Inside Construction speaks to Richard Seddon, Mirvac’s General Manager Industrial, about the construction of its new logistics hub in Western Sydney.
By 2031, Roads and Maritime Services expects greater western Sydney will be home to more than half of the city’s population.
As a result, the State and Federal Governments are funding $3.6 billion into new road infrastructure in order to keep up with the increasing population.
Identifying the region as having future industrial potential, property group Mirvac acquired a property from the Australian Quarantine Inspection Service at the junction of the M4 and M7 Motorways.
Situated less than an hour away from Sydney Airport and Port Botany Shipping Terminal, the site provides potential fast access to Sydney Metro via the nearby M4 and M7 Motorway junction. With this in mind, the company set about developing the estate into a high-quality logistics hub.
Richard Seddon, General Manager Industrial at Mirvac, says the company decided to call the development ‘Calibre’ as a nod to its vision for the estate.
“We chose the name Calibre to represent how it could be a high-quality development,” he says.
“Mirvac drew on its uniquely integrated business model and cross-sector experience to bring the best of office and residential design to an industrial asset, to exceed customer and industry expectations,” Seddon says.
Three construction firms were brought in to assist Mirvac in developing the estate, including, Vaughan Constructions, Prime Constructions and Richard Crookes Constructions, all of which have previous relationships with the company.
Five buildings were built with a total floor space of 110,000 square metres across the warehouses and offices. Around 450 construction jobs were created during the development phase, with an additional 480 permanent jobs made by the resulting businesses.
Mirvac encountered a range of challenges with suppliers not typically familiar with the level of specification required in the industrial context. The company undertook additional briefing and process checks with all of its suppliers to monitor the project and ensure the project was able to be completed.
Another obstacle the Mirvac needed to overcome was ensuring the estate’s design was carried through. The office component for each building was designed to reflect high quality equivalent to CBD grade A office space, which is not usually seen in industrial warehousing. For example, the tiling in the double height office lobbies had a premium, residential style design, meaning standard industrial techniques weren’t adequate.
The facilities were future proofed through the installation of a 20-metre cantilevered awning system across the length of the loading face, to provide tenants with greater depth of undercover loading space together with 45-metre-deep hardstands to maximise heavy vehicle manoeuvring and circulation space. Concrete warehouse floors were also used to increase the standard load capacity to nine tonnes as part of this future proofing.
Sustainability was also key to the project’s construction. Rainwater harvesting systems, photovoltaic solar panels and cyclist end of trip facilities are included in the design to reduce the facility’s carbon footprint.
Seddon says lighting is one of the biggest electricity users in a warehouse, which is why special considerations for lighting systems were taken into account. LED lighting has been installed across the facility with smart controls in order to reduce energy consumption. Natural lighting was also incorporated into the design to reduce the need for energy and reduce its tenant’s energy bills.
Supplying the future
New South Wales Treasurer Dominic Perrottet cut the ribbon during the opening ceremony of the facility and said the logistics hub would boost employment in Western Sydney.
“NSW has the leading economy in Australia with the lowest unemployment rate, and investments like this one are at the heart of that success,” Perrottet says.
“This is a key infrastructure building block for Western Sydney, and will attract more businesses to the region, boost job opportunities for locals, and help shape the future.”
The project attracted tenants such as CEVA Logistics, Miele, Pet Circle, Sheldon & Hammond and ACFS e-Solutions to lease the facility, which was fully leased ahead of its practical completion.
One of the ways the tenants were drawn to the estate was its high amenity standards. Construction included unique landscaping and development of high quality breakout spaces, which provides employees a space to come together and connect during breaks.
Pet Circle Supply Chain Director Nick Bennett says the company is excited to relocate its operation into the new facility.
“The advanced specifications, new standards of amenity and bespoke warehouse features of the Estate will deliver long-term efficiency and flexibility for Pet Circle, ultimately boosting business growth,” he says.
“After seeing the high-quality workspace and amenity of the facility, it allowed us the flexibility to have employees based here that are not traditionally warehouse employees such as a customer service team. The recruitment drive post-move allowed us to hire the majority of workers from the Western Sydney area.”
Seddon says Mirvac was proud to open the new facility and contribute to sustainable, long-term growth of e-commerce and logistics while generating employment opportunities within Western Sydney.
“Through our investment in placemaking, design and amenity we have already seen a community and a shared economy coming to life at the estate,” he says.