Nelson Architects, 190 Flinders Street

Structural Integrity of the Existing Building

The refurbishment to the front of the building required Sarah’s team to install a modern, frameless glass shop front, but the structural integrity of the existing building had not been sufficiently assessed to support the integration of the glass components.

Sarah’s team undertook an exercise to add additional slimline supports to the ceiling, maintaining the architectural intent of an elegant, minimalistic frontage, which provides good levels of natural light.

Foyer refurbishment

The building’s new large-scale foyer features several new technologies, including a digital directory board. Sarah’s team leveraged the experience of Project Manager Gareth White, who had previously managed several commercial refurbishments.

Specialised light fittings and floor coverings

The architect selected specialised light fitting and carpets in the building’s foyer, with long lead times for delivery.

Sarah’s team re-evaluated the lighting plans to reduce the number of fittings required, shorting the manufacturing cycle. Similarly, the team reselected the sanitary and tap wear on levels 3 and 4 to better suit the building’s plumbing system.

Sarah’s excellent relationships with suppliers were leveraged to ensure a high-quality, fit-for-purpose finish, consistent with the architect’s vision.

To realise the architectural intent within the constraints of the existing structure, the client relied on Sarah’s solution-focused approach to develop appropriate construction methodologies within the relatively short-time frame.

The client also commended Sarah’s willingness to work flexible hours, avoiding disruption to the tenants of the occupied building.

Working within an operational office building

The building’s new façade featured a fibre cement soffit with aluminium cladding and required Sarah’s team to carefully segregate all construction activities from the public moving below the works.

Soffit installation was often noisy, and to avoid disturbing the building’s existing tenants on the Ground Floor and Levels 1 and 2, this work was scheduled for early mornings and completed during a period of night shift.

For works inside the building, the team employed methodologies to manage noise, dust and vibration impacts, and works in the lobby were completely segregated from people moving through the ground floor.

Wayfinding posters were provided for visitors and suppliers delivering building materials, to avoid disruption to tenants, and the team placed additional emphasis on good housekeeping practices.

Of particular note, a charity working with children with cancer is a tenant of the building, and Sarah’s team worked with their personnel to understand when counselling rooms required quiet time.

By employing this transparent and respectful approach, an excellent relationship was created with the building’s tenants.  

Water ingress in the basement

Part way through the build, the team discovered water ingress in the building’s basement, which had resulted in damage to the walls and concrete reinforcing beams.

The team immediately stopped all impactful works in the lobby above, and engaged an engineer to report on the conditions before recommencing works with modified methodologies.

To mitigate program delays, the team moved work front to additional areas and started repair works including waterproofing the walls in the basement, ahead of the construction of the new bathroom and storage facilities.

Leveraging Sarah’s Supplier Relationships for Optimal Outcomes

The architect selected specialised light fitting and carpets in the building’s foyer, with long lead times for delivery.

Sarah’s team re-evaluated the lighting plans to reduce the number of fittings required, shorting the manufacturing cycle. Similarly, the team reselected the sanitary and tap wear on levels 3 and 4 to better suit the building’s plumbing system.

Sarah’s excellent relationships with suppliers were leveraged to ensure a high-quality, fit-for-purpose finish, consistent with the architect’s vision.