27 August 2009
The construction of the new Defence Headquarters Operations
Centre at Bungendore has been recognised by the Australian
Institute of Project Management at its awards night in
Canberra.
The facility – the most secure and fully accredited
top-secret large scale Defence facility in Australia – was
recognised for excellence in construction/engineering for projects
in excess of $100 million.
GHD provided project management, architectural and
engineering support services for the centre, which is home to about
750 military and civilian Defence staff with responsibility for the
planning and conduct of military campaigns and operation.
It is the first time all of the key elements
necessary for the planning and command and control of Australian
Defence Force operations have been brought together under one
roof.
The centre is the first new facility commissioned
by the Federal Government under a Public Private Partnership. The
Five Star Green Star-rated building project had all the hallmarks
of a major civil construction project including water and sewerage
treatment works, road and rail bridge, stand-alone power generation
capability and 280km of data cabling to service state-of-the-art IT
systems.
The integrated design development process required
input from Commonwealth agencies ranging from the Australian
Federal Police to the Special Air Service Regiment, the operator,
private financiers and the construction contractors.
Despite the challenge of managing so many
stakeholders, and the top-secret security requirements, the project
was delivered on time and on budget.
GHD project manager Bob Rosenbauer said the
successful completion of the centre in November 2008 was a
significant achievement, with a construction period of less than 18
months.
“This is a one-of-a-kind facility, encompassing a
state-of-the-art command and control centre that meets the
environmental objectives of the Department of Defence, and we are
proud to have provided our support to the project,” he said.
For further information, contact:
Sonia Adams