Building an Impactful, Innovative & Transformative Project with Appleby College

Building or renovating in the heart of a bustling independent school comes with its own set of challenges. Cockwell Hall - a state-of-the-art addition to Appleby College’s campus that will enhance learning spaces and expand boarding capacity - exemplifies the inevitable risks many independent schools must manage when building new spaces or renovating existing ones.

Rendering of Cockwell Hall exterior view. Image Credit: MJMA Architecture & Design

Appleby College turned to The Dalton Company to lead the delivery of the three-storey, 22,600 sq. ft. new-build project based on the firm’s successful track record partnering with independent schools to expand and improve their learning environments.

Rendering of Cockwell Hall exterior view. Image Credit: MJMA Architecture & Design

Dalton is currently leading a multi-disciplinary project team through a Construction Manager At-Risk delivery model to construct a new build with a pedestrian connection to an existing facility. Designed by MJMA Architecture & Design, the new hall will consist of (8) classrooms, a 135-square-metre innovation and technology lab, and a residence building with (8) dorms and (1) Don room. The building also features sustainable design elements, including the integration of geothermal heating and cooling systems, as well as solar power systems.

As Construction Manager, Dalton worked closely with the school to identify, plan and manage numerous risks that had the potential to impact the project. Simply put, we worked to understand the ‘what’ in order to determine the ‘how’ that works best for Appleby College.

This began in the all-important pre-construction phase with a comprehensive risk analysis that ultimately developed solutions to common issues affecting schools during construction, such as disruptions to activities, student pick-up/drop-off times, and nearby student boarding houses that are directly adjacent to the project site.

The Cockwell Hall project site is flanked by a road and student boarding houses, which requires the planning and daily execution of a comprehensive health & safety and site logistics plan.

The result is a site logistics plan for Cockwell Hall that balances the school's requirements with daily construction activities. This balance requires constant communication between the project site manager and key representatives at Appleby College, so that adjustments to the daily schedule and sequencing of the work are made to minimize delays and budget overruns.

This fluidity is critical to ensuring that the rhythm and routine of the school’s daily life is maintained while a major construction project is executed in a highly trafficked area of the campus.

Risk management also extends to several other key areas of the project, including the procurement of long lead items (e.g., windows and mechanical and electrical equipment), which need to be purchased through a competitive process and ordered as early as possible to prevent delays.

By committing to this integrative approach in a shared risk analysis, all project team members benefit by leveraging everyone’s knowledge and expertise. This helps to prevent “fire fighting” to solve failures that could have been prevented by working together.