Despite a six-month delay in the construction commencement for the new headquarters of the National Information and Communications Technology of Australia (NICTA), construction company AW Edwards managed to complete the $5.5 million fitout project in the agreed 12- week time frame.
The independent research company relocated to the new building in the Australian Technology Park in Eveleigh, Sydney, after outgrowing its existing premises at the historical rail sheds within the same precinct.
Architectural firm Woodhead was commissioned to undertake the workplace planning and design of the new space. “Woodhead’s design philosophy evolved from NICTA’s innovative research nature and their need to communicate and share knowledge,” says Alison Irons. “The design focused on transparency and openness, enhancing communication and knowledge sharing, whilst still delivering a functional and secure environment.”
Modifications included an interconnecting stairwell contained within a large, light-filled central atrium at the heart of the operation and was designed to connect floors and maximise chance meetings, thus improving business efficiency and adding cultural value.
The large open reception area leads directly to the interconnecting stair, with the continuation of a stone floor finish and glass and stainless steel emphasising connection. The 2m-wide stair cantilevers form a central structural support, making the open stone treads appear as lightweight and floating within the space. The use of frameless glass and stainless steel patch fittings adds to the sense of openness.
Surrounding the central stair are informal meeting areas. The strong colours used in paint, fabrics, colour- back glass and graphics were selected from NICTA’s corporate guidelines and flowed into the more discrete work areas.
The six-month delay in commencement was due to base building completion delays and posed a great risk to the completion time of the project, according to Wayne Franks, who was appointed by project manager Project Control Group. “It was challenging to co-ordinate the installation times, which created difficulties with sub-contractors engaging in other projects in the interim and in turn restricted the available resources for our project when required.
“We were lucky because we had such a long lead time before we started the job. We pre-ordered specified items, including workstation components and floor coverings, which were stored in a warehouse for about three months,” Franks says.
Another challenge was to construct the fitout while defect rectification works were in progress. “Given the delays and time constraints that were happening, we accepted the conditions on the proviso that the base builder had access to come in and fix problems. They included some of the drainage work being relocated as there was a fair leakage problem, and the lifts broke down every second day,” Franks says. “If you walk into a building that is 100 per cent defect-free, it eliminates those sorts of problems.”
During the project, some of the semi-integrated design, including the floor set-downs for the stone tiling and the ceiling design for lighting, mechanical, fire and audio-visual needed to be redesigned due to the base builder not constructing these features in the initial phase.
As NICTA is a government-funded organisation, it was obliged to sign green leases, ensuring a minimum 4.5 star NABERS energy rating. To meet these requirements, motion detectors were fitted for lighting control and meeting rooms contain independent air-conditioning. The electrical wiring and low VOC paints were also used. Other sustainability initiatives include three floors served by balconies and include sliding doors to the main breakout area, which provides natural ventilation, eliminating the need for air-conditioning for most of the year.
Franks says regular meetings were conducted to ratify any issues between the builder, consultants, architect and the client. He says: “The best thing you can do is to hold on-site meetings every week with the client and architect in attendance because it keeps everybody up to speed on the project process. The moment you’re not getting answers, the client can then apply pressure on the consultants, which are usually employed by the client.”
Michelle Hutchison
