Designer Education

from The Builders Choice - June 19

by The Builders Choice

THE BUILDERS CHOICE PBSA Student Accommodation

PBSA STUDENT ACCOMMODATION

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THE TEAM

Phone: 9382 1655 www.stirlingcapital.com.au

22 The Builders Choice Magazine – June 2019

PBSA Student Accommodation THE BUILDERS CHOICE

With education representing one of

Australia’s most important exports, providing appropriate accommodation for students has become an emerging market.

In Perth this burgeoning market is being pioneered by Stirling Capital, as most recently showcased by their innovative $90 million The Boulevard project.

Designer Education ... Pacesetting Student Accommodation in Perth

he 573-room, 23-storey tower in Stirling Street is Perth’s first purpose-built student accommodation of this type. It was developed by Stirling Capital in partnership with global accommodation investor GSA, and will be operated by award-winning The Student Housing Company.

Stirling Capital have adopted a design-led approach, with a focus on providing high-amenity yet affordable apartments, many with shared facilities. “We are creating communities students will want to be a part of,” they explain. “These are built not, as you might expect, on campus but in the inner city where there are established shops, restaurants and bars – plus excellent access to buses and trains.”

A mix of studios and shared apartment living, The Boulevard offers extensive communal facilities

to foster student interaction, including swimming pool, gymnasium, communal kitchen and study spaces and rooftop lounge.

The Stirling Street location is an emerging urban village at the heart of the city’s cultural precinct. The area is highly accessible to all universities and public transport, and within walking distance of the new museum and art gallery, as well bars cafes, shops and restaurants.

Construction of the facility began in early 2017, and the entire project was delivered in around 18 months – the first six months being in the ground, and working through a complex ground and first floor structure. The project successfully reached completion in time for the start of the 2019 academic year, which also allowed the client’s fit-out to take place during the New Year break.

June 2019 – The Builders Choice Magazine 23

THE BUILDERS CHOICE PBSA Student Accommodation

“The Boulevard offers extensive communal facilities to foster student interaction”

Project Management and Industry Innovation The design concept included conventional concrete slabs and columns, on a piled foundation. The structure was redesigned to use hollowcore slabs, which reduced the building weight significantly, allowing the foundation to be a raft, and construction cycle times to be reduced to fit the client’s requirements.

The use of a cast-in corbel on the wall panels further reduced construction time by enabling fit-out to commence as soon as the topping over had been poured.

The ground floor comprises a reception area and office, with a services area to the west; the mezzanine-level includes carparking, lounge and offices; level one is entirely dedicated to car-parking; level two is the top of the podium and contains

24 The Builders Choice Magazine – June 2019

PBSA Student Accommodation THE BUILDERS CHOICE

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June 2019 – The Builders Choice Magazine 25

THE BUILDERS CHOICE PBSA Student Accommodation

student facilities, including swimming pool, study pods, laundry, demonstration kitchen and lounge areas; level three is the first of the accommodation levels (going up to level 22 and containing fivebed clusters, twin rooms and studios) and level 23 is half accommodation and half student amenities, including a bar, barbecue area, outdoor cinema and lounge area.

The building sits on a 1500 thick raft, tapered at the edges to reduce impact on the surrounding structures; and, generally, the exterior is painted concrete panels with aluminium windows, while the east

elevation recess is clad with vitrepanel. As for the degree of difficulty, access was limited as the site has buildings on three sides and Stirling Street to the east, and the building footprint takes up the entire site. Fitting in a crane and hoists created programming difficulties, and the programme was further compressed by delays with access to site.

Careful management enabled the floor structure to be completed in five days, and the overall structure was finished by late July, which allowed the site crew to concentrate on completing the 571 beds and 351 bathrooms by Christmas.

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26 The Builders Choice Magazine – June 2019

PBSA Student Accommodation THE BUILDERS CHOICE

“We are creating communities students will want to be a part of”

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With our highly skilled staff and commitment to quality, craftsmanship, service, and integrity we are able to schedule, supply, deliver and install all cabinetry works, acoustic wall panels, glass splashbacks, mirrors on all high end projects.

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THE BUILDERS CHOICE PBSA Student Accommodation

None of the technology is new in the building, but it is nevertheless a significant departure from usual construction techniques. The core was jump-formed in the conventional way, and the external precast walls were loadbearing so there are no columns within the accommodation levels. To speed up construction, a corbel was cast into the wall panels and angle bolted to the core so that hollowcore panels could be dropped straight into place, with minima propping. There were curtain walls in some locations so a steel beam was spanned between the panels to pick up hollowcore. There are more than 600 bathrooms and

kitchenettes in the project, each with several slab penetrations. Two teams were employed to drill the cores as soon as the topping was poured on the hollowcore, this enabling them to keep up with the fiveday floor cycle.

When it came to the hollowcore floor planks and precast wall panels, interdivisional teamwork was particularly strong throughout the project. Early collaboration between divisions facilitated an innovative approach to the design, including delivering the wall panels cast with integral support corbels for the hollowcore panels, to facilitate and expedite site erection.

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PBSA Student Accommodation THE BUILDERS CHOICE

This approach attracted great interest from the construction industry, as spanning the hollowcore panels from outside wall to outside wall eliminated the need for additional support beams or columns during construction. Early on during the construction, the use of hollowcore brought challenges, including plumbing access and the logistics of attaching crane bracing to the panels, both of which were promptly resolved at the design stage as a result of effective collaboration. The connections from the hollowcore to the wall panels were workshopped with a focus on ease of constructability.

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