Construction Survey Project for Paddington heritage redevelopment project
A tier one Australian property development, investment and services firm with expertise in the initiation and delivery of commercial, residential and major fixed use projects recently approached Durkin about providing a number of construction survey services for a project in Paddington. The project involves the redevelopment and revitalisation of several 1880’s heritage buildings and retail shop fronts on Oxford Street, with the addition of new apartments at the rear.
Project requirements
In order to ensure the smooth running of the project, Durkin organised for the works to be carried out in sequence, allowing the delivery of outputs earlier than expected and within budget.
According to Durkin Construction Senior Project Manager, Mehdi Heydari this is the second project with this client where they’ve provided a full construction survey package.
“We’ve developed a great working relationship with this client, having worked with them previously on a project in Penrith where we were required to communicate regularly on any challenges and solutions,” Mehdi said.
“Although this project is ongoing, I believe that by having Durkin provide all the survey services, rather than multiple contractors, this has increased the efficiency of the project from a financial and quality point of view,” he said.
As part of this project, the scope of works provided by Durkin included:
Control survey - establishing survey control points to cover the work area.
Cadastral boundary survey - identifying and confirming property boundaries.
Topographical survey - survey of ground level and all surface features to generate 3D ground models and 2D topographical plans.
Subsurface utility survey - detection and survey of all underground utilities and surveying them to generate 3D utility models and 2D utility plans.
3D laser scanning (LIDAR) and modelling to generate BIM models of the existing buildings.
CCTV inspection of sewer pipes for dilapidation assessment and
Preparation of draft strata drawings and redefinition plans.
Overcoming challenges
One of the major challenges during this project was gaining access to the site as the majority of surveys needed were in adjoining properties. Being close to the city, Durkin also had to factor in working around pedestrians while ensuring easy access to 3D scanning of the roofs.
“Given the fact that some parts of the building were still occupied, getting access during COVID was a challenge. Thankfully the majority of the works were finalised before the most recent lockdowns, however site visits still had to be scheduled after lockdown was lifted,” Mehdi said.
The Senior Project Manager for the client explained the outcome of Durkin’s services was that “the 3D modelling they conducted and the precision with which they were able to provide information really allowed us to visualise the constraints and opportunities that the site provided.”
“By following NSW government instructions and complying with Durkin business continuity procedures, we were able to complete the job without compromising the safety of our team, residents or the general public,” said Mehdi from Durkin.
Project achievements
Overall, the client has been pleased to see the outcomes delivered by the Durkin team. “This is the second project we’ve engaged Durkin’s full construction survey services for, and again their delivery is above and beyond,” said the Senior Project Manager for the client firm.
“Durkin’s responsiveness, professionalism, ability to find solutions and ‘nothing’s a problem’ approach are really beneficial in a project such as this.”
Together with the help of North-Western Surveys, Durkin discovered the client owned a share access way (approx. 20m x 3m) which they were previously unaware of.
In addition, the Durkin team were able to showcase to client their modelling services and demonstrated how they are able to manage the job across multiple departments delivering the project on time and within budget.
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