Commercial

Chadstone Shopping Centre Redevelopment 

The Chadstone Shopping Centre in south-east Melbourne is once more the largest in Australia, with the completion of a new retail and food area, as well as a ten-storey office building and hotel opening in 2017. 

Beginning in 2015, it was imperative to have the new extension to the shopping centre completed by November 2016 to cater for the Christmas shopping season. Another requirement was that the existing parts of the shopping centre must remain open and operational throughout the 15-month redevelopment phase. This meant there was little room for storage of materials – so the logistics of supply and delivery were critical success factors. 

ProBuild Project Site Manager Peter Free said:

"ProBuild was engaged by the Gandel and Vicinity Group in 2014 to start the Stage 38 and 40 projects of Chadstone. The project value was around the $400 million mark and the timeline was to be ready for Christmas 2016, which Probuild and all subcontractors achieved."

Probuild subcontracted internal walls and ceilings to Arc Plastering, a national company specialising in large commercial developments. Arc had not used Knauf products previously, but the critical logistics and supply considerations in the Chadstone project made them open to the supply solutions offered by Knauf. 

The Knauf Technical Support team was also able to help with another major challenge faced in the project’s final stages: rapid turnaround of design solutions. Tenant requirements within the retail and food areas would change, so design specifications had to adapt ‘on the fly’. During the latter part of the project, the team was creating new solutions then producing the designs and specifications within a four-hour window. During the last months of the project, when the pressure was on to meet the pre-Christmas shopping deadline, Arc Plastering had up to 130 workers on site at any given time, with shifts working around the clock. 

Pat Moore, Director of Arc Plastering said:

"There was a short time to achieve programs, hampered by probably the wettest winter we had in 100 years. We managed this by two-weekly forecasting. We never doubted our ability to get the job done. Our only issue was whether we could get access to do our job."

Knauf attended daily meetings with Arc, with Andrew Smyth, Knauf’s Commercial Manager, working closely with Arc and Knauf's manufacturing plants to ensure runs of specialised plasterboard to meet building code regulations for fire-safety, acoustics and wet areas were available in sufficient quantities to meet project deadlines. Says Andrew, “On a project like this in a retail environment, it’s critical that building codes are met for the safety of patrons that come to the centre.” Pat Moore says “Knauf had the product available whether it was a two-hour or four-hour fire rating, the acoustic DBA levels that we needed – it was there. And it was there on the shelf and onsite pretty much straight away." 

Pat Moore, Director of Arc Plastering:

"Knauf helped greatly with design, delivery, and support. And as a result, we brought the job in on a deadline. It was pretty tight but we got there... I think the planning and timing was perfect and the centre opened on time, so the client and tenants were happy."

Knauf Helps Express Interiors Meet a Curvy Challenge

Multiplex commenced development of The Club Stand in 2016, a new world-class facility for Victorian Racing Club (VRC) Members at Flemington Racecourse. A priority on the VRC’s 2010 Masterplan, given the old Members’ Grandstand was reaching the end of its life, the $128 million project was designed by Bates Smart Architects, envisioning a five-storey structure of elegant curves.

The new Heritage Victoria-approved stand extends existing VRC Member facilities with multiple bars, restaurants, lounges, betting facilities and over 2,000 grandstand seats. The historically significant Members’ Bar has been carefully reconstructed to maintain its traditional ambiance.

Other special features include a magnificent central lobby and curving grand staircase, plus a Roof Garden drawing inspiration from Flemington’s Garden setting with extraordinary views of the track and Melbourne skyline.

Construction director of Express Interiors Greg Edwards said:

"This was an extremely challenging project. With the assistance of Knauf, Express have been able to deliver a fantastic result on time and budget."

Thrown a Curve Ball

Express Interiors was contracted to provide the linings for all internal walls and ceilings – commencing work onsite in October 2017 – with the stand ready for occupancy from August 2018, in good time for its use during the Spring Racing Carnival.

The principal challenge of the project was meeting design requirements for curved walls, ceilings and pillars with an extremely tight radius. As a public building, The Club Stand was also subject to strict BCA and acoustical requirements, so called for wall and ceiling linings with specific technical attributes.

According to Express Interiors Director Greg Edwards:

“The challenge to deliver a project of this size, with the amount of feature curved walls and ceiling, was huge. Your business reputation is on the line. I'm very pleased to say a world class result was achieved, thanks largely to the great collaboration between Knauf and Express Interiors."

Help at Hand

During 2017, Express Interiors worked closely with long-term partner Knauf to develop different wall and ceiling designs required throughout the structure. The Knauf Architectural & Engineering Team developed a detailed Specification and Value Engineering (S.A.V.E) proposal specifying and visually illustrating 19 optimum solutions based on relevant BCA regulations and Australian Standards across a wide range of technical plasterboard products and fixtures.

In achieving the desired curved surfaces, Express Interiors was assisted by Knauf technical advice and onsite support throughout the project.

Greg Edwards said:

“Regular walkthroughs were completed between Express Interiors and Knauf Engineers and Technical Management to assess quality of wall and ceiling installations, compliance to specifications and to provide advice on any technical aspects or concerns. Knauf was involved very early in the specification process and provided a number of design initiatives that reduced costs and improved on site production.”

The project was completed on time and on budget, with The Club Stand set to provide a greatly improved Member experience for the 2018 Melbourne Cup Carnival and many years beyond.