Construction of the new Multipurpose Indoor Sporting Facility at Iona College is complete with the school now holding events in the eye-catching building. Delivered on time and within budget, Tomkins were pleased when the Provence Centre was formally recognised with a 2022 Queensland Master Builders Award in the Sporting Facilities category.

Despite the small site footprint and managing a build of this type within a live school environment, the Tomkins team delivered a state-of-the-art facility, 2,500 seat capacity multipurpose facility that included two basketball courts, two volleyball courts, a volleyball show court and a court-level perimeter running track. The project build also included general learning areas, a commercial kitchen, staff rooms, changing rooms, a gymnasium, foyer, amenities, storage and landscaping works.

A standout feature of the project was the timber sports floor that complies with international requirements for FIBA basketball Level 1 accreditation and Volleyball International FIVB recommended standards, providing a world-class facility for the school community.

Due to the size of the structure, the build was delivered via multiple and out of ‘typical’ sequence staging of works; with one of the most challenging aspect being the installation of the 50-metre long steel trusses for the main hall.

This required a complex and smart design, with the team bringing in 10-metre pieces of the steel structure trusses to weld together on site, before three cranes lifted each truss into place. This was a challenge in itself given the small site building area. Other engineering considerations required in the pre-planning for this activity was the over-engineering of our slab on ground to be able to operate the cranes and place the steelwork.

This part of the project also required a significant amount of designed temporary propping of all structural concrete and blockwork elements while the structural steel was being installed, and then remained installed until the steelwork structure and roofing was placed so that the structure was fully loaded.

In addition to the success of the build, the project was also pleased with its commitment to local content, given Iona College is heavily involved in their local community.

From commencement Tomkins wanted to make a difference through this project by working with businesses directly affiliated with the school, and stakeholders who were actively engaged with the college.

While a target of 12 percent was set at the commencement of the project – by completion Tomkins had engaged 35 percent of the project’s work force and suppliers from within a 10km radius, and a further 20 percent coming via direct affiliates of Iona College.

This was achieved through early involvement with local subcontractors and the supply chain, where 76 local subcontractors and suppliers were evaluated at tender and planning stages against their capability and performance to ensure they were suitable for the construction of the project.

Overall the project has been an example of what can be achieved in supporting a client’s vision for a great facility that benefits the school and wider community. Being able to educate the staff and students about construction and involve them in the journey from start to finish was also a great outcome and an opportunity to showcase our work. Thanks to our strong relationship with Iona College we were able to deliver a facility they’re proud of and contribute to community investment.

During the construction, we spoke with Susan Boban (Iona College’s Manager of Corporate Services) about what it was like to work with Tomkins delivering this state-of-the-art facility.