November 2017: Rain proved no obstacle as construction reached the top of Buildcorp’s tallest tower to date, the second Urbanest Student Accommodation tower at Darling Square (DS2). Standing proudly at 22 floors, the DS2 development joins the recently completed DS1 tower (20 floors) to collectively provide over 1,200 beds of quality student accommodation in central Sydney.
Buildcorp has now delivered three Urbanest Student Accommodation projects totalling $155 million in value. The team capitalised on learnings from the previous Urbanest projects to fast track the delivery of the $58 million DS2 tower. Buildcorp optimised the program and the design utilising Building Information Modelling (BIM) and solutions including:
- Prefabricated bathroom pods installed via pre-prepared ‘floor templates’
- Façade installation using monorails across three elevations and two launching platforms. This helps to minimise impact on the light rail line adjoining the site.
- Logistical planning and individually phased programs to enable the team to work over multiple floors and coordinate a variety of concurrent works.
The second stage of Urbanest Darling Square will include a range of product room types, communal neighbourhoods and social spaces including a central landscaped courtyard, study spaces and secure bicycle parking. For added convenience for residents, this will be the first Urbanest property with on site catering facilities including a state-of-the-art kitchen and an active cooking station offering diverse, international cuisine.
The two Allen Jack and Cottier-designed developments are connected via a pedestrian link bridge on level 1 to allow the residents to share the amenities across the two towers. The DS2 tower will be complete in mid-2018 and, together with the DS1 tower, forms part of the wider Darling Square regeneration precinct being delivered by Lendlease as part of the NSW Government’s 20-hectare transformation of Darling Harbour.
