Intermain A-Grade Conversion

Client:

Intermain

Project Type:

A-Grade Upgrade

Building Type:

Commercial Office – 10 floors – Sydney CBD

Location:

Sydney

Situation

This heritage building, built in 110 years ago, was being used for C grade office space. The owners wanted to convert it to A-grade space that reflected the industrial style of yesteryear. To do this required a significant upgrade to all the services in the building – including fire protection.

The design was done and the tender won, when planning discussions between the project manager, fire engineer, certifier and 2020 Fire Protection which identified that that the designs provided would not fit in the building, nor meet the deem-to-satisfy requirements of the BCA and may impinge upon the viability of the project. The issues related to the building having been inaccurately categorised as low-rise (under 25metres); yet it was actually high-rise (above 25 metres) and the impact this would have on the systems to be installed – particularly relating to the water supplies for hydrants and sprinklers.

Actions Taken

2020 Fire Protection on behalf of the owners and our client, went directly to the fire engineers and certifier and discussed, negotiated and planned a hybrid system that could be validated under a Fire Engineering Solution accepted by the Certifier and the regulatory Authorities.

This required significant greater interfacing with council and other authorities, having to dig up a major street – including removing a tree and working around live gas, power, fibre-optic internet back-bone cables, heritage sandstone and many other services.

Outcomes

The floor space and structural impact of the originally required tanks were removed, freeing up valuable lettable space for the owner’s long-term benefit and delivering a compliant building, safe for many more years of occupation.