ON THE FAST TRACK

Putting extra hustle into the paving plan for Carrum Station ensured the train arrived on time for this major civil project.

Creating safer connections for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists, the newly constructed Carrum Station is part of a $50 million revitalisation project for the city of Carrum, including four new public spaces.

Located on McLeod Road in Carrum, the new station is one of the many projects currently underway as part of the Level Crossing Removal Project occurring across Melbourne in Victoria. A multi-billion dollar infrastructure project that is set to completely transform the transport system in Melbourne, the Level Crossing project has many moving parts.

Creating a series of overhead rail systems and transport stations, with public recreation and amenity spaces beneath, the scheme is a major achievement and a great source of pride to the Victorian Government. Incorporating contractors and suppliers from all over the country, this major undertaking is asking everyone to give their best, including Granite Works.

Specified by Rush Wright Architects, the architects on the Carrum project, to provide natural stone for hardscaping works including landscaping under the skyrail overpass, Granite Works found itself putting a little extra hustle into its supply chain to meet demand.

Working with a complex patterned design, the architects chose to go with granite for the project. Hard wearing with high slip-resistance factors, making it more than satisfactory for use in high-traffic public spaces, granite was the ideal product for such a large-scale site. In addition, granite comes in a wide array of colours, meaning it would meet the requirements for the varied colours needed to construct the architectural design created for the station.

The mix of colour was an important factor in the project. The project architects designed a complex colour palette for the hardscaping that not only looked good, but served a purpose in differentiating the various routes to and through the station area. Varied colours signify specific areas, providing a visual from open space to transport space through to public space as it leads down to the waterfront, all blending harmoniously to provide continuity and dimension to the project scheme.

As a commercial supplier of natural stone products, Granite Works was able to source and supply granite in the required colours — Ag Black, Tasman Grey, Silver Grey, Burgundy, Sunset, Riverstone, Sahara Gold and Light Yellow — in order to fulfil the contract. A challenge, due to the fact that not all the colours could be sourced from one supplier. With its extensive network of global factories and quarries, Granite Works was able to source the stone and arrange for it to arrive simultaneously onsite to meet the architect’s brief.

Not just a matter of picking the prettiest colours, all granite used on the station job also needed to meet safety and durability standards. Technical data was supplied by Granite Works to the engineers to verify the stone would meet Australian construction standards — a process the company is very familiar with on commercial projects.

Charged with supplying 500 tonnes (4500 square metres) of granite paving for the project, while not an easy task, was complicated by the fact that Granite Works was awarded the job tender just three days before Christmas. Working with such a tight deadline — further complicated by a global pandemic that cropped up a few months later — Granite Works kicked into high gear to ensure their supply chain was able to meet the large order. Well-versed in the vagaries of commercial construction, Granite Works worked hard to adjust its processes in order to meet the project specifications without compromising the quality of the product — given its importance in the structural integrity of the overall scheme.

In addition to a tight deadline, space restrictions onsite became another challenge to the job. With no room to store large quantities of materials onsite, the contractors needed the pavers delivered in an ad hoc manner. Employing all their logistical skill garnered over years of experience, Granite Works was able to unload the containers of granite pavers in their warehouse, creating smaller loads that were then delivered by their own fleet of trucks to site as needed.

Given the speed at which this project was progressing, almost daily orders for pavers were placed by the contractors. Using a very strict delivery and scheduling system, Granite Works was able to keep up with demand for stock, while also meeting the colour requirements. With quality control an important factor in limiting wastage on such large contracts, as well as the inevitable last minute ‘add-ons’ that seem to occur with every job, a reliable supply chain and expertise in logistics was a must for the success of this project.

__________________________________________

PROJECT PARTICULARS
Client Lendlease
Location Carrum, Victoria
Architects Rush Wright Associates
Photography Adrienne Bizzarri Photography
Paver Supply Granite Works Australia

COMPANY
Granite Works Australia