Opal acquired the site through an existing relationship with Stocklands. Opal’s brief was to develop a 2 storey, 120 bed facility, with ancillary public and staff facilities, onsite commercial and kitchen laundry services and allied health (wellness centre).
Johnstaff were engaged to provide full project management and superintendent services for the development of the Treeby facility. Johnstaff were responsible for procurement of all professional consultancies involved in the project, including specialist services for the kitchen and laundry. As a value-add service Johnstaff also coordinated the public art delivery, as the City of Cockburn has a compulsory 1% public art component for all developments above $2M.
Johnstaff facilitated a comprehensive pre-tender value management review of the project, to ensure that all design decisions provided optimal “bang for buck”. This involved a detailed analysis of concrete frame vs load bearing brick construction.
A challenge presented by the project was the long horizontal site of approximately 10,000 sqm. Whilst this did not present a yield issue, it presented a number of challenges from an operational efficiency perspective. During the initial concept and master planning phase of the project, a number of planning options were reviewed and evaluated before arriving at an agreed solution.
There was a high degree of change to the project team during the course of the project, which was further exacerbated by COVID-19. This meant Johnstaff had greater involvement in the resolution of issues and bringing new project members up to speed. This was done in the context of working from home, with limited face to face interaction.
Construction was similarly impacted by COVID-19 and in addition to this, the electrical subcontractor went into liquidation just months before Practical Completion. Johnstaff worked closely with Opal and the Contractor to manage and navigate issues and achieve a mutually beneficial outcome for both parties. Notwithstanding these challenges the project was completed 1 month later than planned.
