RCC Women Recognised in Top 100 Women

December 16, 2021

Two RCC team members make this year’s Top 100 Women

Our Design Manager, Angela and Contracts Administrator, Sinead, have been announced in this year’s Top 100 Women.

Each year, the brightest shining stars in Top 100 Women get nominated for their hard work and contribution to the construction industry.

This year, Angela and Sinead from RCC were selected for their dedication to delivering sustainable infrastructure outcomes in a male-dominated industry, as well as their unique ability to empower their female counterparts in the field.

Sharing Top 100 Women’s philosophy of supporting women to build lifelong careers in the construction sector, we couldn’t be prouder that two of our talented women are recognised for 2021.

Congratulations on this well-deserved commendation ladies.

Here’s what being in the Top 100 Women for 2021 means to Angela and Sinead:

Angela - Top 100 Women

 

Sinead - Top 100 Women

 

About top 100 women

Founded by Tamika Smith in 2017, Top 100 Women recognises the heralding of females within the construction industry. The organisation supports women entering this field and gives them the support they need to build long and meaningful careers.

With a key focus on implementing real change, Top 100 Women aims to eliminate the obstacles women face in the broader construction sector. Transcending geographical boarders, this online platform connects women from far and wide, providing them with career development and industry support.

 

Ngununggula at Retford Park

October 25, 2021

Ngununggula, the Southern Highlands Regional Art Gallery at Retford Park is completed and open to the public.

Sustainably repurposing the historically significant Old Dairy into a state-of-the-art gallery space, has been a challenging and rewarding journey for RCC.

 

Delivery of Ngununggula

After initial funding and proposed heritage site was secured, RCC was asked to assist with managing DA and National Trust approvals, reclassification of land applications, cost planning, engaging consultants running detailed design programme and managing the procurement process for Design and Construct subcontractors.

Acting as a development partner RCC worked with the Southern Highlands Regional Art Gallery and TZG Architecture designs to plan and manage the design and construction of Ngununggula.

This involved:

  • Repurposing the existing heritage Vet Clinic into a 500sqm café and heritage Dairy building into an international museum grade gallery space which provides complete flexibility for the operators.
  • Construction of new ancillary building to house education administrative functions including public amenities, gift shop and offices, as well as an outdoor collaborative learning and event space.
  • Construction of new carpark and public road which provides access to the gallery and caters for event buses.
  • Extensive landscaping works including heritage significant landscaping which involves repurposing trees into hard landscaping items such as furniture and wheel stops.
  • Installation and connection of all major services (gas, water, electricity) as there was limited capacity to the existing authority services to heritage buildings

 

“Ngununggula is truly a visionary venture, built upon the aspirations of many, and I am excited to work together with everyone to help achieve something of real importance, of impact, and meaning to the community.”

Megan Monte – Ngununggula’s Inaugural Director

 

The project was managed in line with National Heritage Listing guidelines and included an early handover of the Vet Clinic building to allow for the Café fit out, with the overall project completed to open to the local community in October 2021.

All works to the existing Vet Clinic and Dairy buildings were designed and constructed as temporary with no major or permanent changes to the structures.

RCC employed a ‘Box in Box’ style solution to project challenges, meaning the Dairy building’s historic shell remains, with a new inner shell constructed to house the gallery and honour its heritage.

  • Sections of the existing heritage structure remain exposed internally in order to honour the historic fabric of the building; these portions of the building are treated from the exterior to protect the internal space from the elements and ensure it meets requirements.
  • New humidity and climate-controlled space delivered within the heritage building
    • Mechanical plant designed to provide the gallery with the flexibility to host all exhibitions – spaces need to meet humidity control certification standards required to meet museum standard lending requirements and host various desired exhibitions.
    • Air and moisture leakage to the existing fabric of the building required treatment, to a level that worked for the design and is reversible to ensure the heritage aspects are protected.
    • Relocated 7 tonne of plant equipment to service the gallery spaces to the upper level of the Dairy to maximise gallery floor space
  • To accommodate the flexibility required by a gallery space to house any exhibition and events, RCC had to design and build a bespoke structure to house fully adjustable lighting and AV fixtures. This enables the gallery to accommodate any collection or installation (from still artwork and photography exhibitions to interactive performances) and meets the requirement for the construction to be reversible and not alter the fabric of the heritage structure.

The history of the site

RCC respectfully acknowledges the Gundungurra people as custodians of the land on which Ngununggula now operates.

Ngununggula, means “belonging” in the traditional language of the Gundungurra First Nation People.

The Retford Park site was originally built in the 1880s. In 1964, James Fairfax AC bought the agricultural property and transformed it into an estate, later gifting the historic home and its gardens to the National Trust NSW.

 

This venture is the collaborative vision of many, and we’re honoured to have played a role in creating this cultural destination and delivering the first regional art gallery in the Southern Highlands of NSW.

To learn more about the Gallery and their upcoming exhibitions visit: https://ngununggula.com/

 

 

The People Behind The WHR Project

September 24, 2020

Our Wyong Hospital Redevelopment Team Is Targeting More Than Built Outcomes.

Successful projects are as much about the positive community impacts of delivery, as they are about the completion of fit for purpose facilities. Partnering with the Central Coast community and industry organisations allows us to create local supplier, training and employment opportunities, and ultimately generate social and economic outcomes which extend far beyond building completion.

With the Wyong Hospital Redevelopment building structure now complete, we are looking forward to being able to handover this important facility for the community, and reflecting on the contribution of the hundreds of people behind the project.

 

MORE ABOUT THE WYONG HOSPITAL REDEVELOPMENT

When it reaches completion, the new Clinical Services Building will provide the local Central Coast community with a new Emergency Department, additional operating theatres, and ICU/HDU capacity, mental health expansion, additional inpatient beds for medical and acute services, clinical and non-clinical support services and parking.

For more information about the Wyong & Gosford Hospitals Redevelopment visit the NSW Governments Project Website.

The project is due for completion in 2021.

 

 

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.

 

 

 

Molecular Horizons – University of Wollongong

July 15, 2020

Molecular Horizons is a purpose-built facility dedicated to illuminating how life works at a molecular level and solving some of the world’s biggest health challenges.

The opportunity to be involved in delivering this high impact research facility is as rewarding as our collaborative delivery experience, partnering with University of Wollongong and our team of consultants and subcontractors.

 

DELIVERING MOLECULAR HORIZONS

Delivering buildings we are proud of, and knowing the important contribution they make to our community is why we love what we do.

Hear from those who were part of the Molecular Horizons project about their experience of working with RCC to deliver this incredible building.

 

“The researchers that are in the building they love it. Here they are in a state-of-the-art bright building with new facilities, expanded space and a lot more research capability for them as well and also a higher level of lab certification so they can do higher levels of research.”

Blake Preston
Senior Manager Project Delivery – University of Wollongong

 

“this was a project where the end users requirements, the scientists, and the process of construction and building was so tightly integrated I think this was a real example of a team of people, academics and construction people, who really had to find each other early on and become a real team with tight and frequent communication. And that was a process that was really good to see that happen very efficiently.

I have received lots of advice in my career never to be involved with the construction of a new building, but I have to say having done it now it was just an absolute pleasure and a real adventure and I think that’s in large part because of RCC”

Antoine Van Oijen
Director, Molecular Horizons
School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience – University of Wollongong

 

 

MORE ABOUT THE MOLECULAR HORIZONS PROJECT

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.

Hear more about University of Wollongong’s vision behind this world-leading Molecular Life Sciences facility.

 

 

MORE ABOUT MOLECULAR HORIZONS RESEARCH

Research Grant for Director OF Molecular Horizons

Congratulations to UoW researcher, Distinguished Professor Antoine van Oijen who was recently awarded $1M for antimicrobial resistance research – a project which will develop a new approach to understanding and tackling drug resistance.

Read more

 

First Publication from Molecular Horizons

“The first publication out of the facility was something called ATP synthase; that’s a protein in your body that creates the energy source for life which is what your cells use; which is Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) so that was exciting”

James Bouwer
General Manager of Cryo Electron Microscopy – Molecular Horizons
School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience – University of Wollongong

 

 

Stage 1B of Inverell Hospital

April 28, 2020
The RCC Hunter New England team is incredibly proud to have been awarded the next stage of the Inverell Hospital Redevelopment.

In uncertain times where there is much reflection on the importance of our health care facilities and workers, we are celebrating the role we are able to play in delivering quality facilities for our hospital staff to keep our communities healthy and well. For the members of the RCC team, whose family and friends rely on this local hospital, there is a shared sense of pride in the contribution their work will make to their community, now and for future generations.

For RCC, working on critical projects which support the delivery of essential services in our local communities is an important part of what we do. We take pride in our work and the impact it has, particularly in regional and remote areas. As they approach the completion of the first stage of the Inverell Hospital upgrade, the team say their involvement in this project means so much to them and their families, beyond the opportunity to be employed to do what they love each day.

 

THE INVERELL HOSPITAL PROJECT

Stage 1a (RCC Completed 2019)

The project involves the alteration and refurbishment of the Inverell Hospital, essentially doubling the existing space and improving flexibility for staff. Facilities include:

  • Emergency Department including emergency care for children and mental health-related presentations
  • Inpatient Unit, with paediatric, maternity and birthing facilities and general adult services including palliative care
  • Medical Imaging space including identified future expansion zone
  • Operating Theatres
  • Central Sterilising Unit
  • Day Surgery Unit (increasing from 1 space up to 6)
  • Renal Dialysis unit
  • Refurbishment of main entry & admissions area
  • Mortuary
This Stage (1B)

This stage specifically entails the decanting of staff and patients from the existing hospital floorspace into the newly completed Stage 1a building, as well as the demolition, refurbishment and upgrade of the existing Inverell Hospital building into a Community Health Centre. This facility will provide additional community services for chronic disease, allied health, oral health and women and paediatric services, as well as office and education spaces.
This stage will also include new external carparking, services upgrades and CT scanner fit out.

 

THE PASSIONATE TEAM DELIVERING INVERELL HOSPITAL

Beyond the physical building, the completed Inverell Hospital facility will have a long-lasting legacy for the local Inverell community and those in the surrounding areas. We asked a few of our team to share what the project means to them:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Meet Mo – He Loves His Job

February 28, 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 Mohommed Dunia. Mo’s journey with RCC began just over 2 years ago when he joined us as a cadet.

As a Construction Management student, Mo undertook a Cadetship with RCC to access paid employment and gain practical industry experience early in his degree. Mo Says that the rotational program structure across various roles in the business allowed him to better understand his strengths and interests before deciding on his chosen career path.

“Doing the RCC cadetship meant I had the opportunity to rotate between engineering, design, estimating and planning and contract administration. I initially wanted to be a Site Engineer but after working as a Contract Administrator on our Quartet project in Lane Cove, I knew that’s what I loved.

I have had other roles in the industry, and I like that RCC view cadets differently. They really care about and invest in you.”

Mo told us that for a university student starting his degree, the opportunity to gain broad industry exposure in such an immersive way helped him acquire the diverse skills needed to pursue a long-term career in construction, which is just one reason he loves his job.

It made us proud to hear that our varied program structure allows the future leaders of our business to make informed career decisions and ensures they are well rounded in whatever particular role they choose to pursue.

“The exposure I gained in my cadetship means I now have an understanding of estimating and engineering and I bring this knowledge to my role as a Contract Administrator on every project. For you to be successful in any one position, whether it’s CA, Site Engineer or Estimator you need to understand the other roles and their function and outcomes.
Doing the cadetship gave me the confidence to do things without second guessing myself.”

Within two and a half years, Mo progressed from a Cadet to a confident and capable Contract Administrator. Now working on the iconic Walsh Bay Arts Precinct project on Sydney Harbour, Mo brings an infectious enthusiasm to the job – something he says is a reflection of how supportive his team is of him and his goals as a young professional in the industry;

“I love RCC because at the end of the day, we’re all working together. Once you get the work done you can enjoy the successes with your team.
I have a lot of mentors here and I know if I need anything, I can always call on them.”

With his sights set on eventually progressing to a Project Manager role, Mo says he feels confident that RCC can provide him with the right support and development opportunities to achieve his long-term goals. But for Mo, it’s the added bonus of RCC’s family values that make this journey special.

“We’re excited to see each other at work because of the real sense of family here. I’ve been here for 2.5 years and I’m very comfortable.”

 

MORE ABOUT OUR CADET PROGRAM

The RCC Cadet Program provides first-hand experience across various aspects of our business through a structured 2-year, rotational program. Cadets rotate between four areas of the business to gain exposure across a variety of roles and ensure they build the skills necessary to progress upon graduation.
The program is designed to provide employment and on-the-job experience to students as well as support their studies so when they graduate, they can make an informed decision about their career path and step into a fulltime role in their chosen area.

 

MORE ABOUT WALSH BAY ARTS PRECINCT

As Managing Contractor on the Walsh Bay Arts Precinct project, RCC is responsible for the design and construction of this redeveloped public arts and cultural hub on Sydney’s waterfront, whilst preserving the industrial heritage of the existing structures.

Stages 1, 2 & 3 are currently underway and involve the delivery of:

  • Demolition and upgrade of existing arts facilities on Wharf 4 & 5 for the Sydney Theatre Company, Sydney Dance Company, Bangarra Dance Theatre, Sydney Philharmonia, Gondwana and Song Company;
  • Adaptive reuse and upgrade of facilities and performance spaces on Pier 2 and 3 for the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Bell Shakespeare and Australian Theatre for Young People
  • New commercial retail spaces throughout the precinct
INTERESTING PROJECT STATS
  • 10-15km of electrical cabling in Theatre 1 alone
  • 800 tonnes of structural steelwork has been installed on Wharf 4/5 with 700 tonnes of steel yet to be installed for Pier 2/3
  • Just under 290,000 site hours have been worked so far (that’s nearly 33 years)
  • A site boat is utilised for under-wharf inspections, rather than land machinery

 

 

An Exhausting and Rewarding 100km for Lifeline

January 29, 2020

RCC couldn’t be prouder of members of our Newcastle team who pushed themselves to the limit for a worthy cause – the Newy100 team completed 100km in 18 hours to raise awareness and a staggering $50,000 in funds for Lifeline Direct!

Alan McCully and Adrian Connell, both from our Newcastle office, were part of a crew of 15 local Hunter athletes who took on the Newy100 – This monumental 100km by foot event was organised to raise awareness and much needed funds for the suicide prevention and crisis support service, Lifeline Direct. The funds will go to the Lifeline Direct Newcastle and Central Coast branch who have been providing the local community with free access to counselling, crisis and bereavement support services for years.

“On behalf of Lifeline in Newcastle and the Hunter we were honoured to have the Newy100 team choose Lifeline as their charity partner. The fundraising team is very lean and work extremely hard to raise funds to sustain the centre so we are extremely grateful for the monies raised which will support our local centre in Islington.

I was very fortunate to be present over the 18-hour event and witness the camaraderie and determination of the Newy100. And the final 10km, what a wonderful sight; the community support and connection synonymous with what Lifeline represents.”

Julie Wicks – Regional General Manager, Lifeline Direct

For the weeks leading up to the event, RCC’s extended family and the wider Newcastle community showed an enormous display of support that certainly helped the team surpass their initial $10,000 goal. Alan, RCC Project Engineer and brave Newy100 finisher, said the incredible generosity just goes to show how much the issue of mental health and support services like Lifeline resonates within the local community – and particularly the construction industry.

“Mental health affects so many families, particularly those working in our industry. Organisations such as Lifeline are so important for our community – they literally save lives. The reason I wanted to get involved was not just the personal challenge but because the money raised stays within the local Newcastle community.”

“To say we are grateful and humbled is an understatement.”

Alan McCully – RCC Project Engineer

The team also invited the local community to join them for the final 10km, 5km or 2km of the mammoth 100km event, which generated another huge display of support, despite the rain.

Congratulations to the Newy100 team for your huge achievement; RCC is certainly proud to have two of their own showing such a selfless commitment to the community!

More About Lifeline Direct

Lifeline Direct is the local delivery arm for Life Australia and is an amalgamation of local offices that share administrative and other support services. The Newcastle and Hunter regions are particularly underfunded, so any donation large or small is very much appreciated.

Click here to show your support for the Newy100 and to donate to Lifeline Direct Newcastle/Hunter.

Read more about Lifeline Direct’s services.

 

 

 

$140K For The Children’s Hospital at Westmead

December 6, 2019

Our generous extended family have donated more than $140K to The Sydney Children’s Hospital at Westmead. This incredible fundraising has been led by RCC’s Industrial team, who are known within our business for their great hair… as well as their big hearts!

Last night more than 40 staff lost their hair for Bandaged Bear and presented The Sydney Children’s Hospital at Westmead with the donation. Only a few weeks ago the team decided they would like to raise funds for the worthy cause in the lead up to Christmas, committing to shave their heads to generate donations.

Claude, RCC’s General Manager of Industrial, said the generous donation had started with the team themselves and then received support from family, friends, clients and project partners who got on board for the charity;

“Donations from our business partners including subcontractors, suppliers and clients highlight their generosity and how aligned our entire extended family is in our values and commitment to giving back to our local community. I’m extremely proud of the team; its humbling to see them apply the same commitment and passion to this cause as they do to their work every day.

It means a lot to everyone at RCC knowing we have been able to give back to an organisation that touches the lives of so many sick children and their families. We had a choice to shave our heads, but the kids don’t have any choice in being sick… We are grateful for what the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation do each day and being able to be part of that is really rewarding”

Claude Concha – General Manager, Industrial

Claude, whose young son also volunteered to shave his head, said that he was proud to work for a family-based company that encouraged community contribution and to be surrounded by likeminded people who all wanted to jump on board and do something meaningful.

Michal Cohen-Noble from the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation said she was overwhelmed by the figure and grateful for the donation;

“there are many things we can do with an amount of money like this. It’s just absolutely unbelievable” and said such a significant contribution could be used in so many ways; “with this amount we can fund many different things like high priority equipment, on our list that could potentially help in critical emergency care surgical theatres, a fellow which would help any of our departments further the education of our doctors”.

Michal Cohen-Noble – The Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation

 

 

More about the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation

The Children’s Hospital at Westmead is able to care for 84,000 sick children and their families each year as a result of community support and fundraising.

Learn more about their valuable work.

 

 

Meet Jack – He Loves His Job

November 27, 2019

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. We’re honoured to have such passionate employees who jumped at the opportunity to share what they do, and why they love it.

Meet Jack Reggers. Jack joined RCC in his final years of his engineering degree. Starting in a Graduate role that allowed him to study and gain practical experience in the industry, Jack is now a Site Engineer on our Opera Residences project, delivering one of Sydney’s most exclusive future residential developments.

“I love my job and I love what I do, but I think 90% of that is because I come to work with brilliant people every day.”

“At RCC, you actually feel like someone. From the Project Manager right through to the cadets, you can feel that everyone truly values each other and the company we work for.”

With a family of more than 700 employees, we are committed to ensuring our teams feel familiar and well connected. On a site with over 100 individuals, Jack says the RCC team’s culture and mateship creates an environment which keeps them on track; delivering high quality projects whilst genuinely enjoying the process along the way.

“We have meetings with our clients, subcontractors, consultants and architects and everybody sits in the same room to listen and collaborate. Everyone is talking and working together to get the job done.”

“It’s one collaborative project team pushing in the right direction.”

Jack loves his job for its challenges, and for the colleagues he says have become his family. Nominated the 10th Best Place to Work in our category in Australia, we’re thrilled to employ passionate people that genuinely enjoy what they do and provide them with a supportive environment and positive company culture to thrive in.

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.

More About the RCC Family

If Jack’s story has left you wanting to hear more about what its like to be part of the RCC family then watch this space – we are planning another 9 employee interviews over the next 9 months.

In the meantime, check out this video to hear from other members of our team.

 

More About the Opera Residences

This project includes the construction of 104 high end apartments over 19 levels, three levels of retail space and 6 levels of basement parking within the busy Bennelong Point precinct. Public domain works involve a stairway from Circular Quay to Macquarie Street and a general upgrade to the Circular Quay Public Domain.