Building a legacy with Educational Infrastructure

July 15, 2022

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.

Shaping the Future of Educational Infrastructure

June 28, 2022

Shaping the future of educational infrastructure

RCC is leading the push to future-proof education facilities across private, public and tertiary education infrastructure. Taking a holistic approach, we focus on delivering outcomes that create sustainable learning outcomes for current and future generations.

Educational spaces and surroundings enhance learning and teaching outcomes. When users of the built environment feel inspired, comfortable and safe in a space – wellbeing, interest, and performance follow. At RCC, we collaborate with stakeholders to produce educational spaces that create teaching opportunities and optimal features for learning.

The different drivers for public, private, and tertiary

When planning, designing and delivering educational infrastructure, we factor in the different drivers for each faction.

The private education sector focuses on purposeful, custom architectural design that expresses individual school ethos, messaging and culture. Creating ‘spatial experiences’ that enhance learning for students and teachers is fundamental for this sector.

On the other hand, the public education sector is experiencing a paradigm shift to accommodate the current and forecast student influx into the state.

In the tertiary space, the physical environment and facilities are integral to bring students, teachers and academics together in the interest of knowledge. University campuses need classrooms, libraries, laboratories and lecture theatres equipped with the most modern and properly maintained buildings to provide quality higher education.

Regardless of the driving forces behind each sector, for all education providers, the equation is simple: better facilities equal better education.

While escalation continues, budgets are buying less, and maintenance costs are increasing, adopting blended building models allows us to meet industry demands. To foster in-person and remote learning, these models incorporate elements of bespoke design, modular construction and adaptable spaces. This generates more efficient project delivery, more flexibility for end-users, and creates the best learning experiences for primary, secondary and tertiary students.

Future-proofing educational facilities

As new technologies continue to evolve, buildings need to keep pace. The days of rickety desk rows and blackboards are long gone. Classrooms, lecture rooms, and research labs are now purpose-built to promote student growth and advance teaching. Moreover, digital tools and platforms are transitioning from a standard, one-size-fits-all to individual personalisation, based on each student’s needs which can be accessed anywhere, anytime.

The implication for infrastructure is the allocation of budgets to deliver solutions equipped with the tools and digital hardware that enhance the end-user experience. The bottom lines need to allow for collaborative, secure environments; smart, flexible spaces that can be configured to each task.

To increase the efficiency in educational construction investment, we look at the differing details each sector demands to deliver value for clients and end-users.

Optimisation opportunities

 Features like light, air quality, temperature, acoustic environment and facility design all influence the quality of infrastructure. We consult with teachers, parents, students and community stakeholders early in the decision-making process. Our distinctive blank-page collaboration means we have the scope to design solutions specific to each learning environment. There’s no one-size-fits-all template for building educational infrastructure – each project requires a customised approach.

The public sector

This construction sector is motivated to create productive spaces that prioritise community, cost-efficiency and sustainability and seeks the best ways to deliver reliable, safe education environments. With this arm of educational infrastructure under the microscope, attitudes towards planning and maintenance are also shifting.

Sydney’s population looks to double in the next 40 years, with people moving from rural communities to regional and urban areas. At the same time, the number of students is expected to grow by 21% by 2031. Beyond numbers, this translates to an influx of 164,000 students, bringing the total up to nearly one million. To meet this market, the public education sector needs to deliver 7,200 new classrooms.

Overseeing the successful delivery of RCC’s portfolio of projects in the public education sector, our Project Director, Andrew Buchanan emphasises the importance of delivering infrastructure projects to accommodate the increasing intake of students.

“The new normal involves learning beyond the confines of traditional teaching spaces, structures and material resources. This means we must remain agile and work with our clients to deliver future focused learning spaces on time, on budget, with the best quality educational facilities.”

Andrew Buchanan – Project Director, RCC

Our track record of partnering with Government bodies to plan, build and deliver innovative, collaborative, efficient solutions place us in the perfect position to drive change. We’re looking to build on this to support the State’s mission of creating a sustainable market in modern methods of construction.

During his recent visit to Jordan Springs Public School, NSW Premier, Dominic Perrottet, echoed how our collaborative approach to delivering school infrastructure has impacted the education industry.

“It’s remiss of me not to mention Richard Crookes. We are very blessed in this state, as we’re going through this major infrastructure investment across New South Wales, to have the best builders in the business doing this work. Despite COVID and despite the poor weather that we’ve had in Sydney over this period, these guys are building these schools on time, on budget and it’s great to see.”

Dom Perrottet – NSW Premier

Public sector focus factors

RCC approaches each new public infrastructure project by taking their following drivers into consideration:

Design standardisation

Design tools are more sophisticated than ever, allowing us to advance quality, consistency and efficiency. With these proactive tools, we can adapt quickly to the distinct demands of the application for each school.

Asset management and resilience

Given the recent rise of climate chaos, the idea of asset resilience is critical. In every design, we factor in extreme events such as fire and floods, so should these events occur, the school can continue operating.

Modern methods of construction (MMC)

The public education sector is steadily moving to modular construction, where new buildings are ‘manufactured’ off-site as modules. Public education clients are turning towards MMC, as it’s a faster and cost-effective way to build classrooms that cater to the expected increase of students.

Schools at the heart of communities

The state government initiative, Share Our Space, seeks to place schools as community hubs. This philosophy focuses on joint use, giving the public access to the ovals, playgrounds, sports courts and gardens during the school holidays.

Sustainability

School infrastructure NSW is embracing sustainable practices across all building projects. Assigning $15,000 in funding for hands-on sustainability projects that conserve energy or water, reduce waste, or improve biodiversity.

Local Trades Scheme

This measure makes school maintenance easy by allowing schools to source and manage local tradies, up to $50k, via the hipages platform. This supports local economies and makes upkeep more autonomous.

To help public education providers meet these objectives, we work closely with a multitude of local government and community stakeholders. Our key focus is to improve their education infrastructure in the smartest, most sustainable and cost-efficient ways. As a result, our facilities bring community and education together, catering to their current needs whilst preparing them for future intakes of students.

The private sector

 Here, attention is on the purposeful, custom-tailored design of colleges, buildings, social spaces and classrooms. By approaching every build as a distinct project, rather than a cut-and-paste design, our building outcomes help facilitate greater learning, social connectivity and a more authentic identity realisation between school culture and architecture.

Rather than viewing these spaces as static buildings and rooms, we view them as ‘spatial experiences’ with a focus on quality of facilities, discipline and academic results. We collaborate with consultants and clients to give private school projects a firm framework that heroes best-practice architectural design principles.

For the private sector, our facilities need to emulate a school’s unique identity, whilst enhancing its educational process so students can achieve optimum learning outcomes. This requires a sound understanding of the school’s history, its current situation, the expectations of stakeholders, and the best possible path to meet these expectations. By having a clear vision and consistent alignment between all parties, we can set the roadmap for how bring our client’s vision to life through our projects.

As a result, we deliver outcomes that embrace a ‘whole-campus’ outlook, giving our clients a competitive edge in the market. Our building spaces are also designed to tap into current students’ aspirations, whilst attracting future pupils that reflect the school’s cultural philosophies.

Needs-based solutions

Having delivered over 400 education projects in the public, private and tertiary spheres, we know educational design and construction inside out. Prime examples in each sector include:

  • Alexandria Park Community School – Demolition of the existing school and construction of a new school suitable for 1,000 primary and 1,200 secondary students.

  • St Catherine’s School – Demolition of existing structures, as well as the construction of a new multi-storey building comprising a basement-level carpark, aquatic centre, performing arts auditorium and multipurpose hall.

  • UTS Central – Demolition of the existing building and the construction of a new teaching building, including a new UTS Library, Faculty of Engineering, learning commons and research labs.

In each case, we worked closely with our clients to understand their drivers and project vision. This determined the project journey we created, as well as the outcomes we delivered that ultimately enhanced learning and teaching outcomes.

At RCC, our educational facilitates are built to enable world-class learning contexts. We move with innovative research to create future-proof spaces that have the flexibility and forethought to evolve with the ever-emerging needs of students and educators.

Together, we’re delivering infrastructure that’s shaping the future of education.

Glulam CLT Roof at Cranbrook School

Glulam and Cross-Laminated Timber at Cranbrook School

December 21, 2021

The installation of the prefabricated Glulam and Cross-Laminated Timber roof structure on the future Chapel marks an exciting milestone in the Cranbrook School redevelopment project delivery.

After managing the procurement process RCC was excited to partner with our project partners throughout the off-site prefabrication of the Glulam, to then have the product arrive on site this month for assembly and installation.

For this project, we used CLT sheeting on top to provide lateral stability to the overall structure. The unique style of the Cranbrook School Chapel was designed by architecture firm, Architectus. Using real timber, the feature was structurally designed by engineering firm, SCP Consulting, with authentic materials procured from Austria by supplier, Viridi, and delivered by ship via Singapore.

 

PROJECT DETAILS

Due to the scarcity of timber in the market, as well as the intricate design of the Chapel, extreme care was taken to ensure that the timber arrived safely.

Our project team employed digital design coordination to manage the design and construction planning process. Using Building Information Modelling (BIM) they produced a detailed digital model of the timber structure to plan and confirm each step of the on-site assembly process. This approach facilitated confident on-site construction and a seamless process when lifting the structure into place with the crane to set into the steel.

With safety as our number one priority, RCC assembled the Glulam on temporary hardstand above slab height prior to lifting it into its final position. This enabled works to be completed from the ground using ladders rather than working at heights.

This measured approach to ensure the safety of workers on site, also protected the rare Norwegian pine itself and streamlined the overall works to maintain the project programme and quality.

 

QUICK FACTS:
  • The glulam timber was designed and modelled in Australia and fabricated in Austria by Viridi.
  • The timber species is Norwegian pine.
  • Viridi has installed the glulam as a kit of parts on site. The kit includes pre-assembled pieces into three cassettes on temporary hardstand, which are then lifted into their final position on structural steel spigots.
  • The glulam has been assembled off the Chapel roof, then craned and set into the Chapel steel.
  • The total ceiling span is 24.6m x 16.6m.
  • Total of 105 glulam members to assemble four roof types and three cassettes.
  • Total weight of glulam is 12.35 tonnes per cassette.
  • The total weight of the timber structure including the steel structure is 34 tonnes.

 

Glulam CLT Roof at Cranbrook School 2

Glulam CLT Roof at Cranbrook School 3

 

WHAT IS GLULAM TIMBER AND WHY WAS IT USED?

Glulam, short for glued laminated timber, is an engineered wood product. Originating in Germany around 1900 and making its way to Australia in the 1950s, it is used for both structural and decorative applications.

A glulam member is made with multiple layers of solid wood lumber bonded together with high-strength adhesive to form a single structural unit. Glulam timber is a versatile and innovative construction material, used widely in commercial as well as residential projects.

Key applications include:

  • Straight beams, including lintels, purlins, ridge beams, and floor beams
  • Columns, including round, square, and complex sections
  • Tied rafters
  • Trusses
  • Tied arches
  • Arched bridge supports
  • Curved beams

Often referred to as the ‘new steel’, glulam timber is renowned for its incredible strength, durability, and sleek aesthetics. It also leaves a small carbon footprint, as the raw material is renewable and can be reused or recycled. Given its reliability and flexibility to be used across an array of applications, glulam timber is in high demand globally and is considered a scarce commodity in the market.

 

 

6HSL – Parramatta’s Most Technologically Advanced Building

October 18, 2021

RCC recently completed 6HSL; a world leading Innovation Hub which will facilitate collaboration between education and industry by blending A-grade commercial amenity with a vertical campus for the Built Environment.

Standing in the heart of the Parramatta CBD and recognisable by the ‘H’ for Hassall Street incorporated into the Northern Elevation, this facility is the result of a collaboration between project stakeholders Charter Hall, Western Sydney University, Solutions Consulting, Blight Rayner Tzannes, Robert Bird Group, Floth and RCC.

Delivering During Covid

RCC started on site in December 2019. Covid arrived in March 2020 and has affected the construction industry ever since. The team remained agile throughout 18 months of lockdowns and restrictions, adapting the design and construction approach to respond to changing requirements and ultimately complete the project in line with the initial programme.

Key to this success was the careful management of the project’s critical path. Weekly planning sessions enabled identification of programme opportunities and risks, as well as proactive planning of upcoming works and supply chain engagement to limit the impact of overseas procurement delays.

Protecting workers’ physical and psychological safety throughout this period was paramount. The effects of border closures and lockdowns caused fatigue across the industry, so a number of mental health initiatives were implemented to support staff and stakeholders.

More about 6HSL

The 6-star GreenStar, 19-storey building puts innovation and engineering on display, with 15 metre exposed off-form concrete columns and structural steel V bracing integrated into the glass facade. The building technology includes an integrated communications network, smart bathrooms, touchless amenities, one-tap building access, public wifi, wireless charging outlets and lift call apps.

 

Western Sydney University’s Built Environment Campus resides on the first 6 floors, with the integrated fit out of the Engineering and Architectural faculties including robotics labs, teaching spaces, open learning and amenities.

Structural and mechanical engineering allowed the team to increase the NLA available on levels 7-17 offering fully optimised floor plates built around a tech-infused spine.

Throughout construction RCC worked with the community to build local capability, with a Kickstart Café offering employment for disadvantaged youth and a Strategic Alliance Framework with the Western Sydney University which involves ongoing commitments to research, curriculum co-delivery and industry engagement.

 

“Following the mutually successful outcome 6 Hassall Street has delivered for Charter Hall, Western Sydney University and RCC, we look forward to extending our relationship as part of the iQ Westmead project.

RCC has demonstrated its resilience, adaptability, and commitment to a common goal in navigating multiple forms of construction disruption to deliver 6HSL within program.”

 

Mark Stante, Charter Hall

 

We are privileged to continue our partnership with Charter Hall and Western Sydney University on the Westmead Innovation Quarter project; another multidisciplinary research space that allows collaboration between business, health and research.

Westmead Innovation Quarter is due for completion later this year.

 

St Bede’s Catholic College Stage 2 Reaches Practical Completion

June 28, 2021

The New Dominic Building Officially Open

School Principal John Murphy ceremoniously cut the ribbon of the new Block B “Dominic Building” last week, Stage 2 of the overall school redevelopment masterplan. Throughout construction, RCC worked collaboratively with the school, engaging with students and the school community through virtual site tours, regular construction updates and sharing important project milestones, such as the impressive precast column installation.

Learn more about our precast column solution at St Bede’s

The new Dominic Building offers students contemporary, open plan, flexible learning spaces and smaller breakout areas, plus state-of-the-art science, art and food technology learning facilities. Construction also included the large open walkway, known as the Peregrine Trail, which connects the new Dominic Building to the already completed and occupied Block C. This required careful programme consideration to minimise disruption to students in the adjacent and connecting building.

 

“Richard Crookes Constructions were able to work cohesively and collaboratively with the College and the project team to ensure that the projects outcomes were successfully achieved, resulting in a remarkable education facility being delivered for the community and the Catholic Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle”
Kurt Daley, Construction Manager, Diocese of Maitland – Newcastle

 

Thank you to Catholic Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle for partnering with RCC in this important stage of your masterplan.

7 Excellence in Construction MBA Awards

November 23, 2020

RCC is honoured to have received 7 awards, including the overall ‘Outstanding Construction Award’ at the 2020 NSW Master Builders Association ‘Excellence in Construction’ Awards.

Being recognised for excellence in construction across multiple sectors and project value categories is incredibly rewarding for RCC. Delivering quality outcomes for our clients, end users and our community is just what we do, so this industry acknowledgment of innovation and quality is a bonus.

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 2020 NSW MBA ‘Excellence in Construction’ Awards.

 

‘Excellence in Construction’ Awards Event

Watch the full 2020 ‘Excellence in Construction’ Awards event here:

 

 

UOW’s Social Sciences & Creative Arts Building

September 28, 2020

The University of Wollongong’s (UoW) new state-of-the-art creative arts and social sciences building has been officially opened by New South Wales Governor, Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC QC.

The four storey, multi-purpose building features a visual arts gallery, two theatre spaces, music performance, rehearsal, recording and production facilities, a fully equipped newsroom, digital design studio, maker space, simulation labs and indoor and outdoor teaching facilities.

RCC is incredibly proud to have played a role in the delivery of this landmark building on the Wollongong campus.

Her Excellency the Governor had high praise for the quality facility;

“I congratulate UOW for delivering on its vision to support communities by engaging them through creativity

The University is headed in the right direction by being an institution providing world-class facilities in which students, staff and local communities can upskill themselves, explore creativity and be equipped to compete on a global stage.

I am confident this new building will live up to its vision and play an important role in Australia’s economic and social recovery post-COVID-19, by equipping the workforce of the future.”

Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC QC

The building was named the Jillian Broadbent Building, in recognition of retiring UOW Chancellor, Ms Jillian Broadbent AC and her outstanding contribution to the University during her 11-year term.

UOW Vice-Chancellor Professor, Paul Wellings CBE said the University hopes to engage the best creative minds in the country to ultimately drive innovation and growth in the Illawarra region;

“This new facility is built to attract and develop the best social sciences and creative arts minds and to provide a forum for new thinking, innovation, learning and creative expression that will help drive growth within our communities”

UOW Vice-Chancellor Professor, Paul Wellings CBE

To read more from the University about the Jillian Broadbent Building, find the full article covering the opening here.

 

RCC’s Partnership with UoW

The Jillian Broadbent Building is the second facility RCC has delivered on the Wollongong campus this year, with the team handing over the well-publicised Molecular Horizons facility earlier in 2020. The high-quality delivery of this state-of-the-art social sciences and creative arts building, and world-leading Molecular Horizons research facility highlights the strength of the collaborative relationship between RCC and the University.

More about Molecular Horizons

Design, construction and integrated fit out of the five-storey facility within the operational University of Wollongong campus. The building includes office and administration areas with meeting and conference rooms; research and chemistry laboratories (including PC2 and BC2 certified); animal housing; and an astronomy and chemistry roof platform with rooftop mechanical plant.
These state-of-the-art facilities house some of the world’s most revolutionary technology, including Australia’s most powerful biological electron microscope, the Titan Krios cryo-EM microscope.

For more about the Molecular Horizons delivery journey click here or watch the below video to hear from University stakeholders and the researchers who now call the building home.

 

 

RCC to Fitout State-Of-The-Art University of Newcastle Central Coast Clinical School and Research Institute

August 28, 2020

The Central Coast Research Institute (CCRI) and University of Newcastle Central Coast Clinical School (UONCCCS) will house state-of-the-art research and learning areas including simulation wards and laboratories.

RCC is honoured to continue our partnership with the University of Newcastle (UoN), on the fitout of Central Coast Clinical School; after working with Health Infrastructure (HI) and the Central Coast Local Health District (CCLHD) to design and construct the six-storey research and education facility base build on site at Gosford Hospital.

Being able to leave a legacy in our local community and deliver a facility which will have an enormous impact on students, staff and the Australian and international research community for generations, makes this project incredibly rewarding.

The Member for Robertson, Mrs Lucy Wicks MP commended RCC’s selection on this next stage of the development;

“As we move from the structural phase of construction to the detailed fit-out of the building, the reality of this world-class facility gets closer and I’m pleased that a regional business is continuing its work on this world-class facility”

Mrs Lucy Wicks MP

RCC has been awarded this third stage of the development, having had the privilege to be on site since 2017 delivering the previous Carpark and Building A Base Build projects. The Building A Base Build took more than 85,000 man-hours and included a curtain wall façade with over 500 individual panels and a stair void which stretches over 4 floors.

 

More about the CCRI and UONCCCS

The CCRI and UONCCCS will operate partnerships between the University of Newcastle and the Central Coast Local Health District, with staff and students expected to move into the new building in 2021.

Fly-through vision released this week by Mrs Lucy Wicks MP, Member for Terrigal Mr Adam Crouch MP, UoN Vice-Chancellor, Professor Alex Zelinsky AO, and CCLHD Chief Executive Dr Andrew Montague.

 

A future world-class research and state-of-the-art learning hub

Researchers will have access to dedicated and collaborative spaces, including specialist anatomy, histology and molecular laboratories and a microbiological physical containment level 2 – or PC2 – lab fit to carry out world-class research.

Lucy Wicks MP highlighted the broader long term impacts of the facility for the community;

“This first for the Central Coast will not only create a centre of excellence in healthcare, research and education right here on the Central Coast, but will also prove to be a huge economic boon for the region. We know that Universities can transform local economies like the Central Coast and help drive future job growth and opportunities.”

Lucy Wicks MP

The UoN’s new clinical school’s features include a 100-seat lecture space, library, simulation labs, and laboratory settings which are designed to provide students with exposure to real-life scenarios they are expected to encounter when they enter the public health workforce.

“The University of Newcastle believes that our new Central Coast Clinical School will strengthen the connection for students between education and healthcare on the Central Coast”.

UoN Vice-Chancellor, Professor Alex Zelinsky AO

Read more about this exciting facility from the University of Newcastle.

 

RCC has engaged with each project partner to ensure this multi-purpose facility meets the needs of each stakeholder and functions as a collaborative space to ultimately enhance user experience as well as education and research outcomes. The opportunity to be involved in delivering a building which will play a role in keeping our community healthy and well is such a rewarding part of what we do.

 

 

 

 

Meet Ana – She Loves Her Job

August 27, 2020

In celebration of being awarded the 10th Best Place to Work in Australia by Great Place to Work, RCC has interviewed 10 employees who love their job. RCC is honoured to have such passionate employees who jumped at the opportunity to share what they do, and why they love it.

 

Meet Ana Cella – A Design Manager with the RCC Industrial division.

Meet Ana Cella. Ana joined the RCC team over 5 years ago as a Project Engineer and progressed to her current role as Design Manager. Ana says it’s the strong family values at RCC that makes her job one to love.

“Before joining RCC, I was a client-side PM and was able to work with various RCC staff on a number of different projects. I was always intrigued by the family values and team approach to projects compared to other companies”

Since joining the team, Ana says she has been fortunate enough to receive invaluable mentorship from various department leaders, which has allowed her to build her own skill set through their industry knowledge and experience.

“I’ve had the pleasure of working closely with a variety of talented individuals in project delivery, new business, the executive team and design who have all been absolutely amazing. They are all such unique individuals who have succeeded in different ways, with different approaches. They have all been great mentors by always demonstrating the company values and showing me the RCC way.”

Over the years, Ana has gained valuable experience across a number of sectors and is now primarily working with RCC’s Industrial division on 2 or 3 live projects at one time. Ana says she has been surprised by the Industrial sector, with the project designs being so much more than a shed. Each bespoke project involves detailed coordination to ensure all components work and flow together and often integrates automation or considers food or medical storage requirements which makes the design process really interesting.

“Industrial warehouses have become more sophisticated, more complex and more exciting than they ever used to be”

With her sights set on becoming a Senior Design Manager or a Design Director in the future, Ana knows she is at the right place with her family at RCC.

“When I come to work and see the Crookes family in their offices, I know I am in the right place with my family…We are lucky to have the family’s strong passion and care on every project. To me, it is very important to have that level of care from the top set the tone for everyone on each job. It’s not just about the numbers, there is warmth and care there.”

We’re proud to have a workplace that promotes strong family values, but it’s our staff that ultimately make this possible.

 

MORE ABOUT THE 10TH BEST PLACE TO WORK

The Great Place to Work assessment is a feedback-based study obtained from a confidential survey of our 700+ employees. It involves an independent audit across areas like hiring and integration, health and wellness, as well as workplace culture.
2018 was the first year RCC entered the assessment and we were thrilled to be awarded 17th Best Place to Work. Within a year, we rolled out a number of new initiatives to better the experiences of our people. To be recognised as the 10th Best Place to Work this year is a credit to our continued commitment to ensuring that everyone at RCC genuinely looks forward to coming to work each day.

 

 

 

Creative Precast Column Solution

August 6, 2020

Precast column install commenced at St Bede’s Catholic College

This 22T, 12m high column is one of the biggest construction innovations helping build the St Bede’s Catholic College Chisholm.

RCC and Waeger Constructions’ bespoke precast column solution on the project involves sky high structural and architectural feature columns, being transported horizontally on trucks to site and rotated into their final vertical position.

Each precast column weighs approximately 22 tonnes, measuring in size from 1650 long x 500 wide and ranging in height from 7m-12m, without the need for any temporary propping. The columns which extend the full height to the underside of the roof and feature a tapered profile, externally visible around the perimeter of the building.

 

Pouring these columns insitu (on site) would have presented challenges in relation to materials, plant and labour requirements, so this precast column enhances project efficiency, quality and safety outcomes.

Increased quality control and the ability to form full length columns as well as adjustments to people and plant movements and delivery across multiple work fronts enhances our programme and safety management on site.

Our client, the Catholic Schools Office, St. Bede’s School Principal, and project partners all joined us on site to see the installation of the first 7 of the 51 precast columns.

Thank you to Waeger Constructions and the talented team of consultants and subcontractors partnering with us to deliver this exciting school project in Maitland, NSW.

Installation Timelapse

Keen to see installation in action? Check out the Column Installation timelapse video…