Client
Aurecon
Location
Woomera, South Australia
Value
$2.1 million
Duration
November 2016 - September 2017
Contract Type
Lump Sum Design and Construct
Project Overview
The Woomera Range Complex is a military testing range covering approximately 122,000km² in northwest South Australia, situated 450km northwest of Adelaide. It is the largest land testing range in the world, used for aerospace and systems testing under the control of the Royal Australian Air Force.
The Woomera Township is part of the Woomera Test Range that provides accommodation and services to personnel working at the Woomera Range Complex, and can house up to 500 people.
Scope of Work
Intract Australia delivered maintenance and repairs to 31 houses in the remote township of Woomera allocated to Department of Defence personnel working at the Woomera Range Complex. All houses were originally constructed in the 1970s and required replacements of the bathrooms and kitchens to modernise them.
The general maintenance refurbishment and replacement works included new ducted air conditioners in 24 houses, solar hot water services, floor coverings, sinks, counter tops, kitchen cupboards, roofing, windows, pergolas, blinds, light fixtures, tiling, painting, fascia, soffits, downspouts, box ends, cladding, shower screens, water tanks, cabinetry, fences, tap ware, toilets, shower heads, door locks, screen doors, gutters and water drains.
The project included all scrapping of old floorings, sinks, refrigerators, ovens and air conditioners.
Five of the 31 accommodation units were occupied at the time of the works. Alternative accommodation arrangements were made for those residents during the works.
The original design for the new air conditioners was for commercial purposes which meant the air conditioners design was for hard ducting. Installation labour costs savings of $20,000 were achieved by changing the design from hard to soft ducting.
Works were undertaken during the summer months where daytime temperatures often reached 45oC or more. This resulted in Intract personnel working in the ceilings to install air conditioning units on these days experiencing high temperatures, revised work schedules were implemented, with ceiling works occurring in the early morning shifts, and extended work days on cool or wet weather days.
Workforce peaked at 14 personnel, of which 100% were local employees and 52% were Indigenous employees. All works were subcontracted to local companies including a local Indigenous painting company.
