Gripfast was contracted by the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) to manage the and construction process for a complete refurbishment of the top two floors of the X Block building located at QUT Kelvin Grove. The build was underpinned by rigorous planning, and the delivery phase required robust communication, as well as stakeholder management and canny budget recommendations to deliver a space that was built on time and to the exacting standards required by QUT.

This expansive project saw a complete architectural refurbishment and modernisation of both floors, delivering well-designed communal office spaces designed to meet the evolving needs of the tertiary education corporate environment. Comprehensive works were involved, including mechanical, audio-visual and IT upgrades,  vital improvements for a university positioned at the forefront of change, seeking a beautiful, practical space to house their staff into the future.

The project delivery phase utilised a range of modern techniques to enhance not only the project execution but also the spaces themselves. The project team opted to pioneer QUT’s use of BIM technology to generate a 3D visualised spatial model to assist in the development of services drawings, as well as to mitigate long-term costs caused by clashes. Once the model was complete, the use of this technique generated budget and time savings for the remainder of the project allowing the project team to accurately identify and forecast changes required to the service design before they became a problem. These cost offsets assisted in the capacity of QUT to choose the use of modern and sustainable materials which required specialty delivery methods and were expertly delivered by the project contractor, FARA.

The project was a resounding success! The new workspaces were delivered on time and within budget, and Gripfast is proud to have worked with a fantastic and collaborative team on the QUT X Block Refurbishment.