Melbourne based commercial design and construction Company

Laurimar Community Centre

The City of Whittlesea contracted Wilkore to construct the Laurimar Community and Activity Centre. The distinctive multi-functional facility is home to a kindergarten, office space, two maternal health centres, counsellor consultation rooms, a dance studio and meeting areas for community use. The aesthetics of the building are nothing less than striking, which in conjunction with the seamlessly integrated sustainable design elements, make this building a great example of where form meets function.

The building has a built-in weather station that controls automated louvres. During summer when the outside temperature drops below a certain point, the louvres will open to allow cool air into the main foyer area which has been partially constructed using thermal mass bricks that retain the cold and act as a passive form of cooling. In winter these bricks will do the opposite, retaining the heat to keep warmth in the building. Incorporating the various ESD features required Wilkore to be adaptable and careful in their planning.

Client: City of Whittlesea

Value: $5.4M

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Biota Head Office

Biota were consolidating their operations when they approached Wilkore to renovate an existing warehouse facility to turn it into an office, warehouse, laboratory complex. This project was completed in stages with work beginning on the front office which was transformed into a suitable facility to house the temporary research operations. We then demolished the rear warehouse and built 1200m² of laboratories and offices above a ground floor car par. We also built a large PC2 Biology laboratory and two PC3 facilities. Nearly 18 months after this area was made operational, the front of the building was demolished and two floors of offices were installed. In 2008, the temporary research facilities were demolished and new laboratories were installed, completing the five-year project. Wilkore oversaw every aspect of the project, even assisting with the relocation of equipment. We worked with the client through every step of the design, construction, commissioning and accreditation of the PC3 laboratory, handing over a fully compliant facility at completion.

The very nature of Biota’s business, drug discovery, leads to significant and rapid change. Often designs or project scopes would change from one week to the next. Our flexibility and ability to quickly adapt designs and adjust programs and construction methods were crucial for Biota and their business.

Client: Biota Holdings Ltd

Value: $10M

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Advent Pharmaceuticals

Advent Pharmaceuticals engaged Wilkore to construct an office, laboratory and pilot scale, Grade C pharmaceutical manufacturing facility as an addition to the Small Technologies Cluster at Caribbean Business Park. This project has historic significance for Wilkore, being the first project for which Wilkore used the Dagard Cleanroom Panel System. We worked very closely with Advent Pharmaceuticals on the design of this facility while managing both the construction of the facility and the installation of the Dagard Cleanroom Panel System. We also assisted Advent with the final commissioning of the facility.

Advent Pharmaceuticals were very particular to ensure that every aspect of the final sealing, detailing and cleaning was flawless. We were able to meet their every need, and this facility has become a showcase of the Small Technologies Cluster.

Client: Advent Pharmaceuticals

Value: $1.5M

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Ensign

As part of an upgrade and expansion to their Mulgrave facility, Ensign Laboratories engaged Wilkore to design and construct a group of discrete projects, including delivery of a large dangerous goods facility, new formulation suites, renovation of a packing hall, extension of the head office and an addition of 6,000m² of warehouse space. Wilkore was involved in the project from an early stage; providing design solutions, budgets and programs. As our client was undergoing a period of rapid expansion, we had to ensure flexibility and redundancy in our designs at all times. We were also asked to respond to sudden opportunities as they came the way of Ensign. When Ensign won the opportunity to manufacture a product that was being manufactured in Sydney, we had just over 6 months to design and construct a facility to house six 10,000L tanks, a fully compliant water system, raw material storage and an ISO 8 packing facility. This project included the relocation of significant plant equipment from Sydney.

The Sydney relocation project was a significant challenge, however we were able to achieve the required deadline, without any major affects to the programs of the surrounding facilities, and with minimal impact on Ensign’s production.

Client: Ensign Laboratories

Value: $20M

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Tyremax

Tyremax, a wholesale tyre merchant, needed more building space and were looking to expand. In 2008 Wilkore were approached by project management firm Archway House Group on behalf of Tyremax to completely refurbish a run-down warehouse they had purchased in Thomastown. The result was a fully renovated, compliant building with a modern facade and almost 9,000 m² of warehouse space and 1,200 m² of office space.

This was a demanding project with significant challenges in accommodating changes while keeping within the program and adhering to budget restrictions. It was an evolving process, with many changes to the plans throughout construction. Changes like this can affect more than just the cost of the project, but Wilkore were able to keep on top of and implement the changes, while managing the site and ensuring that the variations did not overwhelm the building. According to the Project Manager, Martin Armit: “that’s what we do, that’s why our clients come back to us, we can adapt”. It is our depth of experience that means we can adapt to changes rapidly, ensuring that we are one of the first-choice builders for renovations and refurbishments.

Client: Tyremax

Value: $3.8M

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Linde

In May 2011 Wilkore completed construction of a new office, warehouse and showroom complex for Linde Material Handling Australia. The complex has been built to house the assembly, service and maintenance of Linde’s forklifts. The facility includes 1,000m² of office and showroom space and 3,500m² of warehouse and assembly space.

Linde requested that the facility be based on their recently completed facility in Queensland. Wilkore adapted this model to suit Linde’s site at Caribbean Business Park which included a second floor to the facility as well as an extra 1,000m² of space.

Client: Caribbean Business Park, Linde

Value: $4.2M

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Caribbean Business Park

Caribbean Business Park is a thriving business park in Melbourne’s south-east. For over 20 years Wilkore has been building for, and helping to grow, this prestigious business estate. As well as providing design and construction services to the park, Wilkore is actively involved in master planning, designing and supervising the installation of infrastructure in this privately owned estate. This involvement at every level of the park has been used by many of our long-term clients. We are able to provide them with solutions that best utilise their site and surrounding environments for their current and future capacities.

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Parkville Neurosciences

The Parkville Neuroscience building was built to house the University of Melbourne’s neuroscience and developmental biology groups, the Florey Neuroscience Institute (FNI) and the Mental Health Research Institute (MHRI). It includes six levels of laboratory and office space including both wet and dry labs, clinical suites and animal facilities.

Wilkore were contracted by Brookfields Multiplex to construct the specialist Specified Pathogen Free (SPF) and PC3 facilities. The building has been awarded 5 Star Green Star Design rating.

As with all of their projects, the SPF laboratories and PC3 facilities were constructed in accordance with Wilkore’s Quality Assurance policies. These policies include PC3 site induction forms that familiarises all on-site staff with what are PC3 labs, what are the risks associated with them, what they should know and what they must do in all PC3 areas.

Along with regular inspection and test records, for each individual connection, including wall connections, ceiling panel suspensions, window panel connections, floor connections and door frame connections there are reports which ask for the installer to sign for each silicon bead applied and to note any variation or non-conformance. These records enable Wilkore to trace any leaks back to the sealing stage and to identify who installed the panels, and exactly what they did.

For the Parkville Neuroscience Project alone there were 6,500 pages of QA paperwork. Wilkore’s QA system provides a roadmap for delivering successfully, compliant facilities.

Client: The University of Melbourne, Florey Neuroscience Institute (FNI) and the Mental Health Research Institute (MHRI)

Value: $102M

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Sigma

Sigma Pharmaceuticals Ltd is a leading Australian manufacturer of prescription, OTC and generic pharmaceuticals. They are also involved in the marketing, wholesaling and distribution of these products to pharmacies. In 2003, Sigma approached Wilkore to look at the potential development of a site to consolidate their manufacturing from 3 sites to a single site. In early 2005 we commenced construction at their Dandenong South site, completing works in mid 2007. Over 15,000m² of new cleanroom manufacturing, office, warehouse and amenity space was delivered as part of this project, including a new purified water system, mixing vessels, blenders, CIP equipment, downflow booths and filling and packing equipment.

At a very early stage of the project we committed to a Guaranteed Maximum Price for the project and we delivered Sigma a fully compliant, state of the art facility to this budget and to their required timeframe. Sigma was able to maintain full production within their existing facilities and was able to seamlessly integrate over 100 new products into the new facilities as they became available.

Client: Sigma Pharmaceuticals Ltd

Value: $65M

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Cummins Diesel

This project involved significant expansion of the Cummins storage and office areas. The offices underwent a complete refit along with an addition of 1000m² of office space. The warehouse was extended by 5,000m² with an 800m² storage mezzanine. As part of these works the entire site was fitted out with a sprinkler system.

The building is situated at the entrance to Caribbean Business park and acts as a striking reception to the estate. The facade of the building features Alubond cladding and Moeding clay tiling.

Client: Cummins Diesel

Value: $5.4M

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The Great Provider

A restaurant conference centre, the heart of the Caribbean Business Park

Client: Caribbean Business Park

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WEG

When WEG approached Wilkore to build them a new facility, their specifications were simple: a larger and brighter space. From here Wilkore took the project and ran with it.

It was Wilkore’s Managing Director, Michael Wilkinson, who first suggested that this should be more than just your average office / warehouse complex. Wilkore wanted to prove that you can build an innovative and interesting building at a comparable price.

The building’s skylights are also unusual, having been installed into the vertical face rather than the roof, this lets more light into the complex, while minimizing the potential for deterioration due to rain and hail damage.

In the words of S2F’s Design Director; “The facade provides a real focus for the facility and ensures that this is one commercial building with real character”.