University of Queensland (UQ) Plant Futures Facility

Hansen Yuncken, a leading construction company renowned for its expertise in delivering highly technical projects, has played an instrumental role in bringing this ambitious vision to reality.

The scope of the project included the demolition of existing buildings, constructing two floors of Controlled Environment Growth Rooms, support spaces, and a basement. Additionally, the project involved intricate landscaping and a rooftop deck housing building services equipment and glasshouses.

“The University of Queensland’s Plant Futures Facility is exclusively a research-intensive building designed to simulate precise environmental conditions such as temperature, humidity, lighting, and CO2,” said Krystel Lawrence, Senior Contract Administrator at Hansen Yuncken.

“Our team has integrated highly controlled, flexible interior grow rooms and laboratory spaces to cater to a wide range of plant science research, particularly focusing on high-temperature research.”

What sets the Plant Futures Facility apart is its commitment to sustainability and advanced architectural detail. The building adheres to Physical Containment Level 2 Laboratory (PC2) requirements under the Office of the Gene Technology Regulator (OGTR) and Approved Arrangements (AA) for a 5.2 Biosecurity Containment Level 2 (BC2) bio-containment facility, underscoring its role in addressing global food, fibre, fuel, and sustainable production systems.

From a construction perspective, the project presented multiple challenges. One notable complexity was the intricate detailed façade made of face brick, which took over 12 months to complete.

“The glasshouses, located on the rooftop, provided unique challenges in terms of their erection methodology,” Krystel said. “Service Coordination and reticulation through congested plant rooms required meticulous planning and the significant use of BIM (Building Information Modeling) to coordinate and resolve these challenges, ensuring adequate maintenance access for the future.”Hansen Yuncken commenced work on the Plant Futures Facility site in late November 2021, with make-safe and demolition operations starting in December 2021.

The first slab was successfully poured on May 4, 2022. At the peak of construction, the project team comprised 14 key members, with over 65 subcontractors engaged. On any given day, up to 130 workers were diligently working on-site to meet project milestones and deliver high-quality results.

Hansen Yuncken Queensland Manager, Michael Vicenzino reflected on the overall project; “The University of Queensland Plant Futures Facility has been one of the most complex research projects we’ve undertaken. The interface between numerous specialist contractors, some from the northern hemisphere and services contractors to deliver the specialist controlled environments with programming that enables multiple variants of atmospheric growing conditions in the grow rooms and glasshouses has been both a challenging and interesting learning experience. The exceptional quality of this building is a testament to our team’s ability to handle highly technical and serviced facilities, furthering our expertise in the education and research sectors.”

Hansen Yuncken’s precision engineering and commitment to excellence will leave a lasting impact on UQ’s research capabilities and global contributions to sustainable ecosystems.

Proudly Australian, privately owned and controlled, Hansen Yuncken’s enduring success is shaped by experience and thirst for innovation. They are one of the nation’s largest commercial building contractors, employing over 600 team members across New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, and Victoria.

For more information contact Hansen Yuncken, Level 1, 639 Wickham Street Fortitude Valley QLD 4006, phone
07 3872 4000, brisbane@hansenyuncken.com.au, website www.hansenyuncken.com.au