Uniting Bowden Brae
- Civil
Partnership
We’ve been partnering with Pluim on design and construct projects for close to 15 years, focusing mainly on Bunnings warehouses, council projects, and various other commercial developments. Our collaboration starts at the tender stage, where we assist with structural and civil designs to help Pluim price projects and secure the contracts. Once they win the job, Northrop develops the detailed design and works closely with Pluim throughout the construction phase. With our long-standing partnership and mutual understanding of each other’s processes, we can consistently deliver comprehensive, cost-effective designs that not only help win tenders but also ensure high-quality outcomes for these projects.
Project
The project involves a two-storey Bunnings warehouse covering over 20,000 square meters, with ground-level parking and a first-floor trading floor warehouse. The site, previously a precast yard, featured steeply sloping bedrock from an old natural waterway. These topographical challenges required careful planning and design to ensure the stability of the structure, ultimately transforming the site into a functional commercial space to meet operational needs.
Delivery
Working closely with Pluim, we developed a foundation strategy that addressed the site’s poor ground conditions, incorporating a combination of hardwood timber piles and pad footings to reach the sloping bedrock. To promote sustainability, we made use of recycled concrete throughout the project—incorporating it into road base, backfill behind retaining walls, and other areas—leveraging a large stockpile available on-site from the previous precast yard.
Our engineering team also designed an efficient structural steel roof while successfully eliminating the need for any internal bracing walls with the roof structure spanning 160 meters. Additionally, we devised a civil strategy to manage the overland flow path, ensuring it smoothly integrated through the car park while maintaining regulatory compliance and functionality.
Impact
This project was extremely successful for the client. A huge bonus was delivering the project ahead of schedule and prior to the Easter long weekend, which happens to be Bunnings’ busiest trading period. It was a great outcome, benefiting the community and supporting local builders and contractors.
Being a local Central Coast project with a local builder made it even more meaningful. It was a massive undertaking that further strengthened our relationship with the client, and since Lake Haven, we’ve completed five more Bunnings sites together with a further two in construction. Everyone loves a Bunnings!
Imagery Source
Pluim
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