Vassal Centre Feasibility Study

Vassall Centre Feasibility Report

HERCULES - RAMBAUD ARCHITECTS4 Baker Street London W1C 4LQ T: 0207 741 9238E: [email protected]

(Student No. 09037402)

FEASIBILITY REPORT FOR THE VASSAL CENTREFISH PONDS, BRISTOL, BS16 2QQ

PROPOSALS FOR INTERNAL USE OF SPUR’S2, 4, 6 & 8 WITH EXTERNAL WORKS.

Contents

1.0 Introduction2.0 BriefprofileofTheVassalCentre2.1 Location Map3.0 Feasibility Study Remit and Brief4.0 Evaluation of Existing Premises5.0 Vassal Centre Reception6.0 Report Into Existing building7.0 Proposals 8.0 Statutory Matters9.0 Consultants10.0 Estimated Costs and Timetable11.0 Appendix:OutlineScheduleofWork.

1.0 Introduction

TheVassallcentreislocatedinFishponds,BristolonGillAvenue.Thecentrewasoriginallyamilitaryhospitalandwasconvertedintoworkingenvironmentfordisabledpeople.TheVassallcentretrustwasset up in 1998 to create barrier-free workspaceandprovideemploymentand voluntary opportunities for dis-abledpeople.ThecentreisboundedtotheSouthbyGillAvenue,totheeastbyWillowBedClose,andtotheWestbyVassalroadwhichrunssouthtomeetFishpondsroad.


2.0 Brief Profile of Vassall Centre

TheVassallcentrelookstoempowerpeopleandenablethemtoworkonequaltermswithnon-disabledpeople.Thecentrecontainsaconferencecentreand 12 let-able units for tenants and community groups.

Thecentreislocatedinamainlyresi-dentialareaoffishponds,andisac-cessedfromGillStreetonthesouthsideofthesite.

2.1 Site Plan 1:2500

Currentparkingprovisionisanissue,andqualityofsurfaceonmuchofthecarparkingspaceisbad.Thereareis-sueswithsecurityintheareaandthecentre is currently fenced around its perimeter.


3.0 Feasibility Study Remit and Brief

Hercules Rambaud Architects LLP wereappointed by the Vassal Centre in De-cember 2009 to undertake a feasibilitystudytoinvestigatethepotentialforim-provingandaltering theexistingcentreand producing proposals for internal use andexternalworkstositeandcarpark-ing. Weunderstoodthebrieftobeasfollows:

• Toprovideafeasibilitystudy.

• Toprovideproposalsforinternal use for units 2, 4, 6, and 8.

• Toprovideproposalsfor landscaping and on-site car parkingprovision.

• Commissiona1:200scalemodel.

• Toprovideadviceonstatutory matters.

4.0Evaluation of existing premises The main entrance on Gill Avenue tothe Vassall Centre premises is locateddirectly opposite the main entrance totheVassal centrebuilding.Theexistinggroundfloorisaccessedinthecentreofthe south facade between units 5 and7.Theentrance ishighlyvisiblewithalargeoversailingcanopywith“TheVas-sallCentre”signageinclearview.Thereis level access to the building allowinggoodwheelchairaccesswithouta s s i s -tance. There are also bicycle stands totheleftandrightoftheentrance.

Themainentrancefeaturesatouchsensitive interactive map for blind peo-pleandtheplanhasrectilinearformwithamaincentralcorridorrunningeastwestwith12separateunitsrun-ningatrightanglesandaccessedoffthemaincorridor.Thesimpleplanformishighlyfunctionalandallowseaseofmovementaroundthebuilding.

TheVassallCentreofficesarelocatedofftheentrancehalltotherightnexttothemainboilerroomandunit8.Theyareseparatedfromthemaincorridorandaccessedviatwodoorsateitherend.

4.2 Building Services

Allheatingispoweredbyamainboilerroomlocatedattherearoppositetheentrance.Theexistingheatingsystemiscentralheatingwithradiatorsrunningfromacentralboiler,theboilerroomislocatedbehindtheentrancespacebe-tweenunits6and8.


4.3 Report into the Existing Building of the Vassall Centre

Beginning its existence as a military hospitalintheSecondWorldWar,theexistingbuildinghasprovidedtheVassalCentreTrustwithanumberofbeneficialfeaturesfittingitscurrentpurpose:Thebuildingisalargestructurewhichen-ables multiple uses to be accommodated withinit.Thebuildingisofasinglesto-rywhichprovidesgenerallygoodaccessthroughthebuilding,whichisaparticu-larlypositivefeatureforthephysicallyimpaired.Thereisalsoarelativelyclearplantothebuildingwhichisunderstand-able,especiallytothosewhohavenotpreviouslyvisitedthesite.Thedivisionofthebuildingintoseparateunitsisalsoausefulfeaturefortheaccommodationofseparateuseswhichmayormaynotconflict.

4.4 ImprovementsImprovementstothesitehavealsobeen made in recent years: External accesstothereceptionhasbeenup-gradedandcleardisabledparkingbayshavebeensetout.Intermsofaccommodation,thesmallcafé area (believed to be a recent addi-tion)isawelcomefeaturefortheprovi-sionofworkers,althoughitcouldben-efitfromgreaterfloorarea.Duringthesitevisititwasnotpossibletoobservetheofficeenvironments,howeveritisunderstoodthattheorganisationswork-ingtherehaveagreatdealoffreedomconcerningthelayoutoftheirrentedac-commodationtomakethemfitfortheirownpurpose.

However,thebuildingalsohasanumberof less desirable features:Havingbeenbuiltduringthe1940s,thebuildingisnowofaconsiderableageandhasmanyoftheissueswhichaffectoldbuildings.Itisimaginedthatissuesmayariseconcerningthelargeexpanseofshallowpitchedroofsandcontinu-ousmaintenancewouldberequiredtokeepeachroofingoodcondition.Theconstructionoftheexternalwallshasnotbeenrecorded;howeverjudgingbytheageofthebuilding,dampcouldpotentially be an issue. Environmen-tally,insulationtotheexistingbuildingisminimalandthemajorityofwindowsare single glazed.

Themethodofwhichthebuildingisheatedistraditionalandalthoughtheheatingunitsthemselveshavebeenup-gradedrecently,duetothesheersizeofthebuildingacentralisedheatingunitisinefficientenvironmentaldesign.SomeEnvironmentalimprovementshavebeenmaderecentlywithrenovatedunitsbe-ingprovidedwithsufficientinsulationanddoubleglazingbeingfittedtocer-tainunitsinthebuilding.Also,unit7hasbeenfittedwithaphotovoltaicarrayacrossitsroofwhichisapositivesteptowardstheuseofgreentechnologies(althoughwithregardtotheenviron-ment;energyconservationacrossthebuildingwouldbeamoreaffectiveuseof resources).Internally,itisdifficulttodisguisethe


4.5 Existing Ground Floor Plan

4.6 Existing Units to be affected

Proposal’sforinternaluseofUnitshighlightedingreen. (Units 2, 4, 6 and 8)


5.1 Proposed External Uses

Thefollowinglistofactivitiesisintendedto provide information on alternative usesproposedtobeimplementedinthegreenspacebetweenunitsintheVassalCentre.

Vegetable Gardens

Thegardenwouldallowpeoplewithdisabilitiesthechancetotakepartingardening. Several raised vegetable patcheswouldalloweaseofaccessandcreate an interesting and engaging ac-tivity,providingvegetableswhichcouldbeusedonsiteintheCafe.TheVassalcentrewouldperhapsneedtoemployagardenerduetoinsufficientvolunteers on site.

Sensory Gardens

Thesensorygardenwillcontainscentedand edible plants, sculptures and sculpt-edhandrails,soundchimesandtexturedtouch-pads.ItisintendedthattheGar-denbea‘get-away’torelaxandunwind.Diversityinthegardenincludessensoryplantsthatprovideanarrayoftexturesforpeopletotouch.

5.2 Proposal for Landscape and External Works WehavelookedatwaysofusingtheexternalspaceandexpandingthescopeoftheVassallcentreexternally.Theproposalprovides68parkingspaceswith34disabledparkingspaces. Wehavealsoincludedsensorygardenslocatedbetweenunits3& 1, and vegetable gardens be-tween9&7.

All proposals include external ramps for disabled access to Units 10, 8, 6, 4 and 2. TherampsarebasedonKendallKingscott’s previous application of November 2004.


5.4 Proposed Internal Uses

We propose several interesting and engaginguseswhichwe hopewillex-pandtheVassalcentreandincreasethediversity ofusesandactivities.Thefollowingwasputtogetherby BorisKing.

Hydrotherapy Unit

Hydrotherapyisaformofphysiother-apy,andusesarangeofmethodsandtechniquesusingwatertoprovidethera-peuticbenefit.Ahydrotherapypoolwouldoccupyoneofthegroundfloorunits and its function could be extended to a number of different uses.

5.3 External works

Commercially,theVassallCentreTrustwouldhavetheoptiontoleasetheHydrotherapyunittoaspecificor-ganisationormanagethehiringofthefacilities to individuals itself. It is con-sideredthatitwouldmakeawelcomeaccompanimenttothefacilitiesoftheVassall Centre providing members of thecommunitywithit’sservices.

Café TheexistingVassallCentrecafefa-cilities are to be upgraded due to increaseinofficespace.AcafécouldalsopotentiallyhelpboostinteractionbetweentheVassallCen-treandthelocalcommunitiesintheneighbourhood.


5.5 Proposed Internal Uses

Multifunction/Exhibition SpaceIthasbeenrecognisedthatwithintheVassallCentreTrust,thereisadesireforexhibitionspacededicatedtothehistoryofdisabilitiesandhumanrights.Thereare also a number of arts clubs associ-atedwiththecentre.Creatingamultifunctionspacewithinthecentrewouldallowworkstobeex-hibitedwhilstalsoenablingthespacetobeusedforotherfunctionsoutsideofexhibitinghours.Cleveruseofmovabledisplayswouldenableefficientspacemanagementsothatarangeofac-tivities could be carried out at different times.Theseactivitiescouldincludeartclasses, support groups and potentially morephysicalactivitiessuchasaero-bics.

IT training facilitiesITtrainingwouldfitwiththeVassallCentreTrustsideologyofempoweringthosewithimpairmentsandwouldbeseenasawelcomeadditiontotheCen-tre’s existing facilities. Commercially, thisspacecouldbehiredoutandwouldaccompanytheexistingDavidHiattBakerConferenceSuite.Itisconsid-eredthatthereisdemandwithinthelocal commercial sectors for easily ac-cessiblefacilitiesofthiskindanditmayhelptoraisetheprofileofthecentreasawhole.Thefacilitieswouldneedtobeequippedwiththelatesttechnologiestoallowtheireffectiveusebythosewithvarying impairment.


5.5 Proposals

Option A - Floor Plans

Accommodation

Unit 2: Cafe and IT/Internet Cafe 308 m2

Unit 4: Multifunction/Exhibition 330 m2

Unit 6: HydrotherapySuite 268 m2

Unit 6A: Offices(Partitioned) 350 m2

Unit 8: Offices(Partitioned) 292 m2

Unit8A: Offices(Partitioned) 350 m2

Option A: ThisoptionincludesaHydrotherapysuite,locatedinUnit6,closetothemain entrance. Unit4housesthemultifunction/exhi-bitionspace,whichcouldbeusedtoexhibitinformationonthehistoryofdis-abilities or to be used for private func-tions and dance classes. Unit2housesanInternetCafeandITtraining facility. Unit 6, 6A and 8A con-tainpartitionedoffices.ToiletsareprovidedadjacenttoUnit 8A.


5.6 Proposals

Option B – Floor Plans

Accommodation


Unit 4: IT Training Facility 330 m2

Unit 6: Internet Cafe 268 m2

Unit 6A: Offices(OpenPlan) 350 m2 Unit 8: Offices(OpenPlan) 292 m2

Unit 8A: Offices(OpenPlan) 350 m2

Option B:

Unit 6 contains an Internet cafe situatedclosetothemainentrance,witha separate IT training room located in Unit4.Unit2housestheMultifunction/Exhibitionroomwhichcouldbeusedtoholdexhibitionsonthehistoryofdis-abilities or to provide for dance classes or private functions.Potentialbenefitsofthisoptioninclude provision of a separate IT train-ingroomallowingmoreformaltrainingwithseparatecafefacilitieslinkedviaacoveredwalkwaybetweenunits6and4tolinkITtrainingwithcafefacilitiespartitionedoffices.ToiletsareprovidedadjacenttoUnit 8A.


5.7 Proposals

Option C – Floor Plans

Accommodation

Unit 2: IT training 308 m2

Unit 4: Internet Cafe 330 m2



Unit 8: Offices(OpenPlan) 292 m2


Option C:

Unit4containsanInternetcafewithalinkingcorridortotheITtrainingroomlocatedinUnit2.Unit6housestheMul-tifunction/Exhibitionroomwhichcouldbeusedtoholdexhibitionsonthehisto-ry of disabilities or to provide for dance classes or private functions.

Thisoptioncreatesbetterlinkagebe-tweenunitsandeaseofmobilitytoandfromthedifferentfunctionalspaces.

WelookforwardtodiscussingpotentialoptionswithTheVassallcentre,andareopen to suggestions of integrating sev-eralideasfromeachoption,toarriveatasolutionwhichbestsuits.


6.0 Advice on Statutory matters

6.1 Planning Consent

Planning permission would need to beobtained due to the proposals beingdeemed ‘development’ under the Townand Country planning act. We do not have an adversarial relationship withplanningofficersandhavenothadanyapplicationturneddownwithBristolCityCouncilplanningdepartment.Ifhoweverproblemsdoariseintheplanningprocess we will do our upmost to seethat the scheme is not undulydelayed.ItisestimatedthatobtainingPlanningpermission could take between 8 to 12weeks. We will also advise you beforeanydesignchangesaremadethatarise due to planning restrictions

6.2 Building Regulations

BuildingRegulationsapprovalwouldalsoneed to be obtained for the proposal.Drawings are submitted to Bristol CityCouncil, and a decision is made as to whetherBuilding Regulationscan beapproved.Ifhoweverproblemsarisewe will do our upmost to see that theschemeisnotundulydelayed.Wewillalsoadviseyoubeforeanydesignchangesaremadethatariseduetoplan-ning restrictions.

7.0 Consultants

Thefollowingconsultantswouldbere-quiredonthisproject:

Consultant Remit ArchitectDesign,specificationandpos-siblesupervisiondependingonthetypeof contract

Quantity Surveyor Costings advice, pro-duction of bills of quantities, valuations ofworksonsiteandadviceonprocure-ment(typeofcontractforbuildingwork)

StructuralEngineerDesignandspecifi-cationfornewstructuresandstructuralalterations

ServicesEngineer Designandspecifica-tionheating,lightingventilationdrainageand sanitary provision

Specialist surveyors Detailed mea-suredsurveyofthepremisesandadjoin-ing areas

PlanningSupervisortocoverhealthandsafety issues and requirements during construction and ongoing maintenance post occupancy

Whenfurtherconsultantsaretobeap-pointedwewillinformyou.


8.0 Outline Costing

OutlinecostingwascompletedbyMingYin Quantity Surveyors Ltd. Theoutlinecostslooselyshowestimatedallowancesfortheworks.Theworksarebasedoninformationwhichatthisstage is still preliminary. Please note thatasthedesignisdevelopedfurtherandinformationisfurtherevaluatedtheoutlinecostingmaychange.Allcostingassumes a medium sized building con-tractorwillcarryouttheworks.

8.1 Outline Costings

Project:TheVassallCentre,Fishponds.Job No. 1037Date Submitted: 05/04/2010ThefollowingestimatecostingsarebasedontheinformationprovidedindrawingsAR-01,AR-02,AR-03andAR-04byHerculesRambaudArchitectsLLP.

Option A: £2,379,100

Unit 2 - 150m2 Internet Café / IT @ £1260/m2 £189,000

158m2 Café / Dining @ £1200m2 £189,600

Unit 4 - 330m2 Multi-function/Exhibition @ £1500/m2 £495,000

Unit 8 - 50m2 ChangingRooms @ £1600/m2 £80,000 290m2 Offices @ £900/m2 £261,000 First Floor 725m2 Offices @ £900/m2 £652,500

Link - 45m2 Kitchen/Canteen @ £1600/m2 £72,000

Unit 6 - 220m2 HydrotherapySuite @ £2000/m2 £440,000


Option B: £2,146,875


Link - 45m2 Store Rooms @ £635/m2 £28,575

Unit 4 - 330m2 Internet Café / IT Training @ £1260/m2 £415,800

Unit 6 - 30m2 Kitchen/Canteen @ £1600/m2 £39,000 240m2 Café / WiFi / Dining @ £1200/m2 £288,000

Unit 8 - 290m2 Offices @ £900/m2 £261,000

First Floor - 725m2 Offices @ £900/m2 £652,500

Option C: £2,164,155

Unit 2 - 308m2 Internet Café/IT Training @ £1260/m2 £388,080

Link - 45m2 Store Rooms @ £635/m2 £28,575

Unit 4 - 45m2 Kitchen/Canteen @ £1600/m2 £72,000 285m2

Café / WiFi / Dining @ £1200 /m2 £342,000


Unit 8 - 290m2 Offices @ £900/m2 £261,000

First Floor - 725m2 Offices @ £900/m2 £652,500

Approximate Landscape cost for all options: £450,000.

Figures are inclusive of VAT.

Vassal Centre Feasibility Study

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