Projects / Laverton North, Victoria
Laverton North distribution centre
Head contractor, industrial sector
- Contract value
- $3,400,000
- Duration
- 15 months
- Sector
- Industrial
- Systems
- Mechanical, Hydraulic, Controls
- Completed
- 2025
Brief
Mechanical and hydraulic services to a 38,000 m² distribution facility with a 4,200 m² chilled pick face and a two level office.
Systems installed
- 3 × 900kW low charge ammonia packaged chillers to AS/NZS 5149
- 12 × 62kW ceiling mounted evaporators holding the 4,200 m² pick face at 4°C
- 6 × smoke exhaust fans, 12 m³/s each, rated 300°C for 60 minutes to AS 1668.1
- 220kW of office VRF across two levels with after hours metering per tenancy
- 1,400m of DN100 to DN300 trade waste and roof drainage to AS/NZS 3500
Constraints
Lease commencement was fixed twelve months before practical completion and the tenant racking installer had a contracted start that could not move, so roof plant, smoke exhaust and the pick face refrigeration all had to be complete and pressure tested before racking took the floor. Eleven weeks were lost to a wet spring early in the program. The balance was recovered by splitting the pick face and office packages across two crews on staggered six day weeks, with the smoke exhaust fans installed from the roof rather than from below to keep the floor clear.
Outcome
Practical completion 8 August 2025, two days inside the contract date. Pick face pull down from ambient to 4°C recorded at 19 hours with dock doors sealed. Smoke exhaust performance witnessed by the building surveyor and included in the essential safety measures schedule issued with the occupancy permit.