Cost model: 21st-century university building | Features

Design issues for specialist space
Libraries and learning resource centres
Design drivers	Solutions
Continuing expansion of library collections	Greater use of electronic journals, provision of flexible internal accommodation to allow for growth of hard and soft copy collections
Increasing requirements for group-based working	Provide separate spaces for quiet and group working and special consideration of acoustic management in open-plan areas
Greater use of IT	Provide central IT resource areas to reduce network costs and to control noise. Increase space allowances to permit screen and desk working. Provide quiet work space for book-based study
Environmental control	Maximise natural ventilation and daylight where possible. Restrict use of cooling to archive and IT areas only where conditions require it
Research facilities
Need to attract research scientists and external funding	High-quality architecture, high standards of internal and external environment and up-to-date equipment
Facilitation of creative multidisciplinary working	Provision of hierarchy of workplaces to enable group and solo working and range of spaces to encourage interaction
Flexibility to accommodate change	Flexible fit-out and servicing solutions that facilitate replanning and restacking
Separation of undergraduate teaching and graduate research activities	Clear separation of activities either through the development of stand-alone buildings or the internal planning of larger schemes
Laboratories
Close environmental control	Extensive, high-capacity building services, large ceiling voids, solid floor slabs to control vibration and avoid infestation in floor voids
Quality of working environment	Quality of write-up areas, flexibility of lab space and quality of natural light and air-conditioning systems
Flexibility	Modular laboratory design and services distribution, easily accessible services installations, independent structure and services
Security to protect research projects and equipment	Physical and electronic security measures, balanced against requirements to promote interaction between researchers. Specialist security for animal houses and other high-risk areas
Teaching spaces
Flexible floorplates	Column-free space, lightweight partitions, regular planning grid, small power and IT distribution equivalent to commercial office standards to provide flexibility for replanning
High-quality space	Shallow floor plates of 12-15 m for daylight and natural ventilation, clear orientation, use of atriums to provide circulation and social space, use of good-quality, robust materials
Low operational costs	Natural ventilation, limited cooling and ventilation for peak lopping only, and use of cost-effective sustainability features

Cost breakdown
	Element cost	cost/m2 gfa £
Substructure	979,000	222.5
Basement construction; excavation and disposal; reinforced insitu concrete ground beams, walls and suspended slab; vapour barrier and protection board; average depth 4.60 m 1300 m2 @ 400
Piling; 600 diameter; average 35 m long; testing; disposal 48 @ 2500
Contiguous piling; 450 and 600 diameter; average 17 m long; testing; disposal 190 @ 1400
Allowance for additional foundation works Item @ 3000
Allowance for incoming services Item @ 70,000
Frame and upper floors	718,000	163.18
Insitu reinforced concrete columns, core walls and suspended slabs; 400 thick 4000 m2 @ 170
Extra for exposed trough slab; 400 thick 1450 m2 @ 8
Structural steel frame; hollow sections at roof level; surface finishes; erection 24t @ 1100
Roof	307,100	69.8
Zinc raised seam roofing; 0.8 mm thick; low pitch; softwood roof members, plywood deck; vapour barrier, insulation 425 m2 @ 130
Inverted mastic asphalt roof; lightweight screed, average 105 thick; isolating layer; rigid board insulation; gravel ballast, 80 mm thick; including detailing to kerbs for plant and rooflights 495m2 @ 120
Proprietary opening rooflights; double glazed; Velux; average size 1 m2 32 @ 1000
Purpose made patent glazing; aluminium glazing bars; sealed double glazed units 280 m2 @ 350
Allowance for flashings; fascias; sheathing felt etc Item @ 20,000
Rainwater goods; gutters and roof outlets Item 14,000
Cleaning gantry Item @ 18,000
Mansafe system Item @ 5,200
Pavement rooflights; smoke vents 12 m2 @ 440
Stairs	97,000	22.05
Insitu reinforced concrete stairs and half landings; 1600 wide; 3.7 m average rise 8 @ 4800
Allowance for balustrades and handrails 190 m @ 140
Allowance for roof level access ladders 4 @ 3,000
Allowance for catwalks and platforms in plant rooms Item @ 20,000
External walls	208,500	47.39
Cavity wall construction; facing bricks; blockwork; DPCs; insulation; lintels 345 m2 @ 100
Cavity wall construction; facing bricks; built against concrete walls; DPCs; insulation; lintels 690 m2 @ 80
Precast concrete copings 250 m @ 75
Windows and external doors	301,200	68.45
Proprietary steel-framed, double-glazed windows; polyester powder-coated 75 m2 @ 380
Curtain walling; steel frame; sealed double-glazed units ; insulated steel-faced spandel panels; polyester powder-coated 470m2 @ 450
Clerestory windows; sealed double-glazed louvre motorised units; controls 30 m2 @ 900
External doors; double-glazed, steel-framed doors and doorsets; polyester powder-coated; stainless steel ironmongery 10 @ 1700
External doors; aluminium louvre doors and doorsets; polyester powder-coated; stainless steel ironmongery 7 @ 800
Allowance for security shutters Item @ 2000
Window boards; painted 320 m 30
Internal walls and partitions	160,000	36.36
Partitions; facing blockwork; 150 average thickness (average rate); ancillaries 1340 m2 @ 40
Extra over for 215 thick blockwork 450 m2 @ 15
Stud partition; ancillaries; acoustic sealants 1600 m2 @ 50
Allowance for fire-rated drylining to service risers 360 m2 @ 40
Cubicle partitions; polyester powder-coated, steel-faced composite panels 12 @ 440
Internal doors	177,900	40.43
Flush doors; solid core; ply-faced; vision panels; wrot softwood frame; 30/30 fire resistance; stainless steel door furniture; decorations 200 @ 800
Extra for; oak veneer finish 70 @ 170
Allowance for borrowed lights Item @ 6000
Wall finishes	71,600	16.27
Plasterboard wall linings; timber battens; ancillaries 2070 m2 @ 14
Two-coat plasterwork 1060 m2 @ 10
Skim coat; to plasterboard 760 m2 @ 4
Ceramic tiles 100 m2 @ 50
Painting plaster two coats emulsion paint 8000 m2 @ 3
Floor finishes	348,000	79.09
Hardwood flooring; clear lacquer finish 100 m2 @ 80
Raised access floor; 150 average cavity depth; dust sealer to cavity 2600 m2 @ 50
Extra for acoustic and fire cavity barriers 2600 m2 @ 5
Allowance for floor diffusers 260 @ 100
Allowance for services bridges Item @ 5000
Screeds; sand cement and proprietary concrete screeds; average 60 thick;
average rate used 825 m2 @ 20
Extra for insulation board 140 m2 @ 18
Carpet tile; to general areas 2900 m2 @ 30
Rubber tile safety flooring; skirting 210 m2 @ 56
Rubber sheet flooring; to general areas 680 m2 @ 37
Floor paint; to plant rooms 390 m2 @ 4
Softwood skirting; painted 1950 m @ 10
Ceiling finishes	63,900	14.52
Allowance for mats and matwells Item @ 2000
Suspended ceilings; plasterboard on MF; access panels; paint finish 750 m2 @ 30
Allowance for radiant panel ceiling Item @ 22,000
Plasterboard linings; access panels; paint finish 560 m2 @ 20
Painting; to exposed concrete ribbed soffits; one coat clear sealer 4100 m2 @ 2
Furniture	307,000	69.77
Purpose-made fixed furniture; tables and seating to non-teaching areas Item @ 150,000
Reception desk Item @ 20,000
Lecture theatre and seminar room equipment; whiteboards, hanging rails,
flipcharts and pinboards Item @ 60,000
Fixed seating to lecture theatre 200 @ 150
Window blinds 300 m2 @ 50
Motorised blind to skylight Item @ 5000
Blackout blinds to teaching spaces Item @ 25,000
Statutory and orientation signage Item @ 2000
Sanitary fittings	54,400	12.36
WCs, urinals, washhand basins, fittings; cleaners’ sinks; complete (average rate) 80 @ 260
Extra for fittings for disabled WCs 5 @ 400
IPS system panels; including access panels; ancillaries 80 m2 @ 200
Modular washroom units; stainless steel 8 @ 1600
Hand dryers 14 @ 200
Disposal installations	103,600	23.55
Rainwater downpipes, outlets and connections to drains 4400 m2 @ 10
Extra for basement drainage 1300 m2 @ 12
Waste, soil and vent installation; PVCu pipework and fittings 4400 m2 @ 10
Water installations	83,400	18.95
Mains water; cold water storage and distribution, water treatment 4400 m2 @ 10
Hot water installation; calorifiers; distribution; insulation 4400 m2 @ 6
Local water heaters; distribution; insulation Item @ 13,000
Space heating and air treatment	583,600	132.64
Boiler; 575 kW, pumpset and pipework in plantroom; flue Item @ 62,000
Chilled water plant; 260kW; pipework and valves in plantrooms and risers Item @ 49,000
Air handling units; supply and extract; total mass flow rate 17 kg/s Item @ 82,000
LTHW distribution pipework; ancillaries; insulation 4400 m2 @ 20
Chilled water distribution pipework; ancillaries; insulation 1930 m2 @ 10
Supply and extract ductwork; grilles and diffusers; ancillaries; including allowances for two-hour fire-rated smoke extract ductwork 1930 m2 @ 90
LTHW heating; trench heating Item @ 26,000
LTHW heating; panel radiators Item @ 34,000
Allowance for radiant panel heating and cooling installation to double height spaces 485 m2 @ 40
Allowance for supplementary cooling to ICT rooms; packaged DX units Item @ 17,000
Toilet extract installation 4400 m2 @ 3
Electrical installations	444,500	101.02
Mains and sub – mains installation 4400 m2 @ 20
Small power installation 4400 m2 @ 20
Extra over for small power to offices and IT areas; floor outlet boxes 1800 m2 @ 5
Lighting and luminaires; generally 4400 m2 @ 35
Extra for enhanced lighting; public spaces and cellular offices 1700 m2 @ 45
Emergency lighting; generally 4400 m2 @ 5
Power supply installation to mechanical equipment Item @ 7000
Gas installation	13,000	2.95
Gas supply to central boiler and kitchen area Item @ 13,000
Lift installation	86,000	19.55
Four-person electric traction lift serving five floors 2 @ 43000
Protective installations	22,200	5.05
Lightning protection 4400 m2 @ 2
Earthing and bonding 4400 m2 @ 1
Dry riser 1 @ 9000
Communications installation	152,900	34.75
Fire alarm installation; smoke detectors; call points 4400 m2 @ 15
Disabled alarm Item @ 3000
Structured cabling installation; 120% capacity 1250 m2 @ 25
Security and access control system; intruder alarm 4400 m2 @ 4
Allowance for CCTV system Item @ 20000
Telephone and data wireways; for ICT, CCTV and security systems Item @ 15000
Special installations	110,000	25
Building management system 4400 m2 @ 25
Builder's work in connection	82,700	18.8
Forming holes, chases etc Allow 5% Item @ 82700
Preliminaries and contingencies	995,800	226.32
Testing and commissioning of services; record drawings Item @ 10,000
Management costs, site establishment and site supervision Allow 13% Item @ 711,800
Contingency sum Allow 5% Item @ 274,000
Total construction cost – building only	6,471,300	1470.75

Location factors
Inner London	1.06
South-east	0.97
South-west	0.91
East Midlands	0.90
West Midlands	0.89
East Anglia	0.91
Yorkshire and Humberside	0.85
North-west	0.90
Northern	0.86
Scotland	0.87
Wales	0.85
Northern Ireland	0.73

Indicative costs of university buildings
Building type	£/m2 gifa
Humanities teaching building	1100 to 1600
Science laboratory buildings	1500 to 2400
Libraries	1300 to 2000
Learning resource centres	1300 to 1800
Lecture theatres	1300 to 1500
Costs are current in fourth quarter 2002, based on a location in outer London. Costs are for the building only, and exclude demolitions, loose furniture and fittings, external works, professional fees and VAT.