Project Overview
The Waymouth Telstra Exchange, consisting of 12 storeys plus a mezzanine level was constructed in 1969, and houses infrastructure solely associated with telecommunication services.
The roof structure has had a long history of water ingress during rain events, requiring replacement of the roof sheeting, flashings and fixings which were long past their serviceable life. Waterproofing of the structure was of extreme importance to the ongoing function of the infrastructure below.
Scope of Work
McMahon Services were engaged by Superior Systems to undertake works on the Waymouth Telstra Exchange building that included testing of the existing downpipes to determine the integrity of the system, removal and re-installation of existing grid mesh walkway panels, and the removal and reinstatement of identified damaged steel angles and timber purlins.
Other works included concrete roof slab repair, chemical dosing unit relocation’s, removal of existing roof sheeting and installation of new roof sheeting system. New roofing included 1500m² of roof sheeting, box gutters, flashings, sealants and the removal of all spoil from site.
A 130t crane was required to undertake the works. Due to restricted access to the site, a 15t Franna crane was required to mobilise the 130t crane in the Telstra carpark on Friday afternoons so that crane lifts could be conducted throughout the weekends to minimise impact on Telstra staff and their weekday operations. The crane was demobilised on Monday mornings.
Project Challenges
The project team faced a number of significant challenges, surrounding the removal of the roof and the reinstatement works, due to the operations being dependant on the use of the weekend crane lifts. In addition, the team were required to operate at heights of 65m, with severe winds and weather.
Other challenges the project team faced were works involving the operational roof top services that included cooling towers and dosing units, critical to maintaining the buildings internal infrastructure. The Telstra Exchange infrastructure, plant and equipment were dust-sensitive, therefore the project team needed to limit dust quantities produced from the construction works.
The project team had to consider that the Telstra building remained 100% operational throughout the project period, and no services within the building were to be disconnected during works.
