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ACU Mercy Building

ECI delivers striking new build learning facility

Soaring to great heights over the Australian Catholic University’s (ACU) Banyo campus with a 360-degree view of Brisbane, the ‘Mercy Building’ is a spectacular space for students, staff and guests to interact with ease.

The Buildcorp team delivered the spectacular new five-level education facility over a 16-month program that included a value-add Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) stage. The Mercy Building features a variety of shared learning areas across two levels and a top floor function space. It is also the new home for ACUs Marketing, Human Resources, local and national IT and Teaching and Learning staff. The building transforms indoor and outdoor learning, offering students a multitude of study settings including space for students to work in groups and individually, in silence or conversation.

ECI drives value
The team entered into an ECI arrangement and joined the design team to drive buildability outcomes and value management. Working collaboratively, Buildcorp developed options that could generate $1m in savings. ACU accepted $725,000 in savings across items such as lighting design, placement and fittings, as well as landscaping and mechanical services. All disciplines were considered to ensure the options did not affect the project aims or create design issues elsewhere.

Program protection
The five-level structure was completed within the first six months of the program and this allowed the façade and external services rough-in to commence. A delay in the production of the façade sun blades posed a significant potential impact on the program. To mitigate this, the team installed a temporary plastic enclosure to the perimeter of certain areas that allowed fit-out works to begin. This salvaged months in construction time, allowing some fit-out works to overlap with the façade installation.

The new building joins to the existing library at two levels via connecting bridges allowing students to flow from the library to the multiple study spaces on offer. The function area on the rooftop level provides a unique space for students, staff and guests to interact.

Client

Australian Catholic University

Architect

Thomson Adsett

Contract sum

$21m

Program

54 weeks

Completion

July 2018