Rinnai Australia Headquarters

Buildcorp was proud to deliver the major transformation of Rinnai Australia’s headquarters in Braeside, repositioning the 1990s facility into a contemporary, functional, sustainable, and people-focused workplace that reflects the future of work and the strength of the Rinnai brand.

The project connects Rinnai’s office and manufacturing teams within a modern, highly functional workplace. Delivered in a live environment, where manufacturing operations continued seamlessly throughout construction, the project was designed into carefully planned stages, demonstrating Buildcorp’s expertise in complex structural refurbishment within an operational setting.

The refurbishment and fit‑out spanned both ground and first floors and included:

• General office and collaboration areas
• Cafeteria and amenities
• Gymnasium with physio and first aid facilities
• Tech‑enabled oversized vending market
• New consolidated communications room
• Complete services upgrades including mechanical, electrical and fire services, along with a new switchboard
• Installation of client‑supplied air conditioning units

Construction was delivered across three key stages to manage risk and maintain operational continuity:

• Stage 1 – West Wing:
  Foundational works including ground testing, slab demolition and structural reinforcement were completed to prepare for safe precast panel removal.
• Stage 2 – East Wing:
  Works involved demolition of the ground floor slab and installation of new footings for columns, along with strengthening of internal footings. Temporary propping was installed beneath the Level 1 slab and east precast panels in accordance with the temporary works engineer’s design.
• Stage 3 – Main Entry:
  This stage required highly coordinated works to integrate new structural steel with existing truss elements. It commenced following removal of Stair 1 and the Level 1 slab and included underpinning works and construction of the raised entry roof while maintaining façade integrity.

One of the most critical and high‑risk components of the project was the Stage 2 lifting phase. Each precast panel was carefully prepared and secured in line with an engineered lifting plan. A 100‑tonne crane was used to transfer the load of each panel following detailed lifting studies and geotechnical assessments. Stitch plates were released in a controlled sequence to prevent destabilisation, after which props were released, and panels were safely relocated to a laydown area.

Unexpected existing site conditions revealed inadequate footings, requiring extensive underpinning, propping and structural strengthening. Buildcorp directly engaged structural engineers to manage these challenges efficiently and safely.

The project included a full façade and roof replacement, with precast panels removed and replaced by steel‑framed structures. This enabled the delivery of a striking new entry featuring:

• New main entrance lift, staircase and void featuring a striking 6.5m Mondrian glazed wall
• Suspended concrete slabs
• Feature external screening

External works also included EV charging infrastructure, civil upgrades, and comprehensive hard and soft landscaping.

Construction took place alongside Rinnai’s active manufacturing facility. Temporary amenities, accessways and staging were implemented to ensure uninterrupted operations. Shared facilities used by both office and factory staff were refurbished, and the live communications room was maintained throughout the works. When fibre relocation became necessary to enable precast panel removal, Buildcorp coordinated closely with the telecommunications provider to avoid disruption.