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he Gallery by Crown consists of two towers located minutes walk from the Parramatta Centre. Its 246 apartments and penthouses, and

8 commercial premises, offer residents the ultimate in urban living and an opportunity to create a sanctuary from the bustle of city life.

Sales of residential property in Parramatta are going strong, according to Crown International Holdings Group, developers of the largest residential project currently underway in Parramatta’s CBD. The $120 million Gallery development is now over 85% sold, with completion not due until March 2009.

Designed by Joshua International Architects, Watermark Interior Designers and Taylor Brammer Landscape Architects, Gallery’s unique architecture and landscaping create an exotic resort in the city.

Innovative features such as the tropical style gazebo by the 25 metre pool, the Scandinavian inspired sauna and fully equipped gymnasium, offer the highest quality of residential accommodation ever built in Parramatta.

Iwan Sunito, CEO of Crown International attributes the unprecedented success of Gallery to his team’s meticulous attention to detail, high construction standards and design expertise. “With Gallery, we have offered our purchasers the chance to invest in some of the best quality residential accommodation available in Sydney. The fact they have chosen Parramatta as opposed to other traditionally desirable locations is testament to their confidence in the locality, said Mr Sunito.

“Gallery is currently Parramatta’s largest residential development. Crown are proud to have delivered a project so exemplary to the marketplace. We have a $1 billion worth of developments in the pipeline, including Newington and Rhodes and we intend to maintain this success by delivering more premium residential accommodation.”

Crown International Holdings Group (Crown) is a leading Australian property group, active in property development and property investment. The company, co-founded by Mr Iwan Sunito and Mr Paul Sathio in 1996, has established a reputation in the industry for developing prestigious, high quality residential and mixed use developments. Crown is now using this experience as a platform from which to develop its commercial and retail portfolios.

CEO of The Crown Group, Iwan Sunito said: “Our success with Gallery indicates the western Sydney market remains strong. Our apartments are selling at around the $450,000 mark day-in-day-out, emphasising people’s desire to live and work in Parramatta.”

“We have complete confidence in Parramatta’s future both as a commercial and residential precinct and as a result are actively seeking more opportunities to develop residential and mixed use projects in the area to meet increasing demand.”

Mr Sunito believes both the quality and cutting edge design of Gallery have heavily contributed to its success: “At Crown we pride ourselves on our construction standards, design expertise and attention to detail."

During this active period of growth, Crown is actively searching for new development opportunities and strategic acquisitions. Crown will consider every project which offers an exciting opportunity to add value.

The strength of the Parramatta market has also been noted by the Lord Mayor of Parramatta City Council, Tony Issa. “Parramatta, for those who know the area, is now a desirable area for residential, commercial and government investment. The housing market is driven by supply and demand and demand for all forms of housing has clearly been strong in Parramatta as median prices for houses, flats and units have outperformed Sydney Metro area,” he said.

CROWN GROUPLevel 1, 68 Alfred StreetMilsons Point NSW 2061t. 02 9925 0088f. 02 9925 0598contact: Kym Rogerswww.crowngroup.com.au

GALLERY PARRAMATTA

CROWN GROUPSYDNEY NSW

96 NSW PROJECT FEATURE GALLERY PARRAMATTA

y choosing Van de Meer Consulting for The Gallery Project at Parramatta, Crown knew they were immediately connected to an

extensive knowledge base of hand-picked experienced and talented civil, structural and environmental engineering, architectural and town planning companies.

The Gallery is a 17 storey residential tower with 1 level of commercial and a 4 level basement. Structural vertical alignment was achieved throughout the building that allowed massive cost savings with no transfer slabs being required. Load bearing `quickform walls’ were used in the residential apartment. These walls transferred the loads to the columns through deep beam action. A grid spacing of 10m or 4 car bays was used throughout the building. Ultra floor was used as the floor plate structural element as it was critical to reduce the weight of the building. Ultra floor provided a light floor solution compared to other construction methods. Because of the large spans the loads on the columns were equivalent to what could found in a 30 storey building. Engineering is all about total trust and the ability to produce on time, on budget, to specification with 100% reliability. VDM consulting provided the structural and civil engineering services on the Gallery apartments.

VDM believe its clients have a right to expect brilliant engineering, achievable solutions to seemingly impossible challenges. Within VDM Consulting are senior engineers who have forged links with key clients for more than 30 years, running the gauntlet of approvals and local politics to deliver stunning and liveable communities from raw green fields.

VDM Group has succeeded in winning and executing some of the most demanding and technically challenging projects in Australia, Asia Pacific, China, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, India, Mauritius, New Zealand, Brunei, Indonesia, Cambodia, Vietnam and Japan.

DivERSiTy iS STRENgTh

97NSW PROJECT FEATURE GALLERY PARRAMATTA

T Interior Pty Ltd have specialised in plasterboarding since the beginning of 2003. They have been responsible for all the interior

lining, ceiling, walls, lift lobbies and bulkheads for the Gallery Project.

This was a medium sized job for their company, which has worked on projects as large as 300 units at a time. For The Gallery project, JT Interior Pty Ltd, employed eight specialized tradespeople. Johnny Tien said "special challenges were posed by the shape of the lift lobbies and bulkheads." The plasterboarding is now finished and at the touch up stage.

97NSW PROJECT FEATURE GALLERY PARRAMATTA

98 NSW PROJECT FEATURE GALLERY PARRAMATTA

ska Aluminium, in operation for over 30 years under the leadership of Mr Anthony Asfour, and son Louay Asfour, has a staff of

over eighty. They continue to develop their resources and products, and provide the quality and service that Anthony puts first.

Aska Aluminium caters for window systems ranging from cottage style homes to commercial high rise buildings. They have been developing residential and commercial window systems for two decades, and are at the leading edge of design, meeting today’s demanding markets. Primary considerations are sound insulation and thermal comfort.

Spear-heading The Gallery project at Parramatta is Mr Jim Jammal General Manager of Aska Aluminium, with Mr Andre Kastoun as Site Manager. Both have a strong foundation in architectural design and detailing of aluminium systems. A project of this calibre requires constant attention to detail and an aesthetic sense.

For The Gallery, commercial doors and window suites are used throughout. Duratec powder coating has been applied to all aluminium for super durability. Aska has a powder coating plant inhouse, giving them a leading edge.

ThE lEAdiNg EdgEThere are special glazing requirements to counteract noise and provide thermal insulation. Architectural bi-fold door systems to commercial areas and common facility rooms allow flexibility of use and a sense of outdoor integration. The two storey atrium features frameless glass over the entry pond. Most details and materials used were workshopped by Aska’s engineering and technical department in conjunction with the leading project Architects Joshua International.

During his time in Australia, Mr Asfour has achieved constant business success. Anthony attributes his success to ethics, hard work, strongly held moral and ethical beliefs and views.

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he Australian owned Ultrafloor precast flooring system enabled Crown International to deliver the Gallery project ahead of

schedule by fast tracking the Stage II tower in response to market demand for these quality residential units.

The 40,000m2 of suspended concrete flooring required for the project was formed using Ultrafloor Beams, Ultrashells and a combination of formboard and metaldeck infill systems. In addition to supplying the Ultrafloor product, Ultrafloor also delivered the comprehensive services of its in-house design and documentation teams coupled with all labour associated with the on-site installation.

Over 40,000m2 of Ultrafloor, distributed across two 18 storey towers for the Gallery project was delivered within a thirteen month timeframe. The building footprint was based around a repeating 10.4m span between load bearing party walls which took advantage of the long spanning capability of the Ultrafloor system.

One major benefit delivered by Ultrafloor to the Gallery project was the double height floor to floor spaces in the carparks and ground floor areas - large spans with minimal propping provided a financially attractive alternative to a conventionally formed floor.

Another benefit was the significant savings in the quantity of concrete and reinforcement when compared with a conventionally formed, reinforced slab.

Ultrafloor, now in its fifteenth year, continues to grow in popularity, because it offers the building community speed, flexibility and cost effectiveness of construction.

Supplying approximately half of the Australian precast flooring market from their Rutherford manufacturing facility, Ultrafloor produces up to 5 kilometres of beams per day. Ultrafloor delivers and installs to building sites across all states and territories, and to date has supplied more than four million square metres of Ultrafloor to the market. In addition to an impressive list of residential and commercial buildings, Ultrafloor flooring solutions are seen in landmark projects such as Sydney's Olympic Superdome, the Masonic Centre and the Imax Theatre..

99NSW PROJECT FEATURE GALLERY PARRAMATTA