Designed and prefabricated offsite, light gauge steel framing made from TRUECORE® steel has facilitated on-time and on-budget construction of the Sunrise Beach Aged Care facility.
| Project – BlueCare Sunrise Beach Aged Care facility, Queensland Fabricator – Mitchell Crisp, principal at Ultimate Steel Framing Builder – Kent Belcher, project manager at Badge Constructions Architect – Pino Gentile, principal architect at Thomson Adsett Client – Lavinia Dack, property group general manager at UnitingCare Queensland Principal steel product – 40,000 lineal metres of light gauge steel made from TRUECORE® steel Photographer – Construction photos by Travis Cooke Badge Constructions, renders by Thomson Adsett Address – 4 Grasstree Court, Sunrise Beach, Queensland |
Located at Sunrise Beach in the Noosa Shire, Phase One of the Sunrise Beach Aged Care facility has now been completed. In an area where the demand for aged care is growing faster than in most other parts of Australia, the first 102 residents will be welcomed into their quality new homes early in 2024.
By utilising light gauge steel made from TRUECORE steel for the walls, trusses and bracing, the project achieved a host of benefits, including:
Prefabricated for rapid installation – Light gauge steel framing was designed and prefabricated offsite, requiring close collaboration between builder Badge Constructions and Ultimate Steel Framing from the project’s commencement. Items such as safety features, PWD rails and TV recess areas were all factored into the framing from the start, minimising errors and potential delays.
Lightweight and strong fills the brief – The brief for the Sunrise Beach Aged Care facility required the provision of a true “domestic” living experience with small clusters of private rooms centred around courtyards or views. With an impressive strength-to-weight ratio, light gauge steel framing made from TRUECORE steel supports wide spans that form the backbone of these light-filled villas.
Termite-proof without insecticides – Light gauge steel framing made from TRUECORE steel is termite-proof and doesn’t require treatment from insecticides. For client Uniting Care Queensland, this was an important consideration for its residents. Additionally, TRUECORE steel won’t warp, twist or shrink even in Queensland’s tropical environment.
Lightweight and easy to handle – Lightweight and strong, light gauge steel framing made from TRUECORE steel can be easily handled onsite with fewer tradespeople. Consequently, labour was split into smaller groups to work on multiple fronts, further speeding up onsite progress.
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Project highlights
Reflecting recommendations set out by the Royal Commission into aged care quality and safety, each of the private accommodation rooms at the Sunrise Beach Aged Care facility is designed to operate like a small household, offering residents a better lifestyle and superior quality of care.
Pino Gentile, principal architect at Thomson Adsett, articulates the design brief for the facility. “The design of the Sunrise Beach Aged Care facility responds to ‘Person Centred Care’,” says Gentile. “Homes are designed to provide residents with an authentic domestic experience and are modelled in small clusters of eight to nine private rooms.”
“Each room is located around a series of light-filled courtyards, or alternatively provides views of the adjacent national park.
“Residents can easily access common areas and spaces in order to socialise or get food and drink from the house kitchen whenever they want to.”
Mitchell Crisp, principal at Ultimate Steel Framing, highlights the versatility of light gauge steel framing made from TRUECORE steel, which enabled his team to navigate the constraints of the limited onsite space.
“Smaller cranes were used, saving costs and positioning packs in out-of-the-way locations,” says Crisp. “The ease of handling light gauge steel frames meant labour could be split into smaller groups to work on multiple fronts, again helping accelerate the progress of the job.”
Light gauge steel framing made from TRUECORE steel has the added benefit of staying straight and true. The framing is precision-made and remains accurate to measurements. Prefabricated light gauge steel frames made from TRUECORE steel also benefit from having pre-punched service holes, allowing follow-on trades to feed services through the framing for a fast install without additional drilling.
Lavinia Dack, group general manager property at UnitingCare, expresses the team’s excitement regarding the accelerated construction pace achieved through the utilisation of light gauge steel framing. “Choosing steel has more than paid for itself in construction time savings,” she says.
The Sunrise Beach development is one of the largest applications of light gauge steel framing in the Noosa region, including over 40,000 lineal metres of TRUECORE steel.
Supplied by Australian steel manufacturer BlueScope and fabricated locally, TRUECORE steel supports UnitingCare’s commitment to using local suppliers.
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