The Centre for National Resilience

The Centre for National Resilience - Melbourne (CNRM) project aimed to establish a 1,000-bed emergency accommodation facility to address various needs, including flood and fire relief, as well as COVID-19 quarantine requirements. Situated in Melbourne, this facility included essential amenities such as laundry, kitchen, and gatehouse to ensure self-sufficiency.

Symal played a pivotal role in the project, initially undertaking early earthworks due to tight timeframes. Subsequently, Symal collaborated with Multiplex to handle the remaining civil works, including pavements, services, and concrete slabs.

This project was spread across multiple entities:

• Infrastructure took care of bulkearthworks, pavements, services and retaining walls.

• Contractors handled stormwater drainage.

• Sycle took charge of crushing onsite rock to re-use within the project.

• Unyte had a big role in plant hire.

• Wamarra completed a full landscaping package.

Throughout the project, Symal demonstrated agility and efficiency, achieving key milestones within an accelerated construction period of six months. This included completing slabs and foundations for numerous buildings, excavating large volumes of earth, and placing significant amounts of fill material.

Symal implemented diverse strategies for environmental stewardship, focusing on sensitive areas like waterways and sediment control. Sustainability was emphasised through innovative approaches like utilising alternative stormwater drainage pipes and on-site rock crushing for reuse, reducing costs and environmental impact.

Efficient coordination among trades ensured seamless operations, particularly during simultaneous activities like modular unit installations and material imports. Daily meetings fostered collaboration, keeping all work areas informed about interface considerations.

Symal's involvement in the CNRM project exemplified its capacity to tackle intricate civil projects while upholding stringent deadlines and sustainability values, inspiring progress every step of the way.