FRESH APPROACH TO OUTDOOR SPACE

Andrew Jefferson Editor

Team members, students and visitors to Master Builders Victoria’s East Melbourne head office will notice some exciting changes on the ground floor with the addition of a new outdoor garden. It mostly came about in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the benefit of having more open-air space. MBV HR & Payroll officer, Heidi Sproal, who oversaw the day to day running of the project, said the breathtaking transformation of the old outside smoking area had been in the pipeline since last late year. She said everyone involved was delighted with the finished product. “Due to COVID, one of the aims was to try and open up more outside space so that was one of the main drivers in getting this area done up,” she said. Ms Sproal said there was also an ulterior motive as the old space had a leak in it and water was seeping into the basement, causing urgent rectification works. “It gradually got worse and worse over the years, so something needed to be done,” she said. “The demolition started in May and required a lot of jackhammering. “And when they started jackhammering, they found things that they didn’t expect to find. “There was waterproofing laid over the top of the old terracotta tiles, so they had to jackhammer all those up and strip it back to the bare bones. “Eventually they managed to do all the waterproofing properly and the final product looks fantastic. “There was a big rush to get it done before the weather changed but it’s just nice to see some green down there.” Johnstaff was the project manager for the works while Brokaw & Associates were the landscapers. Ms Sproal credited the makeover to a “mixture of people” who first started talking about the potential of the outdoor space back in December 2020. Trudie Balthazaar, Ania Pronobis, Corrie Williams and Mark Lyons (project manager) were heavily involved in the project and making the ground floor inside space more aesthetically pleasing. There is talk that the outdoor garden might be set up as a resource in Outlook so MBAV team members can book the new space for meetings in summer.

The new outdoor garden at Master Builders Victoria’s head office. PHOTOS: Jason Plevras