Centennial Parklands – E.S. Marks Safety Upgrade

Project Overview: The E.S. Marks Safety Upgrade project was undertaken in order to preserve one of Sydney’s oldest athletics facilities and ensure that it continues to meet capacity requirements. Civilcraft was engaged by the Centennial Park & Moore Park Trust to deliver the project which involved the partial demolition of the grandstand to make way for a new carpark, on-site bus parking, architecturally designed ticket booth, and ingress and egress routes. The project required coordination between multiple subcontractors, along with a key focus on internal and external stakeholder management.

Project Components:

Partial demolition of the existing grandstand.
Construction of a new 33 space car park, on-site bus parking for 3 coaches, motorcycle parking and bicycle parking.
Installation of street lighting.
Construction of an architecturally designed ticket booth.
Construction of a 4.5m high curved structural concrete & block retaining wall.
Construction of concrete balustrade wall to grandstand and concrete block out wall to stairs.
Construction of new ingress and egress thoroughfares.
Installation of new stormwater drainage system including new connection to RCC system.
Installation of automated sliding security gates to entry and exit.
Installation of new electrical infrastructure including.
Installation of new communications links across the site including NBN infrastructure.
Upgrade of the access path to amenities and storage shed.
Upgrade of existing grandstand stairs for BCA compliance.
Site-wide landscaping upgrade including installation of new irrigation.
Installation of piles adjacent to upper-level grandstand stairs for future pedestrian bridge to accessible lift.

Key Challenges and Risks:

Design finalisation.
Obtaining statutory authority approvals including Crown certification.
Conducting the project on a heritage site, requiring careful consideration of preservation measures.
Working around flora of high heritage significance, which required a high level of environmental sensitivity, extensive protection measures, compliance with regulations and working in partnership with the project arborist.
Remediation of site contamination including removal of hazardous waste and asbestos.
Constructing a large retaining wall in close proximity to heritage significant trees, which required careful handling and monitoring to ensure safety and environmental compliance.
Coordination with adjacent contractors to ensure that none of the works were impeded by each other’s activities, which required effective communication and planning.
Completing the project in a residential area while ensuring effective stakeholder management both internally and externally.