8 minute read
PACT
ABN Group
finds new home in vibrant Leederville hub
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Home. The word conjures up so many images. Comfort. Warmth. Security. Refuge. Pleasure. Perhaps one of the best descriptions of the concept of home is the place in which we can live our best lives.
It is entirely fitting, then, that a group of companies whose primary focus is creating, building and financing beautiful dwellings for their clients has found a place they can, collectively, call home – a place where they can continue to develop their best lives through making life better for others.
THE TEAM
That collection of companies is ABN Group, specialising in residential and commercial construction, property and finance, which recently moved into its new Western Australian home in Leederville – and it is no ordinary house of business.
Constructed in the former car park of that iconic 19th century Leederville landmark, the Leederville Hotel, ABN Group’s new centre of operations accommodates the majority of its Perthbased brands under the one roof.
As part of the $60 million development, two adjoining laneways were brought to life, drawing people into a newlyvibrant town centre to add to Leederville’s diverse culture and community.
The new commercial hub is set to be a catalyst for the centre of Leederville, transforming the local business and civic landscape.
Purpose-built headquarters The 15,400 square metre project comprises a 9,400 square metre building and its 6,000 square metre car park. Developed by Hesperia and designed by Hassell, it was built by PACT Constructions. The stunning integrated fit-out was designed by Woods Bagot.
Following a demanding 87-week construction period, the development was delivered ahead of time and, in June
Photos Joel Barbitta & Dion Robeson
2021, became the new home for nearly 900 of ABN Group’s employees. The vast, purpose-built headquarters incorporates Home Collective – a magnificent retail showroom facing onto Vincent Street, as well as a multi-level office tower, ground floor commercial tenancies, extensive end-of-trip facilities and 161 car bays for mixed public and private use.
Externally, the Hassell design team has crafted a contextually sensitive building. At the top of the building, a playful perforated metal “veil” wraps around and skins the car park with an illuminated artwork by Tom Muller. The “veil” peels away to reveal a brick anchor building, which in counterpart is heavy, formal and crafted, drawing on the scale, materiality and texture of the neighbouring heritage buildings.
Internally, Woods Bagot has created lofty, functional spaces that flow seamlessly into each other with a flourish of sweeping curves, lustrous surfaces and exquisitely refined finishes. There is an undeniably strong hint of mid-century modern in the rounded corners and cleverly-placed block-work, complemented by smooth timber accents.
The retail showroom exhibits displays in a sumptuously airy, spacious layout that invites the client to pause, admire and even try out the designer fittings that could one day be signature pieces in their own dream homes.
Logistical innovation Behind every beautiful building lies the rigour and discipline of the construction process. Significant logistical challenges were posed by the building footprint on a site which was tightly bounded by Vincent Street, two local laneways and occupied commercial premises.
According to PACT Constructions General Manager Jason Thomson, consultation and communication with residents, local businesses, the City of Vincent, Western Power and Main Roads WA was vital to ensure key stakeholders were kept informed of scheduled works to minimise disruptions.
“Given that the building footprint was land-locked, we had to develop innovative building logistics,” says Mr Thomson. “We leased a vacant block on Vincent Street approximately 150 metres from the site and used this as a concrete pumping staging area.
“Because we could not gain access to the site for 7am pours, given the restrictions, site devised a plan to set up the hopper at 291 Vincent Street, where are our site sheds were, and we had an underground line feeding our site. “Concrete was pumped from the staging area to the site via this underground line. This saved us a lot of time and productivity by not having to ‘build our way out’ of the site.
At the peak of the construction phase, about 150 tradesmen and specialists worked on the project.
Civil works challenges Since the existing sewer line ran under the deepest part of the Vincent Street site, a sewer diversion had to be carried out before any further works could be undertaken. This involved a 24-hour traffic management plan for the duration of the diversion works to reduce disruption to the normal flow of traffic and pedestrians.
The building was just over six metres from existing 132kV high voltage power lines, requiring additional resources during particular stages of construction. PACT engaged a full-time consultant when working in the vicinity of the power lines, lodging the required paperwork with Western Power and the Department of Minerals, Energy and Resources.
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Quality Commercial Ceilings & Partitions Proudly supported PACT Construction on the new ABN headquarters at Leederville. Contact: Joe Carrocci – Director 0419 240 658
Leviat design bespoke brickwork support system for new ABN Headquarters
The new headquarters building for construction group ABN in Leederville, Perth comprises multi-level offices atop a stunning ground floor retail shopfront.
Architect, Hassell, designed a concrete frame with a stylish brick veneer, incorporating challenging brick soffit details with differing cavities, below-slab projections and complex brick steppings.
Working alongside main contractor, PACT, Leviat designed and manufactured a bespoke brickwork support package incorporating various Ancon MDC systems for differing projections and larger cavities, individually designed cleats for the curved wall and 750 soffit hangers, all fixed to almost 500m of Ancon 30/20 cast-in channel.
‘Extremely high standards’ “The project demanded extremely high standards for quality,” says Mr Thomson. “With a construction time of just 87 weeks, our unique ‘hands-on’ approach, collaborative spirit and clever thinking ensured we realised the full potential of this landmark project.
“Working with Hesperia and the consulting team to shape the design and manage scope, cost, time and quality has been an invaluable process, and we are very pleased to have delivered an optimal project outcome for Hesperia and ABN Group.”
As part of the delivery and completion of the project, PACT also provided the integrated fit out.
Green Star accreditation goal The Leederville project is targeting a five star Green Star accreditation and a minimum five star NABERS rating. Both rating systems provide independent verification of the sustainability of a building.
Green Star accreditation is an internationally recognised sustainability rating system. The rating is issued by the Green Building Council of Australia, based on a six-star system. Five stars denote Australian excellence while six stars are the measure of world leadership. Similarly, there are six stars in the NABERS constellation, with five stars rated as excellent and six stars market leading.
The Green Star rates the design of the building, while NABERS (National Australian Built Environment Rating System) rates the effectiveness of the operation of the building after it is built and is operational.
“This involved lots of hard work, coordination, paperwork, validation and teamwork between many different parties,” says Mr Thomson.
“Having the opportunity to build the new hub for ABN Group is particularly meaningful, as it is PACT’s new home, too.” Workforce Solutions As a leading national recruitment and labour hire business, Protech works directly with clients to develop workforce solutions that deliver quality people, every time.
Working with a multitude of construction companies and large scale projects across Western Australia, Protech can provide a variety of blue and white collar roles within the industry.
And with a strong focus on safety, Protech’s BeSafe approach encourages employees to think, plan, act; ensuring a safe work environment for everyone.
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COMSUPPLY COLLABORATION Comsupply were excited about the opportunity to collaborate once again with Woods Bagot Design Studio Perth on the new ABN Headquarters. We have worked with Woods Bagot on other key projects using our QRK Partition System that has revolutionised office partitioning, offering a seamless, rubber-free design that will suit any aesthetic.
QRK’s 60x30mm Front Glazed System was the ideal choice for the light colour palette as traditional systems with visible black glazing rubbers would not have provided the clean modern feel the client was looking for. Finished with QRK’s clear acoustic door seals and tech panels we are extremely proud of the finished product.
Aluminium Partition Systems
Comsupply is based in Perth, Western Australia, and has been supplying architectural components and systems to the building industry since 1981. Our new QRK Partition Systems use covers to hide unsightly glazing rubbers and create cleaner lines.
Phone: Email: Office: +61 8 9479 3433 sales@comsupply.com.au 49 Esther Street Belmont WA 6104
