The scope of this project was to design and construct 160 accommodation units on Christmas Island.
The project consisted of two existing town sites with road frontages that were redeveloped with each site accommodating 22 dwelling units, with car parking and landscaped areas. The units were completed in six months under difficult logistical, resources and time constraints.
The other two designated sites were located in dense jungle on precipitous terrain with extensive rock outcrops requiring major earthworks. Both sites accommodated a total of 138 dwelling units in blocks of 32, located at various plateau levels, allowing ease of access for car parking whilst providing spectacular views of the Indian Ocean. Construction consisted of precast concrete dividing walls between units, in situ concrete ground floor slabs and framed steel joists/fibre cement sheet to upper floors with timber decking to walkways and balconies. Roof and wall framing was constructed of lightweight steel channel construction clad with Colourbond finish corrugated steel sheeting.
The choice of materials and finishes was greatly influenced by the harsh environmental conditions and availability, together with the stringent time constraints of the construction programme. All materials used for the construction, with the exception of in situ concrete, were sourced from Western Australia and shipped to the island from Fremantle.