Benchmark costs

The benchmark figures in this study represent typical costs that a client could expect to pay for the school sports halls outlined. Costs are £/m2 of gross floor area, measured to the internal face of the external walls.

Costs are based on the building tender prices and have been updated to take into consideration inflation since the scheme was built. In the final column, all schemes have been adjusted to represent costs at fourth quarter 2003 price levels in south-east England. Regional adjustment factors for all regions of the UK are shown overleaf.

The contract sums in the table are for the building only, although preliminaries and contingencies have been allocated to each scheme, which explains why the cost/m2 figure is not the same as the contract sum divided by the area m2.

External works have not been included and the cost of roads, landscaping, site enclosure and any service runs should be added to arrive at any calculation of total construction cost.

Building costs are affected by a number of factors such as building type, location, site accessibility, design and so on. However, the benchmark costs provide useful indicators of a sample of schemes in different conditions. The cost data can be manipulated in a number of ways:

• Adjusted to a different location other than south-east England (see "Regional adjustments").
  
• Adjusted for time so for instance, costs could be projected ahead to a proposed tender date.
  
• Tailored to a closer fit to that of a new proposed building, by eliminating dissimilar schemes.

The benchmark series produced by EC Harris identifies buildings where the building type is the key cost driver. The costs of school sports halls, for example, are different to the costs of sports and leisure centres, which tend to have a higher, commercial level of internal finishes and fittings and will usually include extras such as a snack bar or restaurant.