As a leading Tier 2 Design and Construction company, Growthbuilt is known for completing quality commercial, mixed use, student and affordable living and housing, aged care and seniors living, hospitality, education and residential projects against complex logistical issues and tight schedules.

Growthbuilt won the design and construct contract for Uniting’s McRae-McMahon Place Independent Living Units (ILUs).
The project features two 6-storey buildings rising over a common podium and offers a large range of services and amenities, including an indoor swimming pool, multi-function space, clubroom, and private dining, as well as communal gardens and BBQ areas in each building for residents’ enjoyment.

“The types of homes older people need and want are changing,” said Adam Ashcroft, Growthbuilt Construction Manager. “More people want to be able to choose between different types of homes to suit their differing needs across all stages of life.”

McRae-McMahon Place is designed to ensure its residents live in a user friendly, accessible building with safe and convenient systems such as flat surfaces that meet accessibility requirements, rather than large flights of stairs, accessible spaces and lifts, as well as simpler items such as large buttons, easily readable signage and markings, and large format switching. The goal of these systems is to provide safe and accessible living for older people.

The village centers around a relaxing water feature, bocce courts,
a resort-style indoor pool and beautifully landscaped gardens that link to the wider community. “These amenities are a key component of the communal sense of belonging, connecting residents and visitors, further enhancing the village environment,” said Adam.

There were some challenges initially with this project due to the distance between the original building and the surrounding properties. This original building shell was located a matter of meters from the Church on the Eastern boundary and the residential housing to the North. This meant that scaffolding, which wrapped the whole building, was located on a narrow edge between the site and these properties. “The proximity of neighbours meant the building envelope was meticulously designed to fit in with the overall character of Leichhardt using a variety of elements such as glass, brick and Render,” said Adam.

The well-appointed apartments range in size and layout, from two-bedroom apartments to deluxe penthouses. All are spacious and private, with plenty of sunlight and natural ventilation – and many have views over the leafy district and Harbour Bridge. “People typically spend more time at home as they age, so it was vital to maximise views, sunlight and privacy,” said Adam.

The civil and services systems at McRae-McMahon Place include an embedded energy network, LED lighting, thermal insulation of roofs and walls, LED lighting, energy-efficient appliances and bathroom fittings, and the central hot water system. The overall system will reduce emissions, improve the building’s sustainability and lifecycle, and lower utility bills via the embedded energy network.

Growthbuilt’s focus is on new-build, fitout, adaptive re-use and refurbishments within their retail and commercial sector expertise. The quality of work is best expressed by an 90% repeat client base and award-winning projects. Utilising the right processes and systems, their service driven team ensures successful delivery of projects safely, on time, within budget and to exceptional quality.

“Our teams are increasingly involved in methods of project delivery where our skills are effectively utilised to provide a superior project outcome in terms of quality, time and value,” said Adam.

Growthbuilt employs over 160 people consisting of professional engineers & builders. It’s this competence and confidence that enables people and projects to reach their full potential.

Rodney Stevens Acoustics was engaged to assess the acoustic requirements of the development for the construction phase,
as well as the final compliance certifications. Their prime objective had future residents in mind when they were tasked with achieving a high level of acoustic amenity throughout the development.

Firstly assessing and mitigating the external noise intrusion from road traffic and aircraft noise, their second task was to consider the noise extrusion from the development, such as mechanical plant noise.

Finally, the development had to comply with both industry, Council and client satisfaction regulations from an acoustic perspective.

“Rodney Stevens Acoustics and Growthbuilt have worked closely together for nearly a decade and have succeeded in developing a successful and mutually respectful relationship,” said Operations Manager, Penny Edney. “Both companies take pride in their workmanship.”

There are always a lot of moving parts to consider with large scale projects and this time around was no different. “The main challenges that arise are the balance between calculated building requirements, versus what can be installed onsite,” Penny explained. “Our main focus is to ensure internal acoustic privacy can be achieved from external noise.”

In the case of this site, the loudest external noise was aircraft noise. Due to the high levels of noise exposure, installation of heavy glazing was recommended. As heavy glazing is not an off the shelf product, the windows needed to be custom made. Penny explains that the glazing expert employed for this particular project was very ‘knowledgeable’ supplying and installing windows and doors with a very high acoustic performance.

Rodney Stevens Acoustics is an Australian owned company whose ethos is to provide acoustic services tailored for the clients needs, whilst maintaining legislative requirements. With a team of highly skilled acoustic consultants, they offer a particular focus on the commercial, childcare, residential, industrial, hospitality and agricultural arenas.