Exoskeleton milestone for remarkable Jubilee Place

The diagrid exoskeleton design was developed by architects Blight Raynor and engineered by Robert Bird Group, with methodology input from BESIX Watpac’s inhouse engineering department, to overcome two major site constraints. The first was to minimise the load on the Clem 7 tunnels beneath the site and to allow the new building to cantilever over the top of the historic and heritage-listed Jubilee Hotel.

All the diagrid uprights, nodes and other steel components have been precision manufactured by Beenleigh Steel Fabrications (BSF) and progressively delivered to site since September 2020 when the first uprights were installed.

The final perimeter uprights rise from level 12 and will support levels 13 and 14 and a smaller 15th floor to accommodate building services plant.

Visiting the site to mark the milestone in delivery, BESIX Watpac CEO Jean-Pol Bouharmont noted the engineering and construction significance of the project.

“I really consider this project as a landmark for the new BESIX Watpac,” Jean-Pol said.

“It’s complex, it’s logistically challenging, it’s engineering-led, all the structure had to be optimised and all the movement during the erection had to be simulated. After all of this, none of the structural elements had to be re-machined so the engineering was really great,” he said.

Senior Project Manager Andrew Negri paid tribute to the steel work supplier saying, “BSF have been fantastic and everybody associated with the steel has been terrific".

BSF Director Anthony Stoeckert acknowledged the great working relationship between his company and BESIX Watpac and the achievements of the Jubilee Place project.

“It was difficult at the start. It’s some of the biggest most complex diagrid sections we’ve had to fabricate. We had to get a machine made in our factory, then we had to turn it into a fully automated CNC so we could get it down to the millimetre-perfect fit that it had to be, and it worked a treat,” Anthony said.

Jean-Pol Bouharmont expressed his enthusiasm for the project saying, “It’s showing off the expertise we have inhouse in both engineering and execution. I’m really proud of what we are doing here".

Jubilee Place is an asset managed by Credit Suisse Asset Management.