Centrelink National Support
Location: Caroline Chisholm Centre Tuggeranong, ACT 
Completed Date: Late 2007
Material: Precast Façade, Stair & Lift Shaft Panels
Panel Type: Painted & Profiled Precast.
Builder Name: Multiplex Constructions [Brookfield Multiplex]
The Centrelink National Support office (later named Caroline Chisholm Centre) comprised of 5 and 6 storey commercial development located in Tuggeranong ACT with a massive plan footprint.
The structure was originally concepted with Insitu Columns and Masonry Spandrels. After several months of design development, the design team came up with a Precast Façade, Lift and Stair system that all but eliminated the hundreds of thousands of dollars in scaffolding.
One of the challenges of the structure was that the building was very long (in the order of 180m) and the Precast Façade panels (8.4m * 3.85m) had extremely large openings (7.2m wide) and ran parallel to the length. With our expert internal design team, we devised a method to erect panels and eliminate the panel cracking at the windows as building movement occurred. One of the other construction challenges was the erection of 6 storey free-standing lift shafts with limited crane access. The multiple shafts were erected and the props removed – freestanding 24m in all their glory.
The speed with which the structure was constructed was truly a reflection of the planning that was done by the design team up front and with a common goal in mind.
