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EMCO Building
Photos Neal Pritchard
Up-to-the-minute in Protection New “Home” for Cockburn Firefighters
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Anew fire station in Cockburn for the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) sets a benchmark for firefighting services in Western Australia.
Key to the success of the project was the role of the builder, EMCO Building, which delivered the project on time and to budget despite the advent of COVID-19 at the peak of construction.
Built in 10 months, the design of the new facility was developed with input from the firefighters, who moved into the fire station in May this year.
Commenting on the opening of the new facility, Cockburn MLA David Scaife said, "Cockburn Fire Station has been built to the highest standard”, adding that it was “terrific” to see the firefighters in their new home and serving the community.
THE TEAM
EMCO Building is one of WA’s most well-established and trusted commercial builders. The multiple award-winning company offers the full spectrum of building services from refurbishment and fitout to large-scale new buildings. The builder has successfully delivered education, apartments and mixed-use complexes, government, industrial, retail, performing arts and recreation, and heritage restoration projects. Even for this seasoned builder, a $8.5 million fire station was new territory.
“While all construction projects involve the same fundamentals, we were conscious of the importance of providing such a critical community facility,” said Senior Project Manager Justin De Pardo.
“The building had to meet strict performance requirements as a fire station, and also provide a level of comfort and amenities for the firefighters for whom these facilities are a second home.”
The state-of-the-art fire station comprises private dormitories with fully equipped bathrooms and locker facilities, three vehicle bays, covered car park, indoor-outdoor gym, dining area and kitchen, post-incident vehicle washout area, rescue pad, and specialised training tower.
Construction Features EMCO Building’s works included clearing the main site and neighbouring properties, and other significant forward works to raise the site’s ground level, including retaining, backfilling and compaction.
A road was also extended to the west of the site, initially to serve as the DFES driveway, as well as a future access route as the area is developed.
Structural steel and the blockwork substructure were designed to withstand an emergency weather event, and the external feature face blockwork, integrated with wall and ceiling cladding systems, was designed, engineered and tested by EMCO Building’s engineer to cope with significant wind loads.
A project challenge was the ground conditions, which required significant and ongoing dewatering of the site. In addition, EMCO Building upgraded and extended the sewer, involving five months of work.
Key internal features comprise top-quality finishes, including high-specification timber linings, custom orb, lighting, cabinetry, tiling and floor coverings.
Other elements of the project included: ■ Landscaping, including grass trees and other native plants ■ Hard landscaping, including limestone retaining walls, quality pavement and coloured concrete areas ■ Breakout courtyard areas for staff with feature timber seating and sporting equipment ■ Latest technology security system, and integrated electrical and building management control systems throughout the building ■ Feature bespoke art at the building entry
Delivering for Today and Tomorrow While the unforeseen advent of COVID-19 during construction presented challenges, the project team rallied to quickly develop a COVID Management Plan to continue work on site without jeopardising the program.
“Given its scale and the different elements of the project, it was a credit to the EMCO Building team, our suppliers and subcontractors, as well as the wider consultant team, to deliver this major facility in 10 months,” said Justin.
To add further value to the project, EMCO Building recommended replacing pre-cast window surrounds with concrete windowsills, which the company formed and poured on site to achieve a consistent, quality finish.
While the station was designed to meet current demands and needs of the local community in Perth’s southern suburbs, it has been future-proofed to accommodate increases in personnel and equipment as requirements of the Cockburn area and surrounds grow.
