Inertia brings innovative design to Box Hill Childcare

Inertia has partnered with Tekton Consulting to provide structural and civil engineering services for the development of a 4 storey childcare centre in Melbourne that has the capacity for approximately 198 children (yikes! that’s a lot of rugrats!).  The project has yet to go to construction but Inertia’s early involvement has already provided the project with a number of cost saving design innovations.

One specific challenge was that the landscape design for the centre featured planters, sand pits, water play areas, forts, green walls, as well as live and dead trees and water storage all to be supported on suspended slabs. The extra mass of such items presented a challenge to the engineering design but our team was able to provide some innovative design solutions which allowed for the landscape design to be kept with little alteration.  Examples of our solutions included; using post tensioning which lessened the amount of depth required in the concrete slabs as well as the amount of steel reinforcing required and reducing the overall structure weight by 20-25% allowing the column and footing sizes to be reduced as well.   These solutions not only allowed the children to have a great play area but also saved on overall construction costs.

Other areas where Inertia was able to have a positive impact on the project included;

– optimising the structure with the use of lightweight fire rated roofing (instead of concrete)

– amending the layout to limit and reduce transfers with column grid locations

– Submitting a comprehensive construction management plan (including traffic management plan)

– Investigating and seeking approval for poly tanks in the basement in lieu of blockwork and concrete

– Coordinating with environmental and sustainability consultants and the local Whitehorse Council to achieve best practice in stormwater quality

– Optimising the stormwater drainage and retention to reduce the amount of detention required while achieving sustainability targets.

At Inertia, we strive to make a positive impact on every project we are involved with.   Our experience in community facilities combined with our multi-disciplinary approach not only leads to better project outcomes but can often lead to cost savings from a design and construction standpoint.  Contact us today to discuss how we can make an impact on your next project!