Student One’s 363 Adelaide Street project (pictured above), which involved transforming the former office building of Boeing in the Brisbane’s central business district into a student accommodation tower, is a prime example of when everything comes together for a successful outcome.
The $110 million student housing complex and retail building is made up of a mix of studio, twin share, multi-share, executive, and accessible apartments and was constructed out of the old 14-story office building.
The project was originally launched in April 2015 with the assistance of a development initiative promoted by Brisbane City Council and the then Brisbane Lord Mayor Graham Quirk, and 15 months later, the entire project, from strip out to redevelopment was completed.
The former Boeing Building, with a total site area of 2,486 square meters and an estimated floor space of 14,962 square meters for lease, was designated as an MP1 zone for multiple uses.
Hutchinson Builders were contracted to finish the project in two phases. The first phase, involving removal of fixtures, was to take three months, while the second phase, involving construction, was to take 52 weeks.
Student One CEO Tim Weston said the building was in a “very good” location in Brisbane’s so called Golden Triangle. But its main advantage, location wise, was that the building was an “island with roads on all four sides”.
“A lot of commercial buildings back up against each other, so you’ll have a blank wall with no windows,” he said.
“We didn’t have that, we had natural separation. We could effectively build all the way around the edge.
“I have looked at lots of these buildings, and that’s normally the biggest stumbling block. Because if you’re the wrong size – if you’re too fat or too thin or too round – you’re not going to be able to redevelop. “It was an ideal rectangle and size… it just worked”.
Building around the edge meant all the bedrooms have access to natural light, while the amenity and lifts could be placed in the middle, allowing Student One to replicate every floor, building into the corners.
Another advantage helping supercharge the build time, was the fact the local Brisbane City Council was keen to get more student accommodation at the time, according to Mr Weston.
Mr Weston said due to the zoning of student accommodation, there wasn’t a need for parking per resident, which allowed them to rent out the existing bays as a public car park.
The team responsible for installing the joinery was tasked with gathering and distributing over 20,000 joinery components. This demand necessitated the project to run 24 hours a day during crucial periods.
Additionally, during the elevator maintenance and repair period, close to 800 tons of plaster, supporting materials, and lumber had to be transported to the various levels.
An approach of “just in time” was employed to minimize the number of unprocessed materials and promote an open and unobstructed work area.
With every floor requiring more than 50 tons of board, Hutchinson Builders partnered with the partitioning contractor and their in-house material hoist team to develop an innovative method that was both efficient and safer.
To reduce the handling difficulties and increase productivity, the floors were pre-loaded before constructing the partition walls, accomplished by having penetrations into the side of the building.
“From purchase the land, plus approvals plus strip, and construction that was 18 months… I think that’s quite remarkable,” Mr Weston said.