ABOUT SPORTS CLUBHOUSES

Steve Macdonald formed Macdonald Design Ltd, our associate company, in 1986. The company continues to this day and has worked in every market sector, both public and private. Macdonald Design has a strong portfolio in the catering, retail, exhibition, medical, nursery and hospitality sectors. We have worked with a number of Universities over the years and  we were lead consultants for the YMCA nationally working on a mix of multi agency projects involving Local Authorities, commercial partners, Sports Governing Bodies and other Community Groups. We have also developed sports programmes which link into training and coaching which are being delivered nationally. All of these links have given us a good understanding of designing for young people in teaching, training and coaching environments.

However our strong work with the Sports Governing Bodies and leading sports organisations led to the redevelopment of Twickenham Rugby Stadium and the catering facilities within the new Wembley Stadium (poorly designed originally within the overall new stadium). Our nationally acknowledged reputation in the sports sector led to the formation of Sports Clubhouses Ltd with a brief to focus on sports related projects. For 10 years we have provided packages of professional services and construction in this sector. We have decided that moving forwards we will only offer our primary professional services package rather than construction but constructing many of our own facilities has provided invaluable knowledge and help to inform our design decisions. There is much to be gained by bringing practical knowledge of retailing, catering, conferencing, hospitality and other community facilities to the table when designing sporting facilities. They can be so much more than just changing rooms and a bar….

 

OUR SERVICES

Sports Clubhouses have extensive experience of delivering these types of multi-faceted projects.

We now set out, under work sequences below, how we would approach this exercise but firstly we will note that we are able to take your project from this initial conversation through development of the brief, production of the initial feasibility concept, planning submission, detailed design to tender, issue of contracts and management of the construction programme to handover.

In order to deliver this we have assembled a full team of specialist consultants including: Architects, Structural Engineers, Mechanical and Services Consultants, Contract Management Consultants, Quantity Surveyors, Catering and Sports Development Consultants so that we can offer a single source professional services team. The design team lead is Steve Macdonald and the Contract management and QS team is led by Andy Macdonald.

By pulling together a cohesive team of professionals under one roof we provide clear project development and delivery without fractured communication lines. We want to be responsible for all aspects of the design and management so that all parts of the process are working smoothly together which ultimately delivers fee cost savings and less mistakes.

 

FEASIBILITY STAGE

We offer a feasibility stage for projects that are at inception stage in order to get the scheme moving. This feasibility phase would usually include:

  • Meet the client to discuss the project and confirm the brief
  • Generation of plans and elevations of a couple of alternative schemes which will be to a standard that require only a relatively small amount of drawing work to prepare them for a full Planning Application.
  • Put together a build estimate for these designs that would be based on our experience and known current build rates.  It may well identify construction costs that exceed the current budget but in this way we can work with you to develop a priority list of elements that can be provided for the budget and work packages set up as phases of work.
  • By the time we have completed the feasibility stage we will have identified a design that can either be completed in one go or split into a number of phases. We will also have provided costs against the collective and individual phases of work.

The fundamental objective of the feasibility stage is to provide our clients with enough information that they can take back to their stakeholders/membership so that a decision can be made about which route to proceed with so that a planning application can be made.

 

PRE-PLANNING AND FULL PLANNING APPLICATIONS

Once a design has been signed off, the next stage would be to put together the works required to submit a planning application. Some projects are likelier to be more difficult to obtain planning than others or are sensitive locally, for example, so in these circumstances we would often recommend and then submit a pre-application to Planning first before a more formal application is submitted.

We work with an excellent group of specialist planning consultants as a part of our team and they are employed by us on projects that need that additional specialist advice and employment. Generally, however, the services that we would provide at planning stage are as follows:

      • Detailed liaison with the client and all bodies
      • Finalise the agreed design scheme inclusive of plans and elevations as required
      • Design and access statement
      • Consultation with all required consultants and incorporate their requirements into the design and upload their reports to Planning
      • Submission of application
      • Consult with planning during the planning stage
      • Clearance of the planning conditions inclusive of the required liaison with all specialist consultants

In order to support this work, we have developed a long list of specialist consultants including the following:

      • Arboriculturists
      • Drainage/flood consultants
      • Civil engineers
      • Lighting consultants
      • Ecological consultants
      • Transport/highways consultants
      • Noise/acoustic consultants
      • Energy consultants
      • Archaeologists

We will engage with all of the required consultants and incorporate their reports into our full submission, as a part of our fee, even if the fees for these consultants are paid for directly by the client.

 

DETAILED DESIGN AND TENDER PACKAGE

Once planning has been obtained, we would then put together the detailed design package ready for formal tender. This would, usually, be a complete package of professional services including full structural design, drainage consultancy, mechanical and electrical design as well as all architectural requirements needed to meet building regulation standards and to a level that would be ready for tendering. The consultants needed to produce all of this information would be employed by ourselves as a turnkey arrangement so that our clients have only one source of communication. All works would be completed in consultation with the client to ensure they meet the brief. We can also, alternatively, just provide the architectural services, rather than all other services, but this will be dependent on the client requirements.

We now set out the information that would, typically, be included in such a package:

      • Finalised layout plan
      • Dimensioned construction setting out plan
      • Full detailed elevations
      • Roof plan
      • Foundation plan and full substructure layout
      • Structural package for the superstructure (tender design stage)
      • Structural calculations
      • Detailed sections
      • Construction details plan
      • Architectural drawings required for building regulations
      • Site layout showing setting out, foul and rainwater drainage and incoming services
      • Rainwater drainage for the building based on our drainage consultant report
      • Foul drainage design based on our drainage consultant report
      • Contractor site set up and working plan
      • Door, window and glazing schedules
      • Access plan
      • Building regulations plan
      • Fire safety plan
      • SBEM energy review with energy consultant (this includes ensuring the design meets the 10% renewable energy target as set out by Planning)
      • Full mechanical and electrical performance specification.
      • Finishes plan indicating all flooring, tiling, wall finishes, ceiling finishes and other finishes related information
      • Kitchen layout design
      • Bar layout design
      • Schedule of works layout
      • NBS Specifications
      • Approved Inspector review of the completed information
TENDER PACKAGE

With the drawings and associated documentation now complete, we would then put together the tender package and manage the entire tender process. This work would include this expected scope:

      • Review all completed drawings and tidy up to ensure ready for formal tender issue including any final design modifications as required by the client.
      • Undertake a pre-qualifying questionnaire process prior to tender to agree a list of suitable contractors to include in the final tender issue.
      • Put together the associated tender documentation and all tender correspondence.
      • Agree tender list and tender issue programme.
      • Liaison with contractors during the tender period.
      • Full tender review of all received tenders.
      • Correspond with contractor (s) to discuss any queries raised from the tender submissions.
      • Liaise with chosen contractor to agree final scope of works and price ready for contract.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT OF THE BUILD

With a contractor proposed for the contract, we would then work for the client project managing the scheme from contract award stage through to handover. We have experience of working on traditional intermediate contracts as well as design and build so we can work with both forms of procurement. We have wide network of professionals that we can include in our team to suit the requirements and size of the project. These would include, for example, quantity surveyors, clerk of works, mechanical and electrical consultants, structural engineering oversight as well as our own in-house architectural and surveying oversight. We now set out a typical scope of works for this service but this will be tailored to suit your project needs:

  • Contract set up with the chosen contractor. Pulling together all paperwork required. Ongoing administration of the works to ensure compliance with contract regulations.
  • Review of all contractor issued design drawings, where required, for comment/sign-off.
  • Coordination of the project working between client, contractor and other related consultants.
  • Quantity surveying works required to review and approve all monthly valuations and oversee any contract variations in line with contract regulations.
  • Regular attendance on site for quality control processes, to review works completed against the specification and to review progress against programme.
  • Chair and minute the end of month progress meetings. A subsequent report is produced following this meeting providing our overview on progress.
  • Work with the appointed Principal Designer to put together all required health and safety related information to comply with the 2015 CDM regulations.
  • Producing defects schedules during the course of the works and then at completion stage providing a complete snagging list working in conjunction with the client.
  • Provide practical completion sign-off.
  • Producing the post completion 12 months end of rectification defects check and then sign off.
  • Management of defects period following practical completion prior to final release of retention at the end of that period as per the Contract requirements.