Transforming the heart of Dandenong

The new six-storey building housing the City of Greater Dandenong’s administration offices formed a key part of the ‘Revitalising Central Dandenong’ regeneration initiative. A state-of-the-art two storey public library, community meeting rooms and Council Chamber are also accommodated within the precinct. The main building is clad in architectural precast concrete panels with infill glazing to the upper levels and shop front glazing to the lower levels. To the north and west of the new buildings is a large civic square including an events stage, café, extensive landscaping, retail tenancies and large LED screen.

Value Engineering 

After being awarded the contract, we engaged with the client and design team through a formal value management exercise to identify design refinements and innovations that brought the contract value within budget without compromising quality. These included alternative materials for façades, internal finishes and landscaping, alternative light fittings, and a re-design of the back-up generator system. This close collaboration was maintained throughout the project ensuring the developing and detailed design was constructed within budget.

Flexible delivery

Changes to the original program facilitated a more efficient ‘top down’ approach to the internal fit-out. By introducing a site egress strategy which targeted completion of the upper floors first, we did not need to access works through completed floors. This provided the client with earlier access for their fixed furniture and equipment installation. Another time-saving initiative was the approach to installing the precast concrete façade panels. These were erected on, and propped from, the previous floor - forming the edge for the floor above. This enabled window installation to commence earlier as well as eliminating the need for temporary protection screens as the panels acted as fall protection screens.

Innovation through design

An extensive review of the piling design was undertaken with our piling subcontractor and the structural engineer. The revised system reduced the number of piles and used quicker continuous flight auger techniques in lieu of traditional bored piles, reducing the program by two weeks. The design of the façade featured a number of differing materials, including custom runs of aluminium extrusions, with complex geometry and multiple interfaces. Six façade subcontractors were closely managed and coordinated through the shop drawing process, with each contractor’s details integrated through 3D modelling software, to ensure interfaces and junction details would be waterproof and meet warranty requirements.

Meeting 5 Star requirements

Achieving 5 star as-built credits for concrete is a significant challenge on any project due to limitations on the mix consistency, appearance of the exposed concrete, and the increased curing times on in-situ concrete. We achieved the 5-star rating on this project by engaging with our concrete subcontractor to develop a special mix design that could meet this standard without the curing time impacting the program.