Undertaking major facade and cladding upgrades to a government building for fire safety compliance
Spotlight
Project and construction management
Time
June 2018 - August 2020
Location
Sydney, NSW, Australia
Size
75,000 sqm
JLL was engaged by an independent government entity to project manage a year-long program of works to its building to meet statutory fire-safety standards. The client is a round-the-clock provider of essential public services, and so it was critical there was zero disruption to workers in the building and core business operations.
Challenge
Our client required fire compliance upgrades to the interior and exterior of its 75,000 sqm building. The project’s scale and complexity demanded total synergy with the client’s ongoing operations and stakeholders.
Because of the complexity of the works, we created a bespoke agreement with our client to second JLL specialists to their office, and formed a major projects team within its finance and property division.
JLL served as principal representative acting on behalf of the landlord, as well as a client representative acting on behalf of all business unit end users. We had a track record of similar works for other large and complex organisations to draw from to get the job done.
JLL ensured successful delivery of a complex project while maintaining full operations. A great job well delivered.
Approach
We began the project in June 2018 with scoping and exploratory works, which led to an early contractor involvement tender before the end of the year.
The head contract was awarded in early 2019 to kick off the works. Throughout the process, we continued to provide premium management expertise, including finding opportunities to create value-add solutions, and acting as a single point of contact and accountability for the client.
At times, there were unforeseen events, which required quick adjustments, enhancements and risk-mitigation strategies. Such events included:
- Major client operational events where there was zero tolerance for disruption, noise or vibration from works.
- The bushfires of 2019/2020. Building works included removing the roof and facade from large sections of the building, which had implications for smoke ingress that had to be mitigated. Smoke detection, as well as fire and life-critical systems, had to be isolated.
- COVID-19. We continued to carry out construction throughout the global pandemic under a new regime of distancing and hygiene requirements, with zero impact to the client.
Result
Our strong governance and diligent approach to noise management saw the project executed on time and within budget by August 2020.
Critically, programming and coordination in partnership with the client’s steering committee, property management leadership team and major stakeholder business units ensured the safety and comfort of staff, visitors, neighbours and the public.
