Maintaining the façades of large public buildings is a tricky job. With pedestrians and passing vehicles to protect from falling debris, it is essential to find a scaffolding company that puts safety first. So when Mater Children’s Hospital in South Brisbane needed to fix the damaged tiles on its façade it called for tenders from scaffolding companies capable of providing a safe and encapsulated scaffold to allow builders access to the damaged façade.

Uni-span is delighted to have secured the contract, working alongside managing contractors, the Abi Group. Uni-span will assist Abi Group by implementing innovative scaffolding solutions to the project’s safety, noise, access and cost concerns. Here we share a snapshot of some of the project issues Uni-span addressed with scaffolding solutions.

Challenge 1: By day, a constant stream of pedestrians and vehicle traffic pass the hospital’s site on Stanley Street and Raymond Terrace in inner-city Brisbane.

SOLUTION: Uni-span’s team worked out of hours to minimize disruption to public and heighten safety control.

Challenge 2: Scaffolding was to be erected across Raymond Terrace however this presented a two-fold problem: 1) no legs were allowed to go to ground; and 2) the wall to be accessed was of a convex design.

SOLUTION: A gantry was provided as the basis for the scaffold to provide a bridge across Raymond Terrace but could only be provided as a straight-line structure, therefore presenting Uni-span with a support structure problem. This was addressed by using one of Uni-span’s Uni-soldiers to provide a strong and inexpensive alternative to large steel beams, which would have required a crane to place into position.

Challenge 3: The scaffold structures were located in close proximity to the hospital’s main entrance and small business operator’s offices within the precinct, which threatened pedestrian’s safety during scaffold construction and building maintenance.

SOLUTION: Uni-span addressed the need for unusual scaffold screening with its new product, Uni-mesh – a unique containment screening system designed to act as a flexible and aesthetically pleasing barrier for the protection of both public and site staff.

Challenge 4: Each of the hospital’s different wards presented unique issues around noise pollution and patient privacy. For example, it was important the hospital’s critical care and sleep studies units were not disrupted by noise.

SOLUTION: Uni-span’s team applied a sensitive approach to the project by co-operating with hospital staff to ensure noise was restricted and the hospital patients’ privacy was ensured. Uni-span monitored its approach with the relevant hospital authorities and received positive feedback.

Uni-span would like to take this opportunity to thank the project team, Jason Whiteside – Project Manager and Bryan Clarke – Administration Manager for all their help and look forward to a successful completion.

Note: For more information or if you have a project and would like some advice from our experienced team please contact info@uni-span.com.au or call us on 07 3442 4000.