Westfield Chermside is a large shopping centre complex ideally located for around a third of Brisbane’s population, just 10 kilometres north of the CBD. With some of Australia’s top retailers as tenants – David Jones, Myer, Harris Scarfe, Big W, Kmart, Target, Coles, Woolworths and Apple – it also includes a cinema complex.
In mid-2017, the opening of a $355 million redevelopment saw Chermside become the largest centre in the Scentre Group’s portfolio, with the addition of 33,000 square metres of retail space. The 95 new retail stores it now houses include Brisbane’s first Sephora, in addition to H&M, Zara and other local and international brands. The extension also includes a resort-style landscaped leisure and dining area featuring boutique cafes and al fresco restaurants.
Creating an illusion
Scentre Group engaged North Australian Contracting (NAC) to construct the ceilings and partitions in the redevelopment. Much of the extension is located on a new floor above the existing retail area – and one of its outstanding features is a ‘curved’ ceiling.
NAC director Danny Simpson said the curved effect was a challenge to overcome. “We used small segments of plasterboard and the effect of glancing light creates the illusion of a continuous curve. Certainly an interesting way to achieve the effect! It involved a high level of detail and lots of joins, but the end result speaks for itself.”
Massive volumes and tight deadlines
A typical requirement of shopping centre redevelopment projects is that construction work must not interrupt the day-to-day operation of the existing retailers. Access for deliveries and material storage are often very limited – with contractors struggling to keep supplies up so their teams can keep working on schedule.
The large increase in retail and dining space for Westfield Chermside meant that massive amounts of plasterboard and compounds of various types were required. Fortunately, NAC was able to accept large deliveries as materials could be stored in the new upper storey.
“One of the challenges of this project was the sheer volume of the board we needed. Knauf’s delivery was good – they kept up with the quantity we needed. And the quality of their products was just what you’d expect,” Simpson said.
Another challenge on projects like Westfield Chermside is the hard deadlines for completion – with retailers and shoppers keenly anticipating the gala launch of exciting new stores. “Getting finished on deadline was going to be tight, and we were working double shifts towards the end. But we got there in time,” he added.
Project details
Project: Westfield Chermside Shopping Centre
Location: Chermside, Queensland
Builder: Scentre Group
Contractor: North Australian Contracting
Products: 25,000m² Knauf 13mm plasterboard and compounds
