Cockatoo Island Lost paradise located or hell on earth?

55 Miller St: Sitting pretty

Issue 1 - March 2007

Push the boundaries...anything is possible.

VIEW

Kari’s Desk ............................................. page 2

Cockatoo Island .................................. page 3 & 4

55 Miller St ............................................ page 5

Tweed City Shopping Centre ........................ page 6

NSW rail station upgrades ...................... page 7 & 8

HSE Focus ......................................... page 8 & 9

Package F ........................................ page 9 & 10

Project Update ................................ page 11 & 12

National MBA Awards ............................... page 13

Submarine Maintenance Facility .................. page 14

Contents

Welcome

Welcome to the first edition of the new look Broad View magazine. Since our last newsletter, we’ve given our image a radical facelift. We’ve made some major changes to the look and feel of the publication and have improved the variety, quality and depth of content.

An electronic version of the magazine will be available on our new website which is currently under construction. In the meantime, you can still read out about Broad’s current projects and news at www.broad.com.au

Your feedback is appreciated so email your comments or queries to: info@broad.com.au

I hope you enjoy reading Broad View.

Cheers

Jo ThierfelderNational Communications Manager

for the futureSetting ourselves up

Everyone in the property industry is busy at the moment and Broad is no exception. We’re in the middle of an unprecedented growth spurt, particularly in Western Australia.

In the last two months the projects that we’ve won or for which we’re in a preferred negotiating position total about $350 million in value.

Our development arm, Silverton, currently has $300 million of projects in the pipeline that are in various stages of the development process.

We’re also focusing our efforts a little more and honing in on the target markets and type of work that we do best. For example, our retail projects sector in Queensland is booming, in NSW our portfolio of railway station upgrade work is unparalleled, and in WA Broad is in demand in the retail, commercial and industrial sectors.

With more people on more sites around the country, it’s never been as critical as it is now to ensure the health, safety and well-being of our employees and the environment.

Broad has always been dedicated to HSE and is proactively pursuing its goal of zero lost time injuries on all its sites across the country. Broad already achieved this target last year on all its WA and SA sites, and in its subsidiary business, Portside. In 2005-06 Broad made a 50 per cent improvement in its Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate nationally.

Growing employee numbers combined with the desire to improve internal communications prompted Broad to run its first Employee Survey last year. The results were enlightening and, I’m happy to report, overwhelmingly positive. More than 90 per cent of employees agreed that Broad is “a good company to work for”.

Improved internal communication, more feedback from managers and a clearly communicated company direction were areas staff from all our companies thought needed attention. And that’s just what we’re giving them. We’re taking a methodical and detailed approach to ensure we address every concern because employee satisfaction is paramount at Broad.

All in all, I’m very pleased with the state of this company and I hope that you, our valued clients, sub-contractors and suppliers, are too. Broad strives to be the best in everything it does. For us, that means we need to know if we’re not providing you with the service you expect. I welcome your feedback and hope that we continue to build mutually rewarding relationships with all our partners in business.

Regards

Kari RummukainenManaging Director

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Kari’s Desk

Lost paradise located or hell on earth?

It’s achingly hot. The dense

humidity saps your energy and

makes it hard to breathe.

Work claims 12 hours a day,

seven days a week for three

weeks straight. The men labour

in the sweltering heat rebuilding

falling down bungalows from a

bygone era that an army of

insects, spiders and bats have

long since reclaimed.

Accommodation is cramped and

basic, some sharing a shabby

dormitory with five other men.

Communication with the outside

world is limited, intermittent

and unreliable.

This is the picture painted by the resilient Eddie Pye, Site Manager for Broad on Cockatoo Island off Western Australia’s far north-west coast.

Despite this bleak account of everyday life for him and his crew of 10 construction workers, Eddie was surprisingly cheerful when he spoke to Broad View about his work on the island. Broad is refurbishing a host of 1940s era ex-resort bungalows for current JV mining lessees, HWE Mining/

Portman, which will be used as accommodation for FIFO mine workers.

Mining and tourism have both had an on again off again romance with Cockatoo Island. The island is an iron magnate’s dream and was first mined by BHP in the early 1950s. Cockatoo contains one of the world’s richest ore bodies and has produced ore of up to 97.34% purity – the highest grade iron ore in the world.

Mining ceased on Cockatoo Island in 1986 and tourism briefly took over. Infamous WA entrepreneur Allan Bond built a resort on the island and promoted it as “lost paradise located”. However, the affair was short-lived and the resumption of mining in the late 1990s excluded further tourists from visiting the island.

The HWE Mining/Portman JV commenced in 2000 and is currently mining 1.5 million tonnes of iron ore per annum. While many

Site

Man

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Pye

Lost paradise located or hell on earth?

This is the picture painted by the resilient Eddie Pye, Site Manager for Broad on Cockatoo Island off Western Australia’s far north-west coast.

Despite this bleak account of everyday life for him and his crew of 10 construction workers, Eddie was surprisingly cheerful when he spoke to Broad View about his work on the island. Broad is refurbishing a host of 1940s era ex-resort bungalows for current JV mining lessees, HWE Mining/

Portman, which will be used as accommodation for FIFO mine workers.

Mining and tourism have both had an on again off again romance with Cockatoo Island. The island is an iron magnate’s dream and was first mined by BHP in the early 1950s. Cockatoo contains one of the world’s richest ore bodies and has produced ore of up to 97.34% purity – the highest grade iron ore in the world.

Mining ceased on Cockatoo Island in 1986 and tourism briefly took over. Infamous WA entrepreneur Allan Bond built a resort on the island and promoted it as “lost paradise located”. However, the affair was short-lived and the resumption of mining in the late 1990s excluded further tourists from visiting the island.

The HWE Mining/Portman JV commenced in 2000 and is currently mining 1.5 million tonnes of iron ore per annum. While many

of the 122 people living and working on the island enjoy relatively new, modern accommodation, much of the former resort bungalows and personnel camps are in a dismal state of decay and are essentially uninhabitable.

Broad began Phase 1 refurbishment of the termite-ravaged houses in October 2006. Phase 2 is likely to commence in February 2007 and includes more refurbishment work plus some new housing. Broad will also upgrade the cyclone shelter and existing services such as water, sewerage and air-conditioning.

And air-conditioning is vital in the extreme temperatures and stifling humidity of Cockatoo, which Eddie has found the hardest thing to get used to.

“Sometimes it feels like 55 degrees with the humidity. It exhausts you,” he said.

“But I’ve got big boys here. They just want to get this job done so they work hard,

maximise their days, then they get a nice long week off. They’re happy with that.

“There’s nothing else for them to do on the island, apart from go fishing, and there’s not many hours left after a 12-hour work day to do that.”

The habits of wily crocs in the area also mean there aren’t many men going fishing off the rocks or at least not twice in a row and living to tell the tale.

“Crocodiles are creatures of habit,” Eddie explained.

“They don’t nab you the first time. They watch you and if you go back there a second time, then they’ll get you,” he said.

And methodical crocodiles are just one of the many breeds of nasty critters inhabiting Cockatoo Island.

“We’ve got Death Adders, king Browns, pythons, bird-eating spiders, fruit bats that live in the houses we’re trying to fix up – all

sorts of creepy crawlies,” he said, somewhat proudly.

Despite the documented wildlife, Eddie said he hasn’t seen much of it, apart from a run-in with a bat-eating snake.

The perils of isolationEddie hails from Adelaide and returns home to his patient wife every fourth week. He assures me that with a husband in construction, his wife is used to his long absences.

“The best thing about it is when I go home, I fall in love with my wife again every time,” the sly romantic said.

He admits that lack of communication has been difficult to deal with. While he has access to a landline phone at the HWE office, where he regularly checks in with Broad’s Perth office, it’s a 20-minute drive away on dirt tracks to the other side of the island. His CDMA phone has choppy reception and often drops out. Email and the Internet have become a distant memory.

“You really need some kind of civilisation after three weeks,” he said.

Obtaining materials to keep the project moving hasn’t been easy either. The mine is first priority, construction comes second, and the only transport for materials is the barge. The 12-metre tides mean it often has to anchor out at sea for up to eight hours waiting for the tide to turn before it can make its delivery.

The rough dirt airstrip, which recently got wiped out by a cyclone, can only accommodate twin engine six-seater passenger planes. Only in emergencies can it carry materials, provided they’re not too heavy and are non-flammable.

Consequently, Eddie has “ordered up big” to keep him and his crew going.

When asked what attracted him to the project, Eddie said it was just for the experience; to try something new.

“I have no worries about going wherever they ask me to go. They call me Mr Flexible,” he said.

In addition to flexibility, patience and a thick skin would also be required if you weren’t one of the lucky men to have snagged your own room and were still sleeping in a six-man dormitory. While they’ve upgraded their own facilities out of necessity, they’ve also brought on more people so accommodation problems remain.

On the bright side, the magnificent scenery and “unbelievable colours” help to soften the blow of the harsh environment.

Call me soft, but there’s not a Cockatoo sunset, no matter how sensational, that could tempt me into Eddie’s shoes.

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Miller StreetSitting pretty55

The handsome multi-storey building at 55 Miller Street is a pearl in the former warehouse district which is becoming home to an increasing number of chic residential apartment buildings.

The building is clad in terracotta baguette tiles which create a unique and striking façade. The initial design concept for the façade came from the client’s Development Manager, Anthony Otto.

The building, on the western edge of the CBD is located in full view of the iconic Sydney Fish Markets and Anzac bridge. The building is adjacent to the light rail line and enjoys maximum exposure to oncoming traffic. An elevator and open steel staircase link the building forecourt to the light rail platform.

Broad NSW Senior Estimator Ian Colley said only when the structure reached level four

did it become apparent how good the views were going to be.

The response from the market and local community has been overwhelmingly positive due to the building’s aesthetic appeal and convenient location. Meeting rooms designed to be on the ground floor have now been converted into strata offices to meet expected demand.

Project Manager Shaun McMahon said the project has run relatively smoothly with few hiccups along the way.

“The excavation sub-contractor walked away from the project, which created a challenge. However, we managed to complete the bulk earthworks with minimal impact on our structure program, as well as safely complete delicate excavation works around and above the light rail platform,” he said.

Site Manager, Tony Malis said he’d “had an absolute ball working on the project.”

“I’ve been very fortunate to work with a great team, especially Nick (Reissis) and Shaun who are very professional and focused on all aspects of the job including safety.”

However, Tony said the beginning of the project gave him a headache…literally.

“We had seven 30-tonne excavators complete with demolition hammers and rock saws working on site at one time for a couple of months. All that heavy equipment made kari (Broad’s Managing Director) very excited when he visited the site.”

But all good things must come to an end and Broad has an impressive addition to its NSW portfolio.

Broad put the final touches on its flagship

commercial building in Sydney’s fashionable

harbourside Pyrmont district in February.

The $48.7 million Tweed City Shopping Centre in northern NSW is the largest project Broad has yet undertaken.

While Tweed Heads is located over the state border in NSW, the project is at the southern end of the Gold Coast urban area and will be managed from Broad’s Gold Coast office.

Broad began work on the two-year project on 15 January. Stage One involves design and construct of the new extension to the shopping centre; Stage Two is the refurbishment of the existing centre.

The scope of work includes relocating and building a new Coles supermarket; a new underground car park, increasing floor space by 4,500 sq m in the food hall and specialty stores, new malls, lifts and escalators, and upgrades to services and entryways.

Unusual for most projects Broad QLD has completed, the shopping centre will be

constructed on a sand base given its proximity to the coast. Construction Manager John McCann said there were some additional challenges associated with this for the team.

“The basement is only 500mm above sea level and the dewatering requirements will fluctuate according to tidal conditions,” he said.

Queensland General Manager John Campbell said 201 tenants would be moved and there would be 11 staged handovers to the client during the life of the project. The shopping centre will remain operational throughout construction.

Reading the signs before it’s too lateWe’ve all heard it before - the incredibly successfully advertising slogan, “Slip Slop Slap”. Then why do you still so often see

nut brown men with their shirts off labouring in the blazing sun?

Construction workers would have to be in one of the highest risk groups for skin cancer but somehow it seems many of the warnings fall on deaf ears.

But there’s no escaping the facts. According to the Cancer Council of Australia, more than 382,000 people are treated for non-melanoma skin cancer and melanoma each year in Australia, and more than 1,400 die.

As part of its commitment to ensure the health and safety of its workforce, Broad has joined forces with the Tweed Heads Skin Cancer Clinic to run an information session and free mole check for all employees and sub-contractors on the new Tweed City project on 19 March. The clinic will provide a doctor for the day who will undertake the skin examinations on site.

Broad HSE Manager Eastern States, David Brown, spearheaded the initiative saying: “Skin cancer is a very real threat for many of our employees and sub-contractors and we want to make sure we’re doing our part to guard against it.”

“We insist on safety glasses, helmets and boots to avoid injury; why wouldn’t you wear sun cream to avoid skin cancer?” he said.

David said if it proved successful Broad would consider holding similar events on sites around the country.

“Broad’s management is certainly behind it and we’ve got the support of WorkCover NSW. So we’ll see if we get the interest from our workforce,” David said.

Broad is evidently finding fertile ground in the retail building sector given its latest impressive project win.

Tweed City:Broad’s exciting new retail development

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Broad’s new fortein rail upgrades

Broad has just completed the Easy Access Upgrade works at Lakemba and is currently working on Seven Hills, Merrylands, Carlton and Werrington stations which are located in and around Sydney. Another tender is about to be submitted for Eastwood station.

At a success rate of five won (with one pending) of seven tendered, Broad is evidently doing a good job in the eyes of government client, Railcorp NSW. In addition to the station work, Broad is nearing completion on a $4.5 million project to relocate 65 Railcorp employees at Clyde and Lidcombe. The project involves a range of civil and asbestos remediation works as well as construction of temporary office and work shed facilities for staff.

The Easy Access Upgrade projects are similar in scope and predominantly involve the installation of multiple lifts and public toilets, structural works including roofing and entryways, paving, tiling, lighting and CCTV upgrades. Tactile indicators are also being installed on all platforms for the vision impaired to ensure the stations meet the requirements of the disability code.

During the tender process for the first project, Railcorp completed a full audit of Broad’s safety management system and regularly undertakes safety checks to ensure Broad maintains good records.

“We had to get a tick in every box before we could win any other jobs,” said Project Manager, Brett Hutton.

The program for each project varies according to the number of lifts installed. With three lifts, Lakemba was completed on time in 12 months.

Initially valued at $3 million, Broad was required to complete some unexpected extra work on Lakemba valued at $1 million.

“They (Railcorp) found out that Lakemba’s footbridge had concrete cancer after we started so they decided to incorporate the work of replacing the whole footbridge into our contract which was a significant variation,” Brett explained.

With four rail station upgrades underway, one just

completed and a tender in the works for one more,

Broad has nearly $20 million worth of work tied up

in rail station projects in NSW.

“It was a major safety issue as chunks of concrete had started to fall out from the overhead footbridge.”

The Easy Access Upgrades entail more than a degree of difficulty as Brett and his team are required to complete each project with minimal disruption to the operation of the train line.

“The train station is open the whole time and we just have to work around it,” Brett said.

“We get four to five possession weekends in an average 12-month contract when the rail line is shutdown and no trains come through. There are some critical works, like craning a lift shaft in, that can only be done when there are no trains running or people walking around.

“We have to use these possession weekends wisely,” he said.

Ian Counsell – National Manager, Group Business Systems

HSE. I don’t have to explain to many of you what it stands for because it’s an acronym used in every industry, every workplace and by every working person in this country.

Legislation now protects our expectation of working in a safe environment but it’s not the only reason why companies like Broad are taking health, safety and environment so seriously.

Our people are our company and we aim to protect and care for them as if our entire working world depends on it, because it does.

As part of our risk management approach, Broad operates a national management system which performs many functions. It meets customer requirements, reduces business risk, improves profitability and demonstrates responsible management to our stakeholders.

But more importantly, it is a vital reference for employees and provides them with the tools they need to do their job properly and safely. This integrated management system is available online to all employees via Broad’s intranet.

The system has been independently certified by SGS (third-party certification

body) as meeting the requirements of the following management system standards:

• AS/NZS ISO 9001: 2000 - Quality management systems

• AS/NZS ISO 14001: 2004 - Environmental management systems

• AS/NZS 4801: 2001 - Occupational health and safety management systems

• AS/NZS 4360: 2004 - Risk Management standard

Commitment to achieving zero harm

Broad’s HSE Strategic Plan sets out the direction to drive HSE performance to zero injuries and minimise environmental harm.

A key priority for Broad is to further develop leadership capability to positively affect the HSE behaviours of all employees and sub-contractors. A national initiative under this priority area involves Directors, General Managers and direct reports to visibly demonstrate their commitment by visiting workplaces to promote the importance of HSE. Since implementation in April 2006, leaders have completed 42 visits across many workplaces and more visits are planned.

HSE Focus

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HSE Focus

In addition, Broad is targeting activities that present the greatest risk of injury to our employees and sub-contractors. A national program of initiatives is continuing to eliminate workplace injuries. The quarterly program targets mandatory safety eyewear, working at height, mobile plant and equipment, manual handling and electricity.

Commitment to the environmentBroad acknowledges it has a clear responsibility to drive sustainability issues forward both within the company and in industries in which we operate. Broad is committed to minimising environmental harm during the course of its activities. Over the next 12 months Broad is aiming to reduce the amount of construction and demolition waste going to landfill and provide further education and training to staff about sustainability initiatives.

Industry awards and success• Broad achieved a Silver Award in the WA WorkSafe Plan 2006 awards.

• Broad achieved Provisional Federal OHS Accreditation from the Office of the Federal Safety Commissioner.

• Broad Queensland won a 2006 Master Builders Award for Excellence in Workplace Health and Safety for the Griffith University G30 building.

• Broad received an honourable mention from Queensland Workplace Health and Safety industry for “Best Workplace Health and Safety Management System” in the 2006 awards.

cont.

Broad Estimating Forumvisits Package F

>>

Estimators play a crucial role in the construction industry ensuring that pricing is accurate, trades are available, risk is minimised and project schedules are realistic.

Broad Estimating Forumvisits Package F

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For a company like Broad, which has 12 estimators working on many different projects in offices across the country, it’s important to have everyone following the same process and procedures.

To aid its estimators in this task, Broad holds a forum every year to discuss tender processes, documentation and risk management, and to share knowledge and information.

This year’s forum was held on 23 and 24 January in Perth and included a site visit on day two to the Package F railway project. Broad is managing the building works on William St and Esplanade stations for the Leighton kumagai JV.

Broad Project Manager John Davis, Contracts Administrator Jamie Van Aalst and Site Managers Mark Rigoni and Fred Lim have been seconded to Leighton Contractors to manage the building works program for the $333 million Package F project (original award).

John and Jamie took a dozen Broad staff down under William Street to view the progress of the rail tunnel under the city.

The site is deceivingly large and impressive in its scope.

“The general public won’t really understand what’s happening down here or the size and scale of works being carried out until they see it,” John said.

Broad’s $22 million building works program is fitting in around the prioritised tasks of getting the rail through, the services in and the structure finished.

Broad is responsible for a myriad of building work including installing the roof and ceilings, framing and structural work, precast steps, columns, terrazzo and metal cladding, tiling, signage and paving.

Much of this fitout work can only be done at the tail end of the project when services and structures are complete.

“The Broad staff on site have all enjoyed working on such a large scale project in the centre of Perth with all the challenges it has to offer,” John said.

“We’ve had to understand and integrate into a range of Leighton kumagai systems

and operations being used on the site such as linking into their safety and programming structure right through to cost reporting.

“However, where possible, we’ve used our own building management techniques for completing the building works.

“Carrying out works underground with limited access combined with the large number of people working in the area has made logistics complex,” he explained.

“But it has been a great experience working with highly motivated professionals on such a large infrastructure project.

“It’s also been a unique opportunity for Broad staff to see how roads, rails and tunnels are constructed,” John said.

“We’re all looking forward to catching a train into the heart of the city in the near future,” he added.

Broad’s 38-week contract on Package F will be completed by April and the Public Transport Authority’s target is to open the stations in July 2007.

It’s achingly hot. The dense humidity saps your energy and makes it hard to breathe.

Work claims 12 hours a day, seven days a week for three weeks straight. The men labour in the sweltering heat rebuilding falling down bungalows from a bygone era that an army of insects, spiders and bats have long since reclaimed.

Accommodation is cramped and basic, some sharing a shabby dormitory with five other men. Communication with the outside world is limited, intermittent and unreliable.

Project Update

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A selection of Broad’s recently completed and current projects.

Completed projects

55 Miller Street, Pyrmont, NSWThe $27.8 million multi-storey building at 55 Miller Street was completed early this year.

Read more on page five.

Central Park Forecourt Refurbishment, Perth, WABroad finished the $6.5 million upgrade to the imposing Central Park in the Perth CBD in December 2006. The project involved the redesign and redevelopment of the entrance to the Central Park Tower on St Georges Terrace. Broad updated and improved access to the building from the street. The impressive roof structure was a major component of the project as was the complete redesign of the podium and entrances to the tower.

Septimus Roe, Perth, WABroad finished the upgrade and refurbishment of Septimus Roe on Adelaide Terrace in Perth in December 2006. The $4.5 million project included the refurbishment of the ground floor, the addition of new tenancies (Dome, Subway and half of the Post Office), a gymnasium fitout, two podiums, stairs, a new entrance and canopy.

LCPL Stage Two Corporate Office, NSWBroad completed the Stage Two fitout of levels four and five of Leighton Contractors’ Chatswood office in January. Level four is now home to LCPLs Construction and Mining divisions and level five will be a temporary home to IT. The project was six weeks in design and six weeks in construction and followed on from previous fitout works of levels six to nine which were completed in 2005-06.

Aldi supermarkets – Morayfield, Kippa-Ring, Hervey Bay, QLDBroad completed three new Aldi supermarkets worth between $2.7 and $3.2 million late last year in Morayfield, kippa-Ring, Hervey Bay in QLD.

New & current projects

St Cecilia’s, Port Hedland, WABroad recently finalised negotiations with BHP Billiton to build a $40 million accommodation complex in Port Hedland for its permanent workforce. The project consists of 22 family homes and 23 three-bed terrace homes and will commence in February 2007. With its modern architecture, solar hot water units, energy efficient air-conditioning and fully landscaped gardens, BHP is confident this will become the benchmark housing development in Port

Hedland. By providing quality, spacious accommodation of this type, BHP is hoping to reduce its FIFO workforce and encourage workers to relocate with their families.

GPO Building, Perth, WABroad recently won the tender to refurbish the historic GPO building in Perth’s central CBD. The $27 million contract comprises the refurbishment of seven floors of office space and retail space on the ground floor. Construction will commence in February 2007. The project includes some external heritage restoration work and installation of an energy efficient air-conditioning system (chilled beam) which has only been done once before in WA. The client is aiming to achieve a 4.5 star green building rating.

Tweed City Shopping Centre, Tweed Heads, NSWThe $48.7 million Tweed City Shopping Centre is the biggest project Broad has won to date.

Read more on page six.

Submarine Maintenance Facility, Henderson, WABroad has just begun work on a $34 million contract to build a world-class submarine maintenance facility at the Australian Marine Complex in Henderson, south of Perth.

Read more on page 14.

Easy Access Upgrade rail station works, NSWBroad has just finished a station at Lakemba and is currently upgrading Seven Hills, Merrylands, Carlton and Werrington stations. It has also just tendered for another upgrade at Eastwood.

Read more on page seven.

Coomera Centre Shopping Village, QLDBroad will construct a new Woolworths and 10 new retail speciality stores as part of the new $10 million Coomera Centre Shopping Village. Work is due to begin on the site at the end of February.

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It’s official. Broad is among the best builders in the country.

Broad impressesjudges at national awards

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Late last year Broad brought home two national Master Builders Association Excellence in Construction Awards for its G30 Griffith University Building and the Newcastle Regional Airport Terminal. The two projects each won state MBA awards to be eligible for the national competition.

Completion a month ahead of schedule and a very happy client made the award in the Public Buildings Open Category for the $7 million Newcastle Airport extension and refurbishment all the sweeter.

The 10-year-old building was built to cater for an estimated 150,000 passengers who traversed its floors a decade ago. Sydney Airport is reaching saturation point and the former Central Coast (Swansea) Airport has been redeveloped into a housing estate.

With the beautiful Port Stephens beaches and vineyards of the Hunter Valley only minutes away, a whopping 960,000 people are expected to travel through Newcastle Airport this year underscoring the

significance of the project to the region.

Broad’s team transformed the existing terminal from a single to double storey structure and increased its area from 1,500 sq m to 4,000 sq m, all taking place within the busy environment of a fully functioning airport making the project’s injury and accident-free record even more impressive.

“Our construction personnel shared the operational facility with 800,000 passengers in 2006 without incident or complaint,” Broad Newcastle Manager Trevor Nye proudly reported.

“With this level of traffic through the site, it was extremely important for us to ensure the safety of the general public and to uphold the recently upgraded security measures now expected at regional airports.”

“The completed project is a credit to the site management team in terms of quality, the safety record, programme and budget,” Trevor said.

Broad’s other national winner, Queensland’s G30 building, has been particularly lauded by the critics. It’s picked up four awards in total across the state, regional and national MBA category for Commercial Buildings over $10 million as well as an Excellence in Workplace Health & Safety award.

Broad Senior Project Manager, John Ponturo, was equally impressed with his team’s award-winning effort.

The design and construct contract included a high number of inbuilt data, communications and security features, purpose-built for university learning.

“It’s an intelligent building which achieved a five-star energy efficiency rating,” John said.

“According to the judges, the use of natural light and the building’s unique office configurations were some of its stand-out features.”

The project had its challenges as the site was surrounded by three existing buildings

and was also hemmed in by two roads which had to remain open.

It was also fundamental for the G30 building to become a nodal centre for pedestrian access to nearby facilities.

“Establishing the new building as a pedestrian thoroughfare was a challenge,” John said.

“We had to carefully consider how students were already moving from one campus to another.”

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kicking off the New Year with a bang, Broad began work in January building a world-class submarine repair and maintenance facility at the Australian Marine Complex in Western Australia’s industrial precinct of Henderson.

The Australian Submarine Corporation (ASC) awarded Broad the construction contract for the project through a competitive tender process last year.

The seed was planted in 2003 when the ASC entered into a contract to provide through-life support and upgrades to the RAN’s six Collins Class submarines based at Garden Island off the WA coast.

Broad’s $32 million contract comprises construction of the main submarine maintenance facility, which includes two floors of office space. Broad will also build a storage warehouse, guardhouse and part of the rail transfer leading down to the Common User Facility’s new floating dock.

But it is the submarine maintenance hall that is most impressive in its scope. At 120m long, 25m high and 40m wide, this is no simple shed.

A whopping 680 tonne of structural steel will be needed to build the facility into which a

submarine can be rolled on a purpose-built rail transfer line. The structural steel package alone is worth more than $3 million and is one of the major components of the construction work.

Thinking outside the square, Broad decided to source the product from a supplier in South Australia given that WA’s resource boom is sending local steel prices skyrocketing.

Above the cavernous space of engineering workshops and travelling cranes, Broad will build and fit out two floors of offices to house ASC’s 185 employees who are currently spread around Henderson and Garden Island.

The security systems in the maintenance hall, storage warehouse and guardhouse will be complex and tightly controlled, so much so that Broad will not even be privy to some of the components installed.

In a strategy to get ahead of its competitors in the tender process, Broad played its cards right and started work early.

“We took a punt - six or seven weeks before we got awarded the job when we heard we were in the right seat we started the shop drawings – nearly $100,000 worth,” said Broad Project Manager, Jim Gutteridge.

This approach, while risky, evidently contributed to Broad winning the job and put it ahead of the program. Broad is aiming to complete the project before Christmas to avoid the holiday shutdown period.

“We’ve got $32 million worth of work to do in less than 12 months,” Jim said.

The downside of a booming economy

A tight program is only one of the challenges facing Broad’s on site team. Document control of more than 1,200 shop drawings to sub-contractors and letting of trades are two particularly arduous components of the project.

Finding and, more importantly, keeping sub-contractors Jim said is terribly difficult in the current environment in WA.

“Sub-contractors are walking out left, right and centre to go work on the mines. Today they (contractors) say they’ve got the blokes; tomorrow they don’t.”

Jim asks for labour histograms from contractors in an effort to safeguard as

much as possible against the risk of a site devoid of workers. While this may shift the responsibility and risk back onto the contractor, as Jim points out:

“It doesn’t help us get the job done. The client is holding us accountable to get it finished within the timeframe and the price that we quoted.”

“These are just some of the day-to-day problems you just have to deal with and everyone in WA is in the same boat,” he said.

Or submarine as it were.

A shed Broad enough to fit a submarine

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