The $3.6 billion Queen’s Wharf development is currently the largest construction project in Queensland. It is expected to open in the first half of 2023 and will offer a vibrant tourism destination within the Brisbane CBD.
Upon completion the overall development will cover more than 26 hectares over land and water and include three luxury hotels: The Star, The Dorsett and Rosewood. Also housed in the development will be more than 50 restaurants, bars, cafés, residential apartments and retail outlets.
The challenge
For subcontractor Superior Walls and Ceilings construction of unusually high walls at the entrance to the new Star casino located in the entertainment hub, as well as the Ballroom posed a challenge.
Siniat’s Structural Field Sales Engineer Salim Zadeh helped to come up with a bespoke solution for a 9m wall at the casino entrance.
“The height of the walls and the high amount of wind pressure they are exposed to make this an unusual installation,” Salim explained.
“We designed a lightweight system solution that could achieve the required height, while achieving the necessary structural integrity required with this wall,” he said.
The products and design
When walls of this height are built with regular length studs, splice connections are usually required to secure structural integrity. Siniat’s engineers came up with a cost-effective solution that eliminated the need for splice connections, but required the use of jamb studs of 9.9 m in length.
“The problem was that the standard length of these components is less than half of that – only 3.6 m. I therefore had to consult the production team at the Siniat roll forming plant in Beenleigh about manufacturing jamb studs especially for this project,” Salim said.
Steve Bean, Plant Manager at the Beenleigh roll forming plant, said modifications were made to the normal manufacturing processes. “I knew that our machines would be capable of handling the extra length, but changes had to be made to the packing, storing and maneuvering of the jamb studs, keeping safety considerations top of mind,” he said.
Jason Marshman, Superior Walls and Ceilings Site Foreman, said once the jamb studs had been delivered to site they were not much more difficult to handle and install.
Other Siniat products used in the full system designs were Fireshield, Trurock and Curveshield. For the interior walls in the Ballroom section, Siniat Fireshield was used for its fire and acoustic qualities. Trurock added structural integrity to the casino entrance wall and Curveshield was used to achieve tight curves in this area.
The result
“We are very impressed with the end result,” said Jason on behalf of the Superior site team. “I knew achieving the height of the walls was going to be challenging, but Salim and his team came up with an excellent solution. They were also always on hand with advice and available to visit on site which made our job much easier.”
