Liebherr Perth Expansion, Redcliffe
Liebherr Australia
2014
$19M
Redcliffe, WA
Project Details
14000sqm
3
Attributes
Overview
Revamping Liebherr’s Perth headquarters: an industry-leading parts warehouse in Australia's mining capital.
Liebherr’s Redcliffe facility is a hub for the manufacturer’s mining division, featuring a cutting-edge parts warehouse and a service workshop. Sited near Perth’s airport in the mining capital of Australia, it also serves as the base for their sales and administrative teams, across the earthmoving, components, crawler cranes and foundation cranes divisions.
Higgins partnered with our repeat client to deliver a complete redevelopment of the facility, executed over four construction stages.
Stage 1 — Office fit-out + vertical lift installation
We demolished the existing First Floor within the existing facility to create an expansive open space with two glass-wall offices and a boardroom. We also removed the existing non-compliant lift and installed its replacement.
Stage 2 — New extension
We then replaced the external single-storey canteen and first-floor roof with a new two-storey extension. This included two training rooms, a lunchroom, bathroom facilities, two field service offices on the ground and first floors, four glass wall offices, three additional training rooms, and a kitchen.
Stage 3 — New workshop and parts warehouse, hardstand area & carpark
This phase involved the construction of a new warehouse facility, next to the existing, now expanded, building. We built 7,000sqm of hardstand area, a 2,000sqm carpark alongside the 5,000sqm warehouse with office functions.
The warehouse boasts what was once Australia’s tallest very narrow aisle (VNA) racking system, with a height of 14.75m. To support VNA fork trucks, we installed the country’s most level floor with a super flat design, achieving an FFL tolerance of 0.1, requiring a custom concrete mix and specialist formwork. Additionally, we installed a 12m high Kardex Picking Tower and constructed a three-storey office using concrete tilt panels, structural steel, and Kingspan cladding.
Externally, we completed a 7,000sqm set down and storage area with 240mm thick, double steel-reinforced concrete. The bitumen car park sits atop a 750,000-litre stormwater detention tank. As part of the sprinkler system integrated with the VNA racking system, we installed 288KL fire sprinkler tanks, each 7.5m high and 6m in diameter.
Stage 4 — Office fit-out + Hydrocarbon filter system
Introduced as an additional phase, we completed the fit-out of the existing Ground Floor office and the construction of a new Hydrocarbon filter system and concrete assembly area.
The warehouse boasts what was once Australia’s tallest VNA racking system, at 14.75m high. Supporting this system, is one of the country's most level floors which achieved an FFL tolerance of 0.1.
Process
Through an ECI arrangement, we guided the design's buildability and delivered an industry-leading facility within budget.
Plan.
Approach & Value Adding
Driven by Higgins, the ECI process led to many great outcomes achieving cost, time and/or operational benefits for Liebherr, including:
- An optimised cantilevered awning design for efficient truck unloading.
- Custom concrete mix for super-flat floors where raw materials were unavailable, suited for Western Australia.
- Advanced curing techniques for quick access to engineered floors.
- Strategic construction management and material selection to minimise long-term maintenance.
- Innovative stormwater and rainwater management for the Pilbara's frequent rains.
Drive.
Key Challenges
- We adapted to many design revisions by Liebherr during construction, managed through continual liaison with our consultant team and relevant authorities. We also led three weekly site meetings with our client and architect to resolve design items.
- To speed up our program, we managed Stage 2 and Stage 3 concurrently. This meant we had every trades on site consistently for nearly 14 months, requiring meticulous pre-planning and clear channels of communication with the entire team.
- Because of the site’s location, next to Perth Airport, we were working within a restricted zone and could not lift items more than 35m without additional measures. The ridge height of the building was 26m, which required lifts over 65m to erect steel. We proactively liaised with Perth Airport Corporation, seeking approval for an extra 10m max. lift height. We still faced limitations, aligning our lift timeslots with the Airport’s operations. Careful program management and high levels of coordination with the Airport authority saw us successfully erect the steel without delay.
- Across our program, we worked through Perth’s fluctuating weather conditions: from excessive heat during summer, to plummeting temperatures and strong winter winds into periods of sustained autumn rain.
Deliver.
Project Outcomes
- A vast array of new and upgraded facilities for Liebherr's diverse teams, creating a hub for various divisions.
- A new 5,000sqm warehouse supported by 7,000sqm of set down and storage area and a 2.000sqm carpark.
- We replaced a non-compliant vertical lift.
- We installed Australia’s tallest very narrow aisle (VNA) racking system.