131 Queen Street – Seismic Upgrade

Works for the structural and seismic upgrade of this (approximately) 98-year-old heritage building, spanning 10 floors, included structural demolition of a concrete staircase, lift shafts, and cutting new penetrations for a new staircase, piling in the basement, new concrete shear walls, transfer beams, FRP wrap to the existing columns, and Macalloy bars to the perimeter with brackets weighing up to 870kg each (as seen in the photos here).

A new staircase was constructed from the basement to Level 8, two new lift shafts were installed to service the lower and upper areas (up to 3 storeys) and complete new mechanical systems were installed, including cooling towers, air handler units, plus a new fire protection system, main switchboards and all electrical supplies to the building. High-end bathrooms were fitted out with stone walls and floors and bronze trims, with custom-made broadloom carpet laid in the core of each level around the new stairs, ready for tenant fitout of their floors.

We encountered several challenges during this project, including the delivery of structural elements to the site with limited access due to the high traffic location, the age of the building, and the need to protect heritage elements during heavy works, to name a few!