Department for Infrastructure and Transport, Mawson Lakes Primary School

Modular Design
The school’s new building used a modular panelised construction methodology, with elements constructed offsite and transported to the project when complete before carefully sequencing and combining.

Sarah Construction managed the design, construction, transportation, lifting and cranage requirements within its new, purpose-built Solutions Centre.
By managing construction in a controlled environment independent of weather impacts, this approach accelerated the project’s program and enhanced the quality of the components by allowing for rigorous inspection prior to delivery.

With modular construction being a relatively new methodology for Sarah, this project enhanced the team’s experience of sequencing and the logistical planning required for the safe transportation and delivery of these large components.

Light-gauge structural steel
The new building incorporates light-gauge structural steel in the framing and roof trusses.

This innovative material has several construction benefits including strength and durability and was installed by a specialist contractor.

To ensure the framing and roof trusses integrated seamlessly with Sarah’s works, multiple hold points were put in place to ensure the project engineer inspected the works and signed off each portion before proceeding to the next stage.

3D technology
As the project’s refurbishment scope had a compressed timeline, it was critical that Sarah’s team supplied measurements to steel fabricators as soon as practicable.

The process was accelerated by implementing a 3D scan of the existing elements which could be used to design and fabricate the new elements for the internal partitions, floors, and ceilings, and identify redundant services.

Quality and program was further enhanced by the selection of local South Australian suppliers, reducing the time taken to transport components to site.

Deconstruction and Construction within an Operational School Environment
The project scope included the ultimate demolition of outdated buildings, but not before they were dismantled, relocated and rebuilt on another site for continued use while the new classrooms were constructed.

In a highly coordinated process, Sarah deconstructed seven existing buildings and craned them onto trucks, before transporting the large structures through suburban streets for rebuilding in the car park of the school’s second campus.

Working within a constrained, operational school campus, the safety of students, staff and the project team was carefully managed with a team of spotters working across three safety zones demarcated by temporary fencing and bollards.

The big cranes and big lifts attracted a great deal of attention from students and staff alike, with hundreds of eyes on Sarah’s team!

Managing Safety and Efficiencies for all Stakeholders
Operational school sites are typically constrained and highly trafficked by vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists, particularly at school drop off and pick up times.

Sarah’s team carefully planned for staged deliveries, ensuring laydown areas were adequate and all materials were available to allow trades to deliver works as scheduled.

Although most deliveries were schedules out of school hours, the project site was adjacent the school’s Out of School Hours Care (OSHC) facilities, which further reduced the optimal hours for deliveries.

Sarah’s team designed the site’s access and egress points to be independent of other school accesses, developed a relationship with the OSHC Team, and established timely and clear communication with the other contractor to avoid impacts to each other’s works. Any works generating noise were scheduled out of school learning hours to minimise impacts to students and staff.

Managing Impacts to Program
Educational projects are often programmed to meet term start dates and avoid unnecessary impacts to learning.

After commencing early site preparation works, the project team unexpectedly encountered groundwater conditions, which required full investigation and resulted in a six-week delay. The project was also impacted by inclement weather delays.

In response, the team reprogrammed refurbishment works, continued to design and build the modular units, and worked additional days over the Christmas and New Year period to meet the critical completion Term 1 date, welcoming excited students back for the start of the 2023 school year.

Despite the challenges, all refurbishment works were completed ahead of program, and the new building was completed just on schedule for the start of the school year.

Communication is Key
Sarah Construction’s Project Manager Adam Dasoqi was selected for this critical project based on his experience delivering successful projects in educational settings.
Adam’s experience and transparent approach to managing stakeholder outcomes was integral to developing highly effective relationships with the school’s staff and the project’s consultants.

“Schools are very busy places, and it’s important that we don’t disrupt learning environments or impact on planned school events. Our team worked hard to develop a schedule of coordination meetings with the school, architect, and other contractors on site, so that our works were planned around normal school activities. We avoided changes to the way people moved around the school, but if this couldn’t be avoided, we ensured that the school had plenty of time to notify parents and caregivers.”

Constructability Inputs
The project’s architects designed the new infrastructure to integrate with the existing buildings, which feature galvanised cladding elements.

Sarah’s team spent considerable time photographing and documenting not only the existing cladding but other design elements, providing constructability advice to ensure alignment with the project’s vision.

This collaboration and attention to detail has produced high-quality, fit-for purpose infrastructure, paying homage to the school’s history and the architectural intent.

Digital Innovation
While the modular components were being constructed at Sarah’s Solution Centre, the team invited the school’s staff and representatives from DIT to visit the factory and observe the progress first-hand.

Sarah’s Building Information Modelling (BIM) team developed a 3D experience using Virtual Realty (VR) goggles, allowing stakeholders to visualise the finished product on site!

As well as being an innovative and fun approach to stakeholder engagement, this experience alleviated concerns that the latent groundwater conditions would delay the program, as it was apparent that plenty of building work was occurring behind the scenes.