Child's play: Rendine shows its versatility with Bannockburn Heart precinct
No walls, no doors, no roof … no problem! A can-do attitude and a depth of engineering expertise underpinned Rendine Constructions' response to one of our most unusual projects, the development of the Bannockburn Heart precinct.
​
The $3 million project, completed in 2019, delivered an innovative multi-level water and play park complete with significant landscaping, community facilities and car parking, to create a vibrant focal point for the centre of the rapidly growing
Bannockburn township.
​
The successful delivery of the project for Golden Plains Shire, in collaboration with architect Planit Holdings and water park specialist Playscape Creations, was just the latest example of the 'outside the box' versatility that Rendine Constructions applied to a creative, exciting design that adds great value to its local community.
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
The centrepiece of the project is a water play park with 40 interactive elements, pumping 1500 litres of water per minute, sited
on a 400 sq. m concrete slab. The precinct also includes ninja-style fitness challenges, flying foxes, a giant tree house, barbecue
equipment, shade shelters, an amenity block, seating areas, garden beds and car parking. The precinct was also designed to host the township's Farmers Market.
​
Rendine Constructions Project Manager Ben Vawdrey says his team relished the challenge of bringing innovative solutions
to a project with very different requirements to standard commercial construction.
​
“This one was definitely a bit out of the comfort zone,” says Ben, a qualified civil engineer. “Certainly there was a lot of problem-solving required, a lot of in-depth engagement from myself and the foreman, a lot of RFIs (request for information) to the designers, a lot of working out of how different elements were going to interact and intertwine.
​
“It shows that having an engineering background at the forefront of the company allows you work through those things that are slightly obscure, that might be outside the scope for a typical builder.”
​
One of the most challenging elements was the precinct's three-dimensional design elements. “It's all up and down and round and round, there's a lot going on in terms of the 3D nature of the build, as opposed to a school building where everything is essentially on one finished floor level.
​
“The integration of the various elements and surfaces required a fair amount of back-and-forth with the design team as
well as the client, who was very hands-on throughout the project, 'Is this is how you anticipated it would look, how did
you want this to work?'. It wasn't necessarily difficult, but time-consuming, and you needed to work through it with
the designers and client to get the best result.”
​
Anchor points securing feature elements needed to be precisely located before concrete was poured, while a variety of interconnecting surfaces including rubber, sand and mulch needed to be aligned to create a seamless integration,
free of trip hazards.
With a project delivery deadline of Christmas, in time to switch on for summer, the majority of earthworks and site preparation
was completed during winter.
​
“That was challenging,” Ben admits. “But to stop in there just a few days prior to Christmas at 8.30pm when it was
still 30 degrees, and see kids and families playing under the water, was very rewarding. I'm proud of what we achieved.”
