as providing the best value for money. Upon appointment, the contract was changed to Construction Management in order to transparently undertake a value management process, as the project had exceeded budget by 20%.
Manteena provided a review of buildability and value managed the project back to the target budget of $2.6m. This was achieved through revised material sections, reduced scope and providing alternative construction methodologies. The alternative design solutions provided budgetary relief yet still achieved the overall design intent.
Active involvement in the design process enabled Manteena to influence design changes that will reduced whole of life costs. For example, Manteena recommended changes to the original built up ballast roof as the original design included a water proofing membrane which is known to have a limited life cycle in the Canberra climate.
The team worked closely with the architect to design a low profile metal roof deck. The benefits of the change included quicker installation time and a lighter structure, whilst still maintaining the overall design intent. The change resulted in significant improvements to the program and budget due to faster and more economical installation and reduced material costs. The changes also provide long term benefits and a reduction of the building’s whole of life costs.
Mid-way through the project the client secured additional funding, which was reallocated to the project and which allowed for certain elements such as: kitchen fitout; function area detailing; landscaping; and audio visual to be reinstated.
Manteena managed the process via a strategic approach that included weekly site meetings to monitor budget, risk review, design and programme status. The decisions reached at each meeting were always based on an evaluation of the changes in the context of achieving the desired deliverables of time, quality and budget.