Redevelopment of High Street Plaza Shopping Centre - Report Example

Building Construction And Performance Report of the Redevelopment of High Street Plaza Shopping Centre By A project report Submitted to fulfill therequirements of Assignment No. 1 in the Course CIV2502 Faculty of Engineering and Surveying The University of Southern Queensland Toowoomba, Queensland 4350 Australia. Date of Site visit: Word Count: Contents 1.0Introduction 3 2.0Location of the Building 6 (The location of High Street Plaza Shopping Center in Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia) 7 3.0 Geotechnical and Environmental Studies 7 3.0Building Design 8 (The project design of High Street Plaza shopping center.) 9 4.1 Building Regulations 9 4.2 Type of Building 10 4.3 Layout of the Building 11 4.4 Building Material Specifications and Use 11 4.5 Safety Requirements 12 4.6 Foundation Design 12 4.7 Design of the Building 13 4.0Building Construction 13 5.1 Road Works 13 5.2 Landscape Work 14 5.0Problems Encountered in the Project 16 6.0Recommendations for Improvements 17 7.0Conclusion 17 9.0 Attachments 19 1.0 Introduction This report provides the details of the High Street Plaza Shopping Centre construction. It is located in Towoomba, Queensland, Australia. It will cover the start of the construction until its present condition and information includes when the structure was being built and provides a review of the construction methods, material used, and processes undertaken at that period. This is seen a redevelopment project, and viewed as an important milestone. Constructions are seen as part of economic growth; hence, the new structural design does not only include aesthetic enhancement but also integrates a more comprehensive planning in order to maximize the space into a more useful, long-term multipurpose recreation center that will able to cater more consumers or clienteles. The redevelopment project construction had quite started during the gathering of information and data for this report. In fact the basement of the shopping center was already built and some shoring had been completed. Polishing and work detailing during that period has not been collected due to un-availability. The main purpose of the writer of this report for requesting the hard copy of the complete detail of the program of works is to have a basis for the final review of the construction methods, materials and other issues. Lack of document, however, does not affect the report because the writer provides a thorough assessment through direct interview with the people involved in the project development and construction. Regular visit for on-site observation was also conducted in order to collect all relevant and important issues pertaining to the project. This report seeks to give details on the key issues related to building construction. Particularly, this report will be focused on the redevelopment construction of the High Street Plaza Shopping Center. The report will contain the pre-construction concerns and how they were handled, construction methodology – of structures that are in place as well as some predictions of the structures yet to be built, materials – that had and were planned to be used to the extent known, and construction practices and future projections of the impact on the local community from an individual, governmental and business perspective. The retail shopping center was built in 1974 and has undergone several revamps since 1979 up to 1997. In an effort to upgrade the retail facilities in the area, a total renovation of almost the entire center was started in 2010. The redevelopment project construction which took seven years planning approximately costs 15 million Australian dollars. It is administered by shopping center owner and J.M Kelly Group director Jim Kelly. The new shopping centre will provide local and national retailers with a state-of-the-art facility strategically located to attract customers from varied demographic groups. The retail development is anchored by Cornett’s Supa IGA, BP Service Station, Blockbuster and other 22 new retail tenancies. As it has been mentioned, the primary benefit of the redevelopment is focused on economic development because it is projected to provide ongoing positive returns for the local community and surrounding areas. It is hoped to increase job opportunities, tax revenues, and more recreation and leisure time opportunities. The redevelopment effort was seen as timely because of the recent and economic downturn. It showed the dedicated effort of the local government and business community to meet up the challenge through investment. This effort is employing 30 individuals daily for six days a week and had been scheduled to run from May 2010 until July 2011 for a total of 58 weeks. The contract for the construction of the new plaza shopping center was awarded to McNabb Constructions, a well known local construction company in Toowoomba. The selection of the construction company was based upon their good record in the industry and their commitment to provide employment opportunities to local residents. The Mcnabb employees and company representatives were the direct source of information compiled in this report which hopes to detail the construction practices utilized by the company in erecting this structure and to inform of the challenges and obstacles encountered. 2.0 Location of the Building The shopping center is located in Towoomba District High Street in Queensland, Australia. Toowoomba is the fifth largest city in Queensland and the second largest inland regional city in Australia. The site is very strategic because the city of Toowoomba is the service center and business hub of Surat Basin and Central Queensland. It is also located at the junction of major highways from Sydney Melbourne, Darwin and Brisbane. The city is also a 90-minutes drive (130 km) from the state’s capital Brisbane. The shopping site is also nearby Rangeville, a suburban community in Toowoomba with schools and church. Therefore, the shopping center projected to have more customers because of the presence of the students and church goers. The general ground condition of the site location is applicable for building establishments because the land use is identified for commercial and does not cover any by protected areas. The area is not swampy, uphill or downhill. The topography is definitely flat, which makes it more suitable to both the workers and the plants and equipment used on the construction site. Since the site location is in the suburban area, it is surrounded by lots of houses which provide direct protection from wind and sun coming from the north to the south or from the east to the west. (The location of High Street Plaza Shopping Center in Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia) 3.0 Geotechnical and Environmental Studies In order to project the design of the building applicable to the type of soil and able stand against any natural calamities such as earthquake, flood, strong winds, typhoons, etc., the project engineers have carried out an extensive investigation and study about the geotechnical conditions of the site. Using cored test holes and standard penetrometers, the engineers have found out that the site area has an unsuitable overlaying soil with very low plasticity and easily shrink. Therefore, the engineers have laid the building foundation suitable with this type of soil to meet federal standards. It will help withstand wind loading, rainfall patterns, earthquake, snow, or ice. 3.0 Building Design The redevelopment project is in accordance with the general plan and applicable community plan, local codes, ordinances, building regulations and guidelines in Australia. The construction team is headed by project manager Chris Lucas with foreman Brad Kratzman and leading hand Murray Jackwitz of Macnabb Construction Company. The shopping facility center was purposely designed as a one-story building, in consideration of the following factors: to prevent susceptibility to high wind forces; with respect to the surrounding structures; and as compliance to the existing regulation regarding on the required height of the building in the city. The project also included a basement and upper level parking facilities with approximate 6000 m2 of suspended slab. The structure will be precast panels and structural steel in order to resist any flooding that could occur due to exceptional weather conditions, etc. (The project design of High Street Plaza shopping center.) 4.1 Building Regulations The redevelopment project strictly adhered to the existing local council, state and national regulations and the Building Codes of Australia (BCA). These are the following laws imposed in building construction: (i)Environmental legislations: Since, resources are finite, every state have included environmental factors in the development. Similar to other countries, this legislation is designed to protect the natural environment to ensure sustainable development wherein the present and the future generation will have clean air, water , soil and that a significant part of the area will be protected and preserved in their natural form. (ii) Heritage Legislations: Identified buildings and structures with historical significance are protected by this law. The primary objective is to preserve for the future generation to have something to learn from their ancestors and thus, continue the culture. (iii) Urban and Regional Planning Legislations: This is a set of law designed to ensure that towns and cities are developed to optimize and maintain health and safety of the neighborhood. This law protects the welfare of the residents especially those who live near the site. It imposed prevention for the generation of loud noise especially during night and other hazardous factors that affects health while the construction is going on. (iv) The Building Code of Australia: is a set of law with the basic objective is to ensure that acceptable standard of structural, sufficiency, fire, safety, health and amenity are maintained for the benefit of the community now and in the future. (v) Workplace Health and Safety Legislation: is a set of law which is designed to ensure that the people working within the building or site will have a healthy and safe environment appropriate to the types of work they are undertaking or doing. 4.2 Type of Building The shopping centre is purposely designed as a single story multi-business structure, because of the mandated ordinance that restricts the height of the buildings in the area. However, the style is similar with other state-of-the-art modern shopping centres in the country. It is estimated that several thousand people will enter and exit the centre each day either as employees, customers or service personnel. Therefore, a basement and a substantial parking area (see Appendices B-1 and B-2) were included in the design. 4.3 Layout of the Building The shopping centre is projected to contain one main shop, the Supa IGA and 20 additional small specialty retail tenancies. Each shop will have entrances and exits that open up into a large open mall area. This allows the customers to be able to easily access each store from within the main building. The ceiling is also high enough with 5.5m in height in order to allow better ventilation and light penetration. 4.4 Building Material Specifications and Use The building materials used in the construction are all standard in order to assure longevity of the establishment and able to stand against any natural calamities. The basement floor was reinforced with concrete (see Appendix B-3) and the basement walls were made of core filled 200 series block work (see Appendix B-4). The main floor consists of a suspended slab over the basement as well as a concrete slab on the ground. Other walls in the structure are pre-cast panels and shop front glazing was also used. 4.5 Safety Requirements McNabb Constructions adheres to the highest standards in work site safety. They strongly practice “zero harm at work” which required the participation of all individuals and encourage safety awareness at all times. In order to prevent and reduce accidents in the construction area, the construction company clearly marked and isolated all potential fall areas. Workers were also provided and required to use protective wears and reflective gears while in the construction. The company also hired equipment operators who were well-trained and licensed (see Appendices B-5 and B-6). 4.6 Foundation Design Since the type of soil in the site area is clay, raft foundation was used which is similar to most commercial foundations in Toowoomba. The foundation was assured to be strong enough because it is made of 125 mm concrete on thickened foundation beams, 600*300 external beams and five meter centers for internal support stiffening. This type of foundation was considered to support the load and bear the capacity of the ground. Another reason, it is only suitable where the material supporting them is expected to settle uniformly under the load. These specifications best suit the requirement during the site investigation that needed light loading, average loading on soils with low-bearing capacity and structure with basement story. There were 104 columns. 4.7 Design of the Building Generally, the design engineer based all drawings, size, types of construction materials, and workmanship in accordance to current building standards. Pre-cast and post tension concrete were used in most parts of the structure. During the construction, the builder was responsible for the safe construction and erection of the structure from level to level. The entire ground anchor work was designed and carried out in according to AS 4678-2002 (Australia Standard). 4.0 Building Construction The project construction took 58 weeks to complete and was begun May 2010 and finished by June 2011. The report was undertaken prior to completion and there have been no significant changes to the planned construction to date. 5.1 Road Works To make it accessible to all modes of land transportation, the center of entrance road located on the side of High Street Plaza was widened. Other road improvements were undertaken as the project neared completion to avoid traffic congestion in the area. During the road improvement, the pavement was alternately constructed. The first lane was opened for the vehicles while the other was being constructed then vice versa in order to control the flow of vehicles in the area. Parking signs and boundaries were also included to maximize the parking area. 5.2 Landscape Work Landscaping was also part of the design in order to add color and enhance the aesthetic appeal of the building. This was a combination of evergreen shrubs and flowering plants. However, it was done after the building construction was finished. This is to avoid wasting of time, money and effort because to coincide it with the building construction would possibly compromise plants with high probability of destruction due to dust, falling objects, and foot steps of the workers. 5.3 Foundation Construction Before the foundation was built, excavation for the basement was first done. Based on the information relayed by Mcnabb Construction, the construction of foundation had several detailed methods. However, the data was not yet available for the public during the compilation of this report. The construction engineers, however, attested that it was an example of spread foundation construction because sheet piling or diaphragm walls were used. It also consisted of reinforced concrete slabs with standard rebar. Pads were also used to aid in support because of the reactive soil. . 5.4 Concrete Beams and Slabs Concrete slabs were used in the foundation of the centre, similar to the form used for the basement. It is assumed that some of these were suspended; others were used in the walls and also in columns. The methods of construction followed the listing below (Structural and Building Technology, 2010): In suspended slabs: fix top and bottom steel to bar chairs at the level required using tie wire. The chairs should be not more than a meter and a half apart for the top steel and closer than this for the bottom steel. In walls: use plastic or steel spacers to separate the bars and to provide the necessary side cover. (Plastic spacers will not support the weight of reinforcement as do steel chairs.) In columns: provide spacers outside the reinforcement at the base of the column, halfway up it, if possible, and block out the reinforcement at the top of the form so that that each bar is in its correct position, not just to obtain the correct cover to the outside of the cage. It should be noted that the actual methods utilized by the construction company were not known at this time. These parts of the structure were built at a future date and another method may in fact be deemed more appropriate at the time. 5.5 Building Superstructure Again, actual method was not yet available for building the superstructure during the investigation process. But based upon the completed work, slam-beam system was used. However, if this system was employed, it was still unknown whether it was one-way or two-way. It was also known that the flooring was precast reinforced concrete; however, any assumptions beyond this would only be speculation at this point. 5.0 Problems Encountered in the Project During site visit, the main problem that was observed and encountered was the noise generated from the machines and equipment. In addition, the traffic also added to the noise. That section of the site was highly congested and high volumes or flow of traffic passed by using that route. Another problem that was encountered was environmental factor that there might be the possibility of soil contamination in the location of the construction site. Design issue. Many urban structures are soon seen with design flaws due to the lack of sustainable forecasting and this usually includes shopping centres that would soon congest thoroughfares, add to problems in waste disposal, massive consumption, and segregation of residents. Construction problems usually address pollution within and outside the building: generation and circulation of clean air, waste disposal, and maintenance of sewerage systems. Financial issue: During the construction process, budgeting is usually undermined and constraints highly possible due to fluctuating and overhead costs in manpower and materials. Project management and planning problems: All risks were considered and the expertise of the construction company was maximized and practical at this time. 6.0 Recommendations for Improvements As detailed above, there have been no major problems with the project so far. However, minor problems were identified and were addressed immediately like the construction traffic issue. To solve this issue an alternative route was adviced. Hence the problem was minimized without a significant time delay. For the noise issue, heavy works that create loud noise were scheduled during day time in order to secure the nearby residence to rest at night. Overall the community was very happy to be getting a new mall and was not too upset about the minor changes in their daily lives during the construction phase. 7.0 Conclusion The High Street Plaza Shopping Center was a welcome business and community addition to Toowoomba. The local citizens looked forward to increased shopping venues and new opportunities. On the other hand, the local government was expecting to increase employment and tax revenues. The businesses that were fortunate enough to secure a spot in the facility expected to gain more profit because the site was located in strategic business hub. Although there were some minor unforeseen issues to crop up, the project proceeded as scheduled and should be completed as projected. The engineering firm and construction company which handled the redevelopment project performed as expected and adhered to all applicable building regulations and guidelines. This effort was a good demonstration of how adequate planning can result in a successful major building project. 9.0 Attachments References Appendix A Appendix B References 1. University of Southern Queensland. 2010.Structural and building technology. Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia: University of Southern Queensland. 2. McNab Times (July 2010). 3. Altshuler A. and Luberoff D, (2003). Mega-Projects: The Changing Politics of Urban Public Investment (Washington, DC: Brookings Institution, 2003). ISBN 0815701292. Retrieved from http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Megaproject#cite_note-1 Read More