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As the residential market continues to correct amid tightening lending and credit markets, the commercial market has quickly emerged as one to watch with industry-leading builders, Probuild, helping commercial developers make their mark on the Australian skyline.
Commercial office interest has continued to boom in Melbourne and Sydney, and foreign investment in Australia’s office property market reached an all-time high of $17.3 billion during 2018 – figures that have cemented the importance for developers to choose the right construction partner when undertaking their commercial projects.
Since taking on its first commercial office 20 years ago, Probuild has delivered more than 500,000 square metres of commercial space across Australia, building offices for some of the country’s most recognisable employers, including Toyota, the ABC, Bendigo Bank and Victoria Police.
Senior project manager Andrew La Rocca says Probuild uses a number of strategies to ensure the ongoing delivery of well-let and successful office projects – with one of the essential steps being early collaboration with all project stakeholders.
“During the pre-construction phase, we typically find ourselves working very closely with the client or developer to provide key design and construction input to ensure the development is set up for success early,” La Rocca said.
Early collaboration ensures site optimisation, efficient construction methods and commercial benchmark compliance, which ultimately feeds into a quality outcome that can attract potential tenants.
With competing objectives and interests, particularly among designers, developers and tenants, early contractor involvement is critical to avoid being forced to align these interests in a more mature stage of development where changes can become costly.
Probuild offers early contractor involvement (ECI) on office projects, which allows the team to advise on space planning and function layouts, subsequently assisting clients in securing tenants during the design phase.
This collaborative approach extends into the delivery phase where the combination of Probuild’s early involvement and integration experience are brought together to deliver a smooth commercial office project experience.
“Early integration of the tenant’s requirements by the design and construction contractor can eliminate costly redesign and onsite rework, ultimately resulting in a more cost-effective solution and efficient process overall,” La Rocca said.
Client vision, time pressures and quality benchmarks will inevitably vary from project to project. This is why Probuild ensure they are approaching each new client with a customised approach to ensure that each project meets the demands of the developer and end-users.
“As a design and construction partner on office projects, we embed ourselves deeply with both the developer and tenants to better understand their organisational requirements and pressures,” La Rocca said.
“There is no one-size-fits-all approach to commercial office projects and we tailor our solution on a case-by-case basis to meet the specific needs of each client.”
From an asset perspective, a commercial office building needs to be flexible enough to accommodate large and small tenants, be efficient in both moving people around and with energy usage, and have adaptability to incorporate the latest technology.
Probuild offers a design management approach, with a specialist in-house team that has worked on some of the most technically advanced commercial offices in Australia, including the ABC’s new facility in Melbourne’s Southbank and the Victorian Police Headquarters at 311 Spencer Street in Melbourne’s CBD.
Working closely with clients is as much about collaboration as it is about problem solving. Having or developing the skills to make correct decisions and judgements in high pressure situations is key to achieving economically and commercially viable buildings.
Beyond financial solutions, safety must take priority to retain strong partnerships and create leading examples.
ISPT property investment manager Danielle Dalby says her company was impressed by their strong relationship with Probuild, particularly as the construction phase of any project is often the most critical test of relationships.
“I have witnessed Probuild’s commitment to quality firsthand, as evidenced at a recent pre-completion site visit to 271 Spring Street in Melbourne,” Dalby said.
“A timber feature ceiling was installed and then promptly removed by Probuild as it did not meet Probuild’s quality standards, before the ISPT team had viewed and commented.”
“Site safety is our number one priority and we will continue to partner with like-minded builders such as Probuild who produce quality outcomes.”
As Australia’s economy continues to transition from manufacturing to services, well-designed and efficiently built office spaces will remain in demand – making the strategies implemented by building companies like Probuild even more important into the future.
Probuild is one of Australia’s largest and most successful construction experts, providing end-to-end services that encompass all facets of project delivery.
To learn more about Probuild’s upcoming projects, visit their website.
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