In a first of its kind transformation, ICS Australia has completed building works on a heritage listed goods shed, the A-Shed, located at Fremantle Ports in Western Australia.
The 100-year-old warehouse was transformed by the state’s biggest brewer, Gage Roads, to become their flagship microbrewery and an iconic destination in the city’s inner harbour.
Gage Roads Freo opened on January 20th 2022, and operates as a brewery, restaurant and family-friendly venue with capacity for 1,500 patrons. The dockside cargo shed occupies a total land area of more than 3,000sqm and the conversion cost of around $10 million.
Taking full advantage of the building’s heritage features and A Berth frontage to the port, refurbishment was undertaken to plans approved by Fremantle Ports in accordance with its heritage obligations. Fremantle Ports also provided guidance and assistance throughout the planning and build phases.
Industry leader, Big River Group was chosen as the proud supplier of a vast range of formwork and building materials. With an operating history of over 110 years, Big River Group has established itself as a diverse manufacturer and distributor of timber and building products and was able to offer a one stop shop solution for the transformation, which included structural repairs to the shed’s timber frame and footings.
“We have supplied the project from the beginning of the build right through to the completion of the building phase in late 2021. We were able to supply cost-effective formwork products to the project through our engineered and dimensionally stable, LVL formwork and hardwearing formply Deckply™ and Armourform™” says Alex King Operations Manager at the Big River Group’s, Midland Timber and Prefab branch in Bellevue.
Further products that were supplied to assist in creating the durable skeleton of the redeveloped A Shed include Big River’s structural plywood products, Laminex Trade Essentials particleboard flooring, LVL13 structural beams, both BGC and CSR Fibre Cement products as well as internal pine framing solutions.
To assist in maintaining the original integrity of the 100-year-old structure, Big River Group locally sourced Jarrah Bushpoles which were supplied along with external pine framing and Glulam beams. To further support the waterfront aesthetic, James Hardie Linea 180mm Fibre Cement Weatherboards were supplied by the building solutions expert.
Big River’s reputation is built on quality, reliability and diligent customer service, tailored to suit each projects’ requirements. Offering a national distribution network, Big River owns and manages sales and distribution outlets throughout Australia and New Zealand providing customers with the security of a full support network, and technical expertise at every stage of the building project.
