Inertian Insight – July 2022

Located in the rapidly expanding area of Yarrabilba, we were proud to provide civil and structural engineering services on this $60 million project. South Rock State School at Yarrabilba is a brand-new primary school which opened for the 2023 school year. Featuring 28 general learning areas, two flexible learning areas across Years 1-3 and Years 4-6 precincts, a multipurpose hall, sports and playground facilities, canteen, covered areas, and administrative facilities, this project provides state-of-the-art educational facilities for the incoming cohort of students.

There were a number of constraints in delivering this project in a short time frame. The sloping site provided challenges in the way of providing access and connection between each of the buildings. Through detailed interrogations of building levels, pathways and footpath alignments, we were able to overcome these challenges and deliver value to the client.

Another layer of constraint was build cost. In a market where materials and contractor pricing are escalating monthly, we were able to successfully minimise quantities of materials used across earthworks volumes, retaining walls, concrete, structural steel framing and the use of efficient lightweight roof and wall designs. We estimate this resulted in $600,000 savings across structural and civil build costs.

We have really enjoyed working with BBH Projects and Alexandra Buchanan Architecture to provide structural engineering services for this new home located in Paddington. This spectacular two-story residence showcases an effortless blend of materials and natural elements to create a beautiful oasis in the heart of the suburbs.

This build was situated in the centre of an overland flow path, with stormwater and sewer lines running under the existing house. The solution was to raise the cottage and design piers on either side of the stormwater line, building block piers up and pouring a suspended slab to create the ground level. This allowed for the supporting structure of the cottage to be built on top of this slab.

Another challenge were the concrete planters that hang above the pool, with the largest spanning over nine metres. To achieve these spans, concrete upstand beams were designed to form the walls of the planter and subsequently support the slab and soil weights. These were supported on angled concrete walls at the end of each span, with steel beams tying the planter into the framing of the house. The remaining exposed concrete finish of these structural elements ties in nicely with the timber accents throughout the build.