Upgrading & repurposing school facilities on a remote island

Background/challenge

Located 2,750 kilometres north-west of Perth in the Indian Ocean, the Cocos (Keeling) Islands are a remote territory of Australia. The islands are administered by the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts who appointed JLL to project manage the upgrade of bathroom facilities at the Home Island and West Island school campuses.

Part of the Indian Ocean Territories schools, both campuses, approximately 40 years old had toilet facilities that were non-compliant with building standards.

The project faced a number of challenges including organising transportation to such a remote island, biosecurity requirements, finding reputable contractors, and with an average annual rainfall of 7,620mm on the island, water runoff was an ongoing issue.

Approach

Due to the significant work needed, it was not financially feasible to upgrade the existing facilities. To address the most pressing compliance issues and provide improved restrooms for students without causing any disruption, a range of options were considered, and prefabricated facilities were recommended as the most cost-effective solution.

Before being transported to Cocos (Keeling) Islands, the new restroom facilities were designed and largely built in Perth by an Indigenous contractor who was appointed in line with the Indigenous Procurement Policy. By prefabricating the facilities, we were able to ensure the existing restrooms could continue to be used until the new facilities were put into service.

The contractor hired local qualified subcontractors to finish building and installing the new restroom facilities which we project managed onsite.

Following heavy rainfalls and flooding on the Island, we delivered the scope of work in partnership with a local experienced builder and installed a drainage system adjacent to the new toilet at West Island Campus which has minimised water runoff and flooding since it was installed.

Additionally, we project managed the decommissioning, asbestos removal, cleaning, and repurposing of the existing restrooms for use as storage for the campuses.

Result

We were able to solve ongoing maintenance and safety issues with a premium solution without incurring any downtime on the campuses.

The campuses went from using 40-year-old, asbestos-filled buildings to brand-new, well-lit, purpose-built buildings that could accommodate both students and staff.

The project was successfully delivered and finished on schedule despite the difficulties of being on a remote island, dealing with harsh island weather, and adhering to biosecurity and quarantine regulations.