Childcare Centre – Harbour Elbow, Banksia Grove

Dale Alcock Projects has successfully completed Tall Tree’s latest childcare centre in Banksia Grove. The collaboration with Atlantis and Meyer Shircore has seen the delivery of a 90-place childcare centre, which was completed in 43 weeks (from site possession to complete handover)

Project Overview

Dale Alcock Projects secured the construction of Tall Tree’s latest childcare centre in Banksia Grove through a competitive tender process.

After securing the project, the Dale Alcock Projects team were requested to investigate a small number of value engineering items to achieve the target budget. The value engineering process was conducted over a three-week period to the immense satisfaction of both the tenant and architect.

The structure of the centre was built from pre-fabricated timber panels as well as rough faced limestone blocks.

Challenges

There were a few challenges along the way, but the DAP team overcame these to successfully deliver the project.

The installation of the limestone blocks, which formed the external skin of the walls, proved to be a time-consuming process. Each of the blocks weighed 40kgs, which is quite heavy – meaning only a few courses could be laid at a time before waiting for the mortar to dry (to prevent wall sagging). The overall construction timeframe was not impeded due to the time-savings gained by the pre-fabricated timber walling system during the earlier stages of construction.

A lot of collaboration and logistical planning was also performed during the early stages of the project to allow the client to undertake the landscaping at the same time as construction was taking place. Multiple co-ordination meetings were held between all parties to create separate entrances on site for both parties as well as schedules to ensure both scopes of work were able to be completed simultaneously.

Childcare centres have very strict compliance checklists to ensure the centre is safe for children. Our experience with childcare centres meant we engaged a compliance certifier in the early stages of the project which allowed for the quick certification of the project upon completion and subsequent granting of occupancy.

This centre was built during Covid-19. The entire team, along with trades on site ensured that covid-safe procedures were implemented and adhered to, so that construction could continue in a safe manner.

Highlights

During the earlier stages of the project, a fair amount of value engineering was provided to meet the objectives of the client. This included complete re-engineering and well as utilising ABN Group’s buying power to achieve a cost-effective outcome.

The project was a huge success due to the true collaboration between DAP, architect and client. The client, Bob Hindle was instrumental in the project to ensure the seamless delivery of landscaping whilst the centre was being constructed.

The client appointed Architect and Superintendent from Meyer Shircore (Gianni Da Rui) was a huge contributor to the project’s success, with his responsiveness, practical approach and invaluable experience.

The centre is currently taking enrolments and we are proud to have delivered a unique “Nature School” that will be enjoyed by children for many years to come.