Coles Group Celebrate Opening of First Automated Distribution Centre

Congratulations to our client and Crookes’ Queensland team on this incredible project milestone.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk joined Coles Group Chairman James Graham and CEO Steven Cain for the official opening their first Automated Distribution Centres (ADC) in Redbank, Queensland. This development represents significant investment in the latest retail and supply chain technology available globally.

This milestone also marks the completion of our Queensland team’s inaugural project – a monumental moment we are delighted to celebrate.

At 66,000m2, the distribution centre is the largest of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere, and will service 219 supermarkets across Coles and Northern New South Wales.

Sustainability was top-of-mind when designing the Redbank facility, with the project team leveraging low energy LED lighting, solar power generation and a 180,000-litre rainwater storage capacity to reduce onsite water usage.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk joined Coles Group Chairman James Graham and CEO Steven Cain to officially open the site. Coles CEO Steven Cain said today is one of the most significant moments since Coles was founded in 1914 and five years in the making.

“This technology is not only a first for Australia, but also a win for the state of Queensland. As we’ve seen during the pandemic and natural disasters, resilient supply chains are essential when it comes to feeding our nation and providing Australians with essential supplies,” Prime Minster Albanese said.

Well done to everyone involved in this sector-leading project.

International Women’s Day 2023

Cracking the Code & Embrace Equity

Today we are celebrating the amazing women of RCC across our sites and offices. While the pursuit of gender equity is bigger than one day, IWD reminds us to amplify conversations that will drive progress, but also to reflect on our achievements.

True gender equity needs to be wholistic, which is why our focus is split across a business and industry approach. Internally, we have launched a culture program that underpins our formal DE&I approach, working with every RCC employee to build consistent, caring and inclusive behaviours. Externally we are partnering with industry peers and institutions to start building more opportunities for women at school age. Without change at this level, the industry won’t be able to move past 12% female participation. We look forward to an industry that has both equity and equality for everyone. Right now, we’re looking back to when RCC began the journey of increasing female participation and celebrating the success of women. We won’t stop here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Welcoming Richard Brown to the RCC Family

This week we welcome Richard Brown to the RCC family, as ACT General Manager.

He has rockstar project and executive management experience and we are excited that Richard’s construction legacy will continue with the ACT business. Richard will be leading the long-tenure team, known for its commitment to delivering projects that enhance the local ACT community.

“Richard Crookes’ reputation in our industry is second to none. To be part of the heritage which has made RCC what it is today is extremely humbling” says Richard

Looking for a new challenge after delivering major commercial and aviation projects in the UK, Richard moved to Australia in 2008 with his wife and two children and never looked back. Throughout the 2010’s, Richard often worked in Canberra and formed lasting relationships and an affinity for the city, the people, and the culture. Richard is extremely proud to be appointed as GM for the ACT business and to be living and delivering projects in Australia’s capital city.

“Although the ACT business unit is already a high performing team, I hope to apply the lessons learnt over a long and varied career and secure Richard Crookes as the contractor of choice for our clients in the ACT”


An engineer, now General Manager, Richard has managed large multidisciplinary teams, from both the construction and client management perspectives. During his career, Richard has been involved in many high profile projects; Terminal 5 Heathrow, The New British Library, The Royal Opera House Covent Garden and the Sydney Opera House. His experience spans the public and private sectors in commercial, correctional, health, aviation, defence, mission critical, tertiary education, rail and civil. In more recent years, Richard has had a number of senior executive roles focused on operations and developing new business, people, and culture.

Jamie Crookes and the ACT Team would like to thank Scott Waller’s huge contribution acting as the General Manager for the past 6 months. His positive attitude and love for construction will continue to be central to the ACT team culture.

Please join us in congratulating Richard on his new position, or chortle together over the Southampton Football Club’s current performance.

RCC Fast Tracks School Construction, Ready for Day 1 Term 1

RCC Fast Tracks School Construction, Ready for Day 1 Term 1

As a people business, we pride ourselves on delivering certainty for our clients through open, honest and collaborative partnerships.  

When faced with the unique challenge of fast tracking four schools to offset extended inclement weather and other conditions, the RCC team worked closely with subcontractors and School Infrastructure NSW to develop a market leading programme that would enable the schools to open Day 1 Term 1 2023.  

This week we saw the success of this approach as Edmondson Park Public School, Galungara Public School, Jordan Springs Public School and Nangamay Public School opened their doors to new and returning students. Nangamay in particular was delivered in a record time of nine months. 

These projects exemplify our commitment to supporting the NSW Government in their delivery of state- of-the-art learning facilities for students and communities across the state and brings the total number of schools delivered by RCC to a huge 320.  

We look forward to continuing to support the roll out of school infrastructure across NSW in the future. 

Emergency Contacts – Holiday Closure 2022/2023

Our offices and sites will be closed or operating with reduced hours throughout the holiday season between the 23rd of December 2022 and the 9th of January 2023. We have provided a list of emergency contacts for all projects in the event that you need to get in touch with a member of our team during this time.

​We wish everyone a happy and safe festive season and new year!

Emergency Site Contacts – Christmas Period 2022

Celebrating our Biggest Achievement – Sydney Modern

Celebrating the opening of Sydney Modern – RCC’s most significant project to date

Sydney Modern is one of the most significant projects delivered by Richard Crookes Constructions (RCC) in our 46 year history. An already complex project with a bespoke design and construction approach, the RCC team also overcame challenges caused by bushfires, the pandemic and record rainfall. Throughout, we continued to execute innovative construction methods to deliver an iconic, state of the art gallery space for the community. 

In line with the Sydney Modern Project’s 6-star Green Star design rating over 8,000sqm of green roof and landscaped area planted with Australian native species and 735 solar panels have been installed, with the panels covering nearly 1,500sqm of roof top space. RCC enjoyed the challenge in the repurposing of the existing two disused World War II naval oil tanks. This resulted in a new unique art space in the southern tank, while the northern tank structure has been partially retained for the adjacent back of house area and loading dock servicing the new building. 

The Tank space in the Art Gallery of New South Wales’ new SANAA-designed building. Photograph: Jenni Carter

Navigating a unique site, the quality of the project is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the RCC project team. The building is formed by a series of pavilions, and is suspended over one of the city’s busiest freeways. Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning practice SANAA, partnering with local practice Architectus, the focus was on complimenting the location.  The new exhibition space is an expression of the city’s deep love of the Arts, and is the most significant cultural development in the city, since the opening of the Sydney Opera House nearly half a century ago.

 

Aerial view of the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Photograph: Iwan Baan

Working collaboratively to deliver on the collective vision, they were able to remain agile in the face of the challenges arising from the pandemic and record rainfall throughout the construction journey. 

Interior view featuring Takashi Murakami Japan Supernatural: Vertiginous After Staring at the Empty World Too Intensely, I Found Myself Trapped in the Realm of Lurking Ghosts and Monsters. Photograph: Iwan Baan

It is an honour to have partnered with the Infrastructure NSW, the Art Gallery of NSW and the local community to deliver this exceptional project. We look forward to celebrating this project, and all it offers to the city of Sydney, its visitors and the Arts Community for many years to come.

 

Take a virtual tour through the newly delivered space:

 

Yayoi Kusama Flowers that Bloom in the Cosmos 2022. Photograph: Art Gallery of New South Wales, Zan Wimberley
Installation view of Francis Upritchard Here Comes Everybody 2022. Photograph: Art Gallery of New South Wales, Christopher Snee
Installation view of the Yiribana Gallery featuring (from left) Yukultji Napangati Untitled 2005, Doreen Reid Nakamarra Untitled 2007, Bobby West Tjupurrula Tingari sites around Kiwirrkura 2015 and Ronnie Tjampitjinpa Tingari fire dreaming at Wilkinkarra 2008, and (top) Yhonnie Scarce Death zephyr 2017. Photograph: Art Gallery of New South Wales, Zan Wimberley
Installation view of Lee Mingwei Spirit House 2022. Photograph: Art Gallery of New South Wales, Diana Panuccio

9 Excellence in Construction MBA Awards

We are ecstatic to have taken home nine awards at the Master Builders Association of New South Wales Excellence in Construction Awards 2022 on Saturday night!

These awards recognise and celebrate the outstanding achievements by our teams and project partners involved in the delivery of these award-winning projects. Delivering projects we are proud of, and creating quality outcomes for our clients and community is what we do, so it’s incredibly rewarding to receive industry recognition for innovation and excellence at this year’s MBA awards.

Congratulations to the RCC project teams and all our subcontractor, consultant and supply partners involved in delivering these incredible projects.

 

For us, success is about delivering important developments for our local community, working together with our clients and project partners to leave a legacy that we can all be proud of. Congratulations to everyone who played a part in the design and delivery of these award-winning projects.

Interested in these incredible award-winning projects? Keep an eye out on RCC’s social media accounts over the coming weeks for feature stories on each project, showcasing the the innovation and excellence behind their recognition in the 2022 NSW MBA ‘Excellence in Construction’ Awards.

Completion of East End Stage 1 – QT Hotel

Completion of East End Stage 1 – QT Hotel

We were proud to be issued the Occupation Certificate for the QT Hotel on 13 May 2022, marking the completion of our East End Stage 1 project in Newcastle.

Commencing in October 2018, with the residential portion (separable portion 1), we officially completed the East End project in March 2021.

The QT Hotel official opening party was held on 8 June 2022 and the new Hotel and Sports Bar began trading to the public on 9 June 2022.

Housed within the heritage-listed 113-year-old former Scotts Limited and David Jones building on Hunter Street Mall, the new hotel comprises:

  • 104 hotel rooms
  • Ground floor bar and restaurants, commercial kitchens and amenities
  • Back of house office, kitchens and amenities
  • Rooftop bar and restaurant
  • Separate sports bar & lounge

The positive response from the community, hotel guests and patrons emphasises the extremely hard work and effort from all the RCC team to undertake this complicated project.

Some of the unique challenges, excluding COVID and wet weather, that we overcame to deliver the project include:

  • Retaining and refurbishing the exisiting heritage structure
  • Retaining, refurbishing and reuse of the existing heritage timber structure, including floor jacking to create additional levels
  • Access and egress to the project on a city corner block that maintained the heritage façade
  • Achieving the QT uniqueness that “No two rooms are the same”.

Congratulations and thank you to the support from the safety team during the build and all staff that contributed to the success of the project.

 

Building a legacy with Educational Infrastructure

Building a legacy with Educational Infrastructure

Having delivered over 400 education buildings across the public, private and tertiary sectors, we thrive on seeing the impact educational infrastructure has on students and communities. What drives us is the ability to deliver something new on every job and witness how it enhances the learning environment. Our partnerships with architects, designers and engineers are fundamental, as we work together to make our clients’ vision a reality.

Understanding for the future

As new technologies and pedagogies emerge, the physical form of schools support this evolution. We approach each unique building with the mindset to ‘create a better environment for teachers and students’, as well as increase the efficiency of investments in educational infrastructure. To do this, we look at education precincts through a lens that extends beyond the realms of brick and mortar.

Collaborating with teachers and students allows us to understand them and take this awareness into our planning. We can engage school-aged children to the process of construction, which will have a real impact on the diversity in our industry in 10 years’ time.

Our Senior Project Engineer, Isabella Spinolo, has been delivering the Student Engagement Program during the Monte Sant’ Angelo Mercy College Scientia project. This involves developing learning modules and taking students on site walks to show the inner workings of a construction project, as well as highlighting the myriad of career opportunities women can pursue in the industry.

A shared vision with our partners

Innovative construction only becomes a reality when a collaborative team comes together and works hard to do something new. This is often fostered in the tertiary space, where universities invest heavily in planning and design to deliver student-centric, blended learning environments that attract the best professors and students from across the world.

The development of 6 Hassall Street (6HSL) is a prime example of these components in action. Coupled with dynamic university showcase spaces, user experience labs and technology-rich installations, the aim of 6HSL was to stimulate the best ideas in the brightest minds.

One aspect we love, is the building’s engineering being on display, providing an inspirational teaching tool to enhance student experiences. As a result, students can have an immersive, hands-on experience with real-life engineering that helped create the building they are learning in.

Space is the greatest asset

With the changing population densities and land values increasing across the state, now more than ever, we are focused on leveraging spatial elements to create the best possible learning experience. Accommodating students within a small CBD precinct whilst retaining access to outdoor play spaces is key.

Due to the heavy residential concentration surrounding Alexandria Park Community School, leveraging the spatial elements was critical when delivering the school. We developed multiple school buildings and a sports hall with rooftop COLAs. We identified additional places for break out teaching spaces, storage and increased play space. Our team also understood the requisite compliance and consultation processes that facilitated a smooth transition from design into construction in this environment.

Leaving a lasting legacy

From the iconic UTS Central building, the Modular Schools Program – the first modular school projects in NSW – and Armidale Secondary College, we know that educational infrastructure has a huge impact on the communities where they reside.

Working with the industry’s best architects, consultants and engineers, we value bringing good design to life.

Our job is to carry these designs through by building durable, resilient and adaptable precincts that will last for generations.

Celebrating Michael Ensor

Celebrating Michael Ensor on his retirement

After 45 years in the industry, Our General Manager – ACT, Michael Ensor, has departed from RCC.

At the helm of the ACT Business Unit for the past 10 years, we have enormous gratitude for Michael’s exceptional contribution to creating a long-lasting legacy in the region.

An ACT veteran, Michael has helped build RCC’s strong reputation for delivery certainty and has set the business unit up for success going forward.

Scott Waller, who is well known to the ACT construction industry, will be stepping into the acting General Manager role for the region. Scott and the 70 local team members will continue to deliver community focused projects for the ACT and surrounding regions.

We want to express our sincere thanks to Michael for everything he’s brought to RCC and wish him all the best as he embarks on his next chapter.

Here are a few examples of Michael’s contribution to our communities and the construction industry through his delivery of these outstanding projects:

ANU SA6 Student Accommodation

Tumut Hospital

Canberra District Rugby League Centre of Excellence