Newsline Currie & Brown Australia Our name's changed but the tradition it embodies has not The Currie & Brown name is back in town bringing with it the experience, expertise and record for providing a wide range of consultancy and advisory services across Australia and the AsiaPacific, albeit under former identities which date back almost three decades. / Brimbank The Australian-owned, highly successful businesses of Burns Bridge and Padghams became part of the UKbased Sweett Group in 2007, then last year the Asia-Pacific regional business was acquired by Currie & Brown, one of the world s leading international physical assets and construction consultancies. The name change completed the transition into the Currie & Brown global business, providing the company s Asia-Pacific operations with the ability and means to grow into a leading professional services provider to the construction and development industries in the region. Offices in Japan and Taiwan were added as part of the transition, increasing Currie & Brown s representation in the Asia-Pacific region to include China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia,, Indonesia and Australia with staff numbers totalling 800 across the region. The recent further acquisition of Sweett s remaining UK and European businesses makes a grand total of around 2,000 people globally. Currie & Brown managing director Australia, Ray Bongiorno, heads a team of highly qualified specialists committed to delivering the quality property-related services on which the organisation built its reputation as leaders in their field. We re well known for our expertise in project management and quantity surveying but we also offer a suite of expert services in property consulting including town planning matters, market dynamics and risk, returns and property economics, to assist our clients maximise their specific property outcomes. Ray Bongiorno explains. / Meet Mike Cox / PIA Award / Epworth Hospital / 1 William Street / St Vincent s
Brimbank Council makes its mark Currie & Brown played a pivotal role in council s validation and needs analysis process together with the provision of a range of specialist advisory services to assist Brimbank Council deliver its new $50 million, 12,000m² Civic and Community Centre in Sunshine. The role encompassed surveying and benchmarking the entire organisation through to the preparation of a business case including financial and comparative analysis of host sites and procurement options for the creation of a new corporate centre, library, community hub and tenant partner spaces. Initally we provided specialist property and development advisory services involving market, financial analysis including 35 site suitability assessments, Currie & Brown managing director Ray Bongiorno said. Brimbank appointed Currie & Brown as the independent project manager and quantity surveyors to work closely with council, the chief executive officer and project control group to ensure all relevant issues had been considered for a successful project outcome. This included a range of parameters such as financial, technical and political strategies within a stakeholder engagement framework. The Currie & Brown team developed, prepared and presented council with a number of business cases for the development prior to proceeding. These included economic modelling, strategic masterplanning, stakeholder consultation, present and future accommodation requirements, market testing, capital cost assessment, concept planning and implementation programmes. The project was successfully completed and operational in late July 2016. Meet Mike Cox Director - Cost Manager VIC Mike, who emigrated from the UK in 2012, has worked in the construction industry for more than 36 years, providing cost management advice encompassing private practice, consulting to high-rise developers, central and local government work and as principal of his own practice. He became a chartered surveyor in 1990, was subsequently recognised as a fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and is an associate of the Australian Institute of Quantity Surveyors and a member of the RICS Oceania Expert Witness Registration Scheme. Mike s interest in contract and dispute resolution advisory services developed when he was involved in the calculation and negotiation of heads of claim for delay, disruption and disputed variations on a range of local government projects. In the UK Mike undertook expert quantity surveying roles for corporations and government in relation to claims assessment and quantum entitlement, insurance reinstatement of costs and provision of advice following the insolvency of principal contractors. Prior to joining Currie & Brown, Mike led a cost management team, working closely with government departments, tertiary establishments, local government and the private sector.
PIA Award for Currie & Brown Currie & Brown was recognised at the PIA Awards for Planning Excellence for its contribution as principal planning and development consultant for Birchgrove Property s 244 Edwards Road Maiden Gully development, the largest rezoning undertaken in the City of Greater Bendigo in recent years, Major redevelopment at Epworth Hospital Currie & Brown s role involved a detailed assessment of urban and development issues including native vegetation protection, potential bushfire impact, community infrastructure provisioning and environmental sustainability measures. Currie & Brown national director property and development services, Gary Pendlebury, says the highly developed estate master plan called for the identification of significant issues associated with a higher density development not traditionally planned for regional cities. Currie & Brown has a genuine partnership with Birchgrove Property and Bendigo City Council, and this collaborative approach, coupled with the design skills of Roberts Day was pivotal to the project s success. The experience and leadership of Gerard Gilfedder, our associate manager planning services, were significant factors in the outcome which not only saw us win the award but, more importantly, we delivered a win-win for all stakeholders, the council and the community, Gary added. Epworth Hospital commenced planning a major redevelopment of its existing Melbourne Hospital in Richmond in 2009 and engaged Currie & Brown s Melbourne office to provide the cost consultancy services that saw the vision become reality. The redevelopment included key features such as: expansion of critical care facilities an increase of 328 inpatient beds 39 new operating theatres provision of purpose-built research and teaching facilities construction of consulting suites for medical specialist installation of modern amenities for doctors, staff, patients and visitors Stage one of the Epworth expansion comprised a 13-storey hospital over five basement levels with an approximate area totalling 30,000m². The project involved working through major obstacles such as non-rippable rock excavation and installing a complex stone façade system on the tight inner-city site located on a major arterial road. Severe site restrictions and limited vehicular access posed significant challenges, while stringent standards were maintained on site to ensure the safety of medical staff, patients and visitors, and to minimise disruption to the daily routine of the existing hospital facility which remained operational throughout the construction period. Despite the complex nature of the job and the hurdles that had to be overcome, the project was delivered on time and on budget said Currie & Brown cost manager Tom Ryan.
Landmark Brisbane building close to completion Currie & Brown s contractual role as superintendent and project manager for the base building and integrated fit-out of 1 William Street Brisbane (1WS) for the developer, Cbus Property, is close to being fulfilled. Designed by leading architectural firm, Woods Baggot, the 41-level landmark structure over three basement levels located in the heart of Brisbane s government precinct will provide accommodation for an estimated 4,000 Queensland Government employees. The ground floor has approximately 1,100m² allocated to retail space while there is basement parking for 318 vehicles and 600 bicycle bays. The tallest commercial building in Brisbane and one of the largest in Australia at 259 metres with 75,000m2 of space-1ws represents the future with innovative design that maximises the use of natural light in a mostly column-free space. Major challenges faced by Currie & Brown included developing the design in relation to the complex ground plane and the activation of retail spaces; management and co-ordination of the various stakeholders pertaining to the integrated fit-out design; and development of the atria spaces as functional green areas. The fact that Currie & Brown was contracted to play such a pivotal role in the project management of this unique Brisbane CBD building is testament to the company s depth of talent and reputation within the industry, observed Currie & Brown managing director Ray Bongiorno. St Vincent s expansion plans progress The St Vincent s Private Hospital redevelopment is an exciting large-scale health project located in Darlinghurst in the heart of Sydney. The project involves a new-build expansion to the East Wing of the hospital (Stage 1), a full refurbishment of the existing highrise building (Stage 2) and upgrade works to the entrance and public domain areas (Stage 3). The overall project value is in the order of $110 million. Currie & Brown was engaged by St Vincent s Private Hospital as their quantity surveyor to manage all cost and commercial aspects of the project. Our scope of services is comprehensive and involves cost planning, estimating, tendering and contract administration. Stage 1 is well underway and the building contractor, Buildcorp, is progressing with the building structure. The works for Stages 2 and 3 have been tendered and are anticipated to be let later this year. The project presents many challenges including the site location in a high traffic area, access constraints and completing the works in an operational hospital facility. In addition, the project demands careful management of various stakeholders in the hospital and surrounding community. Tim Campbell, associate director NSW, says Our engagement on this high profile project is recognition of Currie & Brown s reputation and vast experience in the health sector. It shows that we are thought of by clients as being the quantity surveyor of choice for large, complex and commercially sensitive projects where successful cost control outcomes are paramount.
Currie & Brown Asia-Pacific offices AUSTRALIA Brisbane John Black Regional Director, QLD Level 10, 110 Eagle Street Brisbane QLD 4000 T: +61 7 3835 8555 M: +61 412 056 261 E: john.black@curriebrown.com Melbourne Ray Bongiorno Managing Director, Australia Level 2, 179 Queen Street Melbourne VIC 3000 T: +61 3 9691 0000 M: +61 408 518 655 E: ray.bongiorno@curriebrown.com Sydney Tim Campbell Associate Director, NSW Level 9, 8-10 Loftus Street Sydney NSW 2000 T: +61 2 8220 0800 M: +61 401 030 150 E: tim.campbell@curriebrown.com CHINA Alan Lam Managing Director, China T: +86 21 6426 3181 E: alan.lam@curriebrown.com Beijing +86 10 6523 1550 Changsha +86 731 8281 2560 Chengdu +86 28 8200 8618 Chongqing +86 23 8672 9088 Guangzhou +86 20 3877 3990 Shanghai +86 21 6426 3883 Shenyang +86 24 3109 9079 Shenzhen +86 755 8301 8156 Wuhan +86 27 8580 2996 JAPAN Robert Fuller Managing Director, Japan and Taiwan T +81 0 3 3442 6442 E: robert.fuller@curriebrown.com Tokyo +81 3 3442 6642 HONG KONG Michael Yu Managing Director, Hong Kong T: +852 3166 9168 E: michael.yu@curriebrown.com Hong Kong +852 2833 1939 SINGAPORE Andrew Wigg Managing Director, South Asia, T: +65 6221 7288 E: andrew.wigg@curriebrown.com +65 6221 7288 TAIWAN Robert Fuller Managing Director, Japan and Taiwan T +81 0 3 3442 6442 E: robert.fuller@curriebrown.com Taipei +886 2 2555 5886 THAILAND Andrew Wigg Managing Director, South Asia, T: +65 6221 7288 E: andrew.wigg@curriebrown.com Bangkok +66 2 632 6500 This newsletter expresses the views and opinions of Currie & Brown. Its contents are believed to be accurate at the time of publishing. However, no responsibility is accepted by Currie & Brown for any loss suffered by any person or corporation taking action, or refraining from taking action, based on its contents.