CMV Group, CMI Toyota and Southside Suzuki Christies Beach

Developing the Design Documentation  

Sarah leveraged its experience delivering dealerships to provide constructability advice as the design documentation reached the later stages of development, facilitated by a program of face-to-face meetings and a commitment to the efficient resolution of RFIs.

Importantly, Sarah’s relationships with quality subcontractors were integral to this process, and the team also proposed a program of documentation deliverables to allow early construction works to commence, including the demolition and installation of underground electrical services, and facilitated the procurement of long-lead items including precast elements and structural steel.

Futureproofing for Success

During the latter stages of the design phase, CMI approached Sarah about increasing the showroom’s footprint to allow for future growth, a total of $3 million of additional works.

This process involved redesigned the building and recertifying all elements including structural framing, precast, glass facades, electrical and piling. Sarah’s experience was integral in assisting the designers to complete the amended design and quickly seek the required approvals, while moving works to other stages to avoid impacting the overall construction program.

Sustainability was important to CMI, and the heating, cooling and lighting systems, including solar panels to some buildings, were selected to mitigate impacts to the environment and reduce operational costs.

Alternative Materials

The glass panels for the Toyota showroom as designed would need to be imported and were not suitable for safe and efficient lifting or installation.

Leveraging previous experience and its network of subcontractors and suppliers, Sarah’s team suggested an alternative panel system, and carefully reviewed the structural design to ensure suitability.

This change saved the project considerable time and cost.

Staging for Business Continuity

It was imperative that CMI could continue to trade during the entirety of the project. To ensure the safety of CMI’s customers and staff, and to allow construction works to proceed with minimal interruptions, CMI leased a nearby premises during certain stages of the build.

Sarah understood CMI’s driver to return to their own site as scheduled to constrain costs, and carefully managed the program to return normal operations as soon as possible.

Good Neighbours

The site is located within a busy commercial precinct on the heavily trafficked Beach Road in Adelaide’s southern suburbs, with business adjacencies including the Good Guys showroom and a medical practice.

Sarah’s team were proactive in meeting with neighbours to understand their concerns, and any noisy works were only conducted within limited hours, and construction personnel ensured they parked away from site to not impact customer car parking, and traffic management was planned and implemented for large deliveries.

This respectful, no-surprises approach allowed Sarah to negotiate short-term access to the neighbouring properties for crane lifts, scheduled for out of normal business hours, and the project was completed without stakeholder complaint.

Supply Chain  

With the project commencing in 2021, the team faced supply chain and labour shortages due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as keeping their staff fit and well during this challenging environment and managing staff shortages while in isolation.

These challenges were met by an on-site education campaign, good hygiene practices, reprogramming trades around shortages, and working 7-day weeks if required.

A One-Team Approach

Even though this project was awarded under a Lump Sum Contract, all parties realised that an early collaborative approach was key to project success.

Soon after award, Sarah’s team invested significant time in forming effective relationships with the client and its designers and developed a suite of formal and informal communication protocols to allow the smooth progression of design into construction.

The team regularly invited all parties to site during construction to review progress and plan for occupation.

Complying to Australian Standards

While the two-storey showroom features a car lift, Sarah’s team determined that the design intent could be built as documented, as it did not comply with Australian Standards.

The team developed a relationship with the interstate manufacturers, and after a series of video link ups the lift system was redesigned with alternative hardware and glass, for a fully compliant system that was compatible with overall with the structural design.