Master Builders Association of Victoria

2009 Excellence in Construction Awards

The Master Builders Association of Victoria's Excellence in Construction Awards showcase the outstanding craftsmanship and professional standards of Association members and demonstrates the commitment to building excellence in the commercial/industrial sectors throughout Victoria.

Excellence in Stonemasonry

Winner: Baron Forge Contractors (Vic)

Project: Cnr Bourke & Williams Streets, Melbourne

Brookfield Multiplex Construction contracted Baron Forge as specialist stone subcontractor to carry out very intricate and challenging stone cladding/paving in conjunction with Bates Smart (architects) & SJB (architects) to assist in construction of 181William Street and 550 Bourke Street buildings.
The final contract sum (including variations) was 4 million dollars.

The project run for about 12 months and consisted of around 4000m2 of cladding (internal & external), around 1500m2 of paving and 200m2 of feature stone works (seats, stairs, planter boxes etc.)

The 181 William Street and 550 Bourke Street buildings are state of the art office buildings located centrally in the CBD. The buildings were developed and financed by CBUS – industry superfund. The main feature of the buildings is huge stone clad columns giving the façade an eye catching feature. There are 40 columns ranging from 26mts in height to 15mts all around both the buildings all covered with Belgium White Marble. There is a massive wall around 25mts high and 20 mts long on the 550 Building façade all clad in Belgium White Marble with stainless steel inserts which gives the building façade a unique look.

Between the two building there is a lane way (Goldsborough Lane) with shops and cafes packed with features like Stairs and Planter boxes clad in Honed Victorian Bluestone giving a very pleasant feeling and a great place to relax to the general public and people working in the building. Entry lobby of 181 William Street building is all covered in Honed Bluestone (floors and walls) with feature seats and wall creating displaying art of stonework at its best.

In Contrast the entry lobby of 550 Bourke Street building is all covered with terrazzo (floors and walls) with Belgium White inserts and all internal columns clad with Belgium White Marble. The project was recently featured in the Australian National Construction Magazine – Major Project Review (Page 180).

Materials

Belgium White Marble was sourced from Vietnam and all processing works were done by Baron Forge. Bluestone was sourced from local Victorian suppliers and processed by Baron Forge.

Special features, technologies and innovations

The intricacy and sheer volume of stone works required on the job instigated us to take the stone manufacturing and installation to a whole new level and magnitude. The most challenging part of the works was to site measure each element and manufactures it to the highest precision in the factory to make it work perfect on the job.

The material movement and getting stone that high up without damaging was one of the several critical aspects of the job. State of the art mechanical fixing methods had to be used to hold the stone (1380mm x 1000mm x 30mm thk) 26mts high up. All available access equipments and most of them modified specifically for the works were required to achieve the standard and quality of stone works on the job.

Constraints and difficulties

The safe and effective measurement, manufacturing and movement of materials both in the factory and on site to the heights required was one of the most difficult tasks on the job.


Sourcing the massive quantities required on the job of consistent colour and quality was a daunting task and to make sure that quality is not compromised we had to make at least six trips to Vietnam.

Also the details of fixings and fixing methods for the stone to different substrates required a lot time and input from several team members within our organisation to come up with safe and sound means of fixings.

Client’s feedback

Andrew James (project manager) from Brookfield Multiplex Construction commented after the project saying that Baron Forge (Paz Group) contractors were more than tradesman they were craftsman and the best he had work with. Also he added that the quality achieved and the time frame (project was completed 4 months ahead of scheduled date) the project was completed in would have not been possible without Baron Forge.

For further information contact the Association on (03) 9411 4555

Master Builder of the Year
Winner - Bovis Lend Lease Pty Ltd
Project: Melbourne Recital Centre & Melbourne Theatre Company, Southbank

Regional Builder of the Year
Winner - A W Nicholson Pty Ltd t/a Nicholson Construction
Project: Hepburn Bathhouse & Spa, Hepburn Springs

Excellence in Health & Safety
Winner - Bovis Lend Lease Pty Ltd
Project: ANZ, Victoria Harbour

Excellence in Shop & Office Fitout
Winner - FDC Construction and Fitout Pty Ltd
Project: Austereo - Studio & Office Fitout, South Melbourne

Excellence in Construction of Commercial Buildings Under $5M
Winner - Buildcorp Commercial
Project: Sackville Street Offices, Collingwood

Excellence in Construction of Commercial Buildings $5M - $10M
Winner - Ireland Brown Constructions
Project: 13 Level Refurbishment, Department of Infrastructure, Melbourne

Excellence in Construction of Commercial Buildings $10M - $20M
Winner - Probuild
Project: Stage 2, Melbourne Underwater World , Melbourne

Special Commendation - Maben Group Pty Ltd
Project: Sussan & Sportsgirl Head Office

Excellence in Construction of Commercial Buildings $20M - $30M
Winner - Watpac Construction (Vic) Pty Ltd
Project: Caroline Springs Library & Sports Stadium, Caroline Springs

Excellence in Construction of Commercial Buildings $30M - $80M
Winner - Hooker Cockram Projects Limited
Project: Monash University STRIP 2, Clayton

Excellence in Construction of Commercial Buildings Over $80M
Winner - Bovis Lend Lease Pty Ltd
Project: Melbourne Recital Centre & Melbourne Theatre Company, Southbank

Excellence in Construction of Industrial Buildings
Winner - Qanstruct (Aust) Pty Ltd
Project: Swire Cold Storage, Laverton North

Best Sustainable Energy Project
Winner - Bovis Lend Lease Pty Ltd
Project: The Gauge, Victoria Harbour

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