MidKent College, Medway Campus

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Case Study – Education

Project: MidKent College, Medway Campus
Architect: Nightingale Associates
Client: University of Greenwich (as part of the Universities at Medway)
Main Contractor:  Kier Build
Interior Contractor: JJ Sweeney Ltd, Romford

Laidlaw for UK’s biggest single phase education project

September 2009 sees the opening of MidKent College's new Medway Campus in Gillingham, the cost of which came to £53 million. Laidlaw Solutions was again selected to supply doors and architectural ironmongery for Nightingale Associates’ design of the U.K.’s biggest single phase education building project to date. The site, which was formerly occupied by a division of the Royal Engineers, included an underground command complex and was bounded by military defences dating from the Napoleonic Wars.
 
With facilities for 6000 students, the campus’s three, five-storey, ‘finger’ buildings are linked by two transparent lower floor atriums with an internal floor area of around 28,500m2. 580 Laidlaw Orbis Timber Doorsets, softwood primed frames, laminate doors and Orbis Commercial Ironmongery in Silk Anodised Aluminium were fitted by carpentry and joinery specialists J J Sweeney of Romford. Laidlaw’s scheduling team produced detailed door-by-door ironmongery schedules, a full bill of materials and project-managed supply of product throughout. Special Projects Manager David Manley commented, “Delivery schedules for a project of this scale are particularly exacting. Doorset preparation at the manufacturing stage entails each being allocated its position on site, leaving the factory with its appropriate fittings. The build time for such a large project was relatively short, but by supplying doorsets ready to position in situ, installation time and risk of damage during construction is greatly reduced”.

Damian Welch of Kier Build commented “The quality of both the doors and ironmongery was excellent; there were very rarely, if any, issues with products sent to site. The transportation was always on time, item scheduling was always accurate and when delivery dates had to be changed or delayed the factory was very accommodating. If there was a client change or a door set was damaged on site, Laidlaw would always ensure a quick turnaround of replacement products. The package of doors and ironmongery worked really well, and as a large proportion of the project involved a heavy element of repetition, the carpenters on site could install them quickly and efficiently. The end product, once finished, worked really well, the quality of the doors and colour chosen receiving some very positive comments when the project was handed over to the College. I would certainly recommend Laidlaw Solutions to all employees within Kier and try to involve them on any projects that I am working on in the future”.