Pavilions construction milestone underlines the road to recovery

NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet joined Mirvac Managing Director & CEO Susan Lloyd-Hurwitz to lead the topping out celebrations and congratulate the construction team who have achieved this milestone on time, despite having to adapt to physically distanced work practices due to COVID-19 restrictions.

The first physically distanced topping out culminated with the planting of a tree, not on the rooftop of the 35th floor of Pavilions, as is usual custom, but in the ground where it will form part of a 4,500sqm landscaped courtyard, providing a green haven for the residents who will live in the 696 apartments due for completion in mid-2020.

The Pavilions development generated up to 3,000 jobs, with up to 500 workers on site at its peak. 

NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet said, “During these challenging times the construction sector is more important than ever to NSW. It provides tens of thousands of jobs and will continue to be one of the mainstays of our economy as people begin to return to work in other industries across the state.”

Ms Lloyd-Hurwitz said that in the uncertain weeks in March when the scale of COVID-19 was becoming evident, difficult decisions had to be made.

“We took immediate steps to protect our employees, switching to remote work where possible,” said Ms Lloyd-Hurwitz. “But you cannot build apartments from a home office and we currently have more than 230 people working on Pavilions who had to adapt quickly to strict new workplace practices. 

“Our first priority is the safety of our staff and communities, and maintaining activity onsite ensured people had a job and an income. Through the efforts of our Mirvac construction team and the contractors, sub-contractors and trades people working on this project, construction on Pavilions has continued.”

Building construction contributes around $29 billion to the NSW economy every year, around $15 billion of which is in the residential sector. Nationally, construction provides over 1.1 million jobs, accounting for around 9 per cent of the workforce.

Ms Lloyd-Hurwitz said government support for keeping sites open will help pave the way for a construction-led economic contribution alongside investment in critical infrastructure such as the Metro West, connecting Parramatta to Sydney in just 20 minutes, with a station to be located at Sydney Olympic just metres from Pavilions. 

“We applaud the Government for its recognition of the importance of the construction industry, and the ability for the industry to maintain activity while keeping workers safe. Mirvac stands ready to play our role in Australia’s economic recovery with a $22.4 billion future construction development pipeline across the residential, office and industrial sectors.”

Mirvac Head of Residential Stuart Penklis said, “With NSW gradually winding back some of the restrictions on gatherings and focusing on economic recovery, the reopening of our sales office allows us to once again welcome prospective buyers into Pavilions, so that they can better understand what we mean by the Mirvac Difference.

“It is about quality and attention to detail from the foundations to the finishes, the design of apartments that are liveable and the provision of open space to promote a healthy and happy lifestyle. It is about having expertise across design, construction, development, and sales and marketing; a fully integrated platform all under one roof so that we are in control of every facet of a project, accountable and responsible, and delivering the quality that people have come to expect from Mirvac.”

With Verde, the first building at Pavilions completed, residents began moving in last month, happy to have settled into their long-awaited new homes and able to take advantage of Sydney Olympic Park’s 430 hectares of parkland and walking and cycling trails.

The past two months of physical distancing have led to a whole new way of living in which homes have had to multi-task as a place to work, to eat, live and sleep, to educate children, to entertain and to nurture relationships.

“Mirvac is renowned for the quality of our design and also the focus on providing green open space within our apartment developments and in close proximity to established parklands,” said Mr Penklis. “Never before has the wisdom of this approach been more highly valued.

Future residents at Pavilions will enjoy a 4,500sqm landscaped central courtyard with lawn, shady trees, lush landscaping and places for outdoor dining. On the perimeter Mirvac is constructing Linear Park on behalf of Sydney Olympic Park Authority that will provide a green connection linking the residential precinct to parks and walking and cycling trails. Linear Park will include a community garden, picnic areas and a vibrant awesome children’s playground that can be enjoyed by residents and visitors alike.