Into Orbit with Lego League

We were recently invited by the Emmanuel Anglican College in Ballina to take part in judging the first Lego League into Orbit Competition!!
APP Principal, Bill Payne volunteered as head referee and APP Principal, Rob Jacob volunteered as match referee.
This is a National Competition with regional and state events, designed for schools by FLL Australian Curriculum. Almost 40 schools participated!
Here are a couple of photos from the day, and more details about the Lego League can be found here .

Image of people looking at a table of lego models

Cypress at Byron

Cypress at Byron Bay

ProjectCypress at Byron

This award-winning resort-style residential development comprises long-span steel structures, bespoke finishes and supporting details as well as a complex water recycling system. APP provided all civil, structural and environmental engineering for the project.

Location:
Suffolk Park, NSW

Architect:
Haysom Architects

Cypress at Byron Project Gallery

Callistemon Drive Swimming Pool

Callistemon Drive Swimming Pool

ProjectCallistemon Drive Swimming Pool

APP provided structural design for this elevated and stunning pool in the Byron Bay hinterland, including supervision of geotechnical work and civil design for retaining walls and drainage.

Location:
Federal, NSW

Architect:
Archimages Architecture

Callistemon Drive Swimming Pool Project Gallery

APP showcases capabilities through a new art piece

For the past year, our team at Ardill Payne & Partners has been creating a piece of customised art to grace the long hallway wall opposite our main meeting room.

The vision for the custom piece was to capture the full spectrum of services that APP offer, showcasing projects that not only are we very proud of, and that have been photographed beautifully, but that also create discussions­—we like to think of it as "talking point art”.

The panels went through design, concept and re-design many times before reaching the final concept which was ultimately chosen for the wall.

The six panels, all varying heights, span over 3 meters in total width and 1.6 meters in height and represent all of our business sectors; Civil Engineering, Structural Engineering, Town Planning, Surveying, Environmental, Project Management, Master Planning, Water Engineering, Alternative Energy and Marine Structures.

We hope that the artworks present the viewer with a true sense of our firm, opening up conversations to our capabilities, and capturing what we have been and are able to achieve with such a wide diversification of disciplines under the one roof.

If you are in Ballina, please feel free to drop by and have a look at the new wall art. We’d love to show you! We are at 45 River Street.

The APP Team.

Ballina RSL Club

ProjectBallina RSL Club


APP has provided the Ballina RSL Club with Civil and Structural Engineering services as well as Town Planning and Survey support for 20 years. During this time, we have helped the Club establish its strategic development plans for its commercial holdings as well as being their engineers and planners for a range of development and refurbishment projects.

 

The Brief:
The client came to us wanting vertically integrated design and planning services to provide high quality, value for money structural and civil solutions for a range of community and commercial building programs. The works have involved:

  • The $6m refurbishment of the entire Club
  • The $1m Riverside Boardwalk around the Club
  • The $3m expansion to the gaming and community meeting rooms

Key Challenges:
The key challenges we could see for this project were providing a riverside boardwalk which suited community needs, as well as protecting the club’s security and budget requirements.

Providing structural solutions for the refurbishment and expansion contracts to a modified building form, which had not been previously well documented.

Solutions:
We overcame these challenges by the development of a range of maritime solutions, costing them and discussing suitability with all stakeholders. APP subsequently called tenders and supervised the construction of the adopted boardwalk solution.

For the refurbishment and expansion projects the solution was to establish core structural solutions which had redundancy and flexibility worked into the detail for amendment during construction. This, coupled with a close working relationship with the builder and architect during construction overcame the unforeseen structural problems typical of refurbishment work

Key Features:
The key features/points of difference to mention of the project are the development of value for money maritime solution which met community and client requirement, and delivery of on time and on budget building projects for complex refurbishment and expansion projects in a large operating club environment.

APP's Role:
Ardill Payne & Partners were responsible for the Civil and Structural Engineering, Survey and Town Planning, and also supplied Project Management services for the maritime component.

Timeframe:
With involvement in Master Planning, Regulatory Planning, Design and Construction processes, the projects of upgrading the premises extended from 2 to 3 years.

Budget:
The overall budget for the projects was $10m.

Ballina RSL Club Gallery

Ballina Fair Shopping Centre

ProjectBallina Fair Shopping Centre

Ballina Fair Shopping Centre is a single level shopping centre which contains major retailers such as Target, Woolworths, Best & Less along with over 50 other speciality stores and services. The Centre also contains a Cinema with 4 theatres, an indoor heated pool and gymnasium.

The Brief:
The client came to us wanting to obtain development consent for alterations and additions to the Ballina Fair Shopping Centre at 84 Kerr Street, Ballina. The proposed development involved the roofing and enclosure of the existing food court area at the south-eastern corner of the complex. The works provided an increase in floor area of 223sqm and contains food premises and central tables and chairs.

Key Challenges:
The key challenges we could see for this project were to integrate the development into the existing building and operations, ensure that the complex could continue to operate during the works and to ensure that works were attractive, functional, and satisfied all relevant standards and legislation.

Solutions:
We overcame these challenges by undertaking detailed site planning, determining opportunities and constraints of the site, engaging with the architects and the Centre senior management, as well as having a number of pre-DA communications with Council’s Technical Officers.

Budget:
The budget for this project was $1,300,00.00.

Key Features:
The key features/points of difference to mention in respect of the project are that it is the largest Shopping Centre in the Shire, is on flood-prone land and is highly visible in the local streetscape (having 3 road frontages). 

APP’s Role:
Ardill Payne & Partners undertook the Structural Design of the initial Shopping Centre in 1989 and were engaged for the redevelopment project in 2007, being responsible for gaining Town Planning approvals for the redevelopment, along with Structural Design and Survey.

Timeframe:
The Development Application (DA) and Statement of Environmental Effects (SEE) was lodged with Council on the 13th March 2015 and was given the file reference number DA 2015/101.  Council granted conditional consent to the DA/SEE on the 9th June 2015.  Construction works commenced on the site in May 2016.

Key Parties:
The architects for this project are PDT Architects, and the builders are Greg Clark Building Pty Ltd.

Ballina Fair Shopping Centre Project Gallery