2019 SA/NT Community Facility of the Year
Ausco Modular and the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) have been awarded the 2019 SA/NT Community Facility of the Year award for the Blyth-Snowtown Football and Netball Club (BSFNC) facility upgrade at the recent Parks and Leisure Australia Awards of Excellence presentation in Adelaide.
The project was the first high-specification modular sports facility in South Australia and kicked off a national rollout of building projects to accommodate the rapid growth in female football.
Ausco Modular has collaborated with peak sporting bodies such as the AFL and their state leagues to provide unisex changeroom facilities that meet the needs of the community from a design, quality, cost and project delivery perspective, that will enable the health and growth of the grassroots sport.
The building, constructed at Ausco’s Edinburgh manufacturing facility and installed on-site over a two-day period, was funded by the South Australian State Government, the Wakefield Regional Council and a range of community sporting groups.
A modular building is built in a controlled factory environment and delivered to the site by truck. Using this innovative construction methodology, the building is 90% complete prior to delivery and installation on site. This greatly reduces disruption at the sports grounds and to the neighbouring community as the site works and installation process takes three to five weeks rather than twelve months using site-built methods. Modular buildings are designed and built to the same strict standards as conventional construction with a 30-year life span but have the advantage of being built more quickly and economically.
Following an independent assessment conducted on modular building methodology versus traditional site-built construction, SANFL CEO Jake Parkinson says:
“This new building innovation is proven to provide sporting facilities 60 percent faster at 30 percent less cost. The efficiency of the building method is expected to be a game-changer across the industry in providing unisex facilities to service the rapid growth in female football across South Australia.”
Additionally, the facility features configurable internal space that allows the change room areas to expand and contract to suit the needs of the day, allowing the club to host busy carnivals or regional finals.
The modular design allows for easy integration into both the existing insitu building (which was refurbished in stage 1 of the development) and future builds that the club may require. The modular methodology guaranteed project completion by October 2018, just 19 weeks from contract signing to handover to the club.
- Procurement phase (2 weeks): involved the procurement to engage suppliers and subcontractors to complete on-site installation.
- Manufacture phase (6 weeks): involved the complete manufacture of each building module inclusive of all fixtures and fittings. The manufacturing phase took place in a controlled environment within Ausco Modular’s local manufacturing facility securing timelines, health and safety, environmental and quality compliance.
- Transport phase (same day delivery): involved transporting each module via truck from Ausco’s Edinburgh factory to Snowtown Oval. Delivery was completed on the same day as a dispatch with each module arriving ready for installation.
- Installation phase (6 weeks): Initial site works completed concurrently with the manufacturing phase significantly reducing the timeline of the project in comparison to traditional site-built construction. Involved demolition of the existing spectator facility, site preparation, modular installation, connections to services and disabled ramps and landscaping. The installation phase did not disrupt any existing facilities allowing participants to use facilities safely throughout the duration of works.
- Handover phase: facility was handed over to the club with no additional project work required.
BSFNC committee member Derryn Stringer says:
“I’ve done traditional construction. One thing lets you down and the whole project gets delayed. Machines are booked and daily hires - they all add up. With Ausco, all that’s done for me. They build the modules off-site, bring them up, put them together and all I need is a sparky and a plumber at the end. The process is just ridiculously simple.”
To hear more about the project, visit www.ausco.com.au/snowtown or learn more about modular sporting facilities here.
