The Sparks Apartments

Set on a narrow site in a dense residential pocket of Chermside, the build demanded careful staging and constant coordination with neighbours. The site sits within a local aquifer, producing a high water table and strong groundwater flows. An unconventional dewatering approach was adopted during excavation, using a single large well: a 900mm bored hole lined with 600mm slotted PVC pipe and backfilled with 50mm stone, feeding a two-stage settlement tank system before tested water was released into the local network.

The eastern and western façades of both towers were formed in coloured precast concrete, which left little room for correction and required first-class factory workmanship. Regular precast factory inspections led the team to reject the initial panels and prompted the supplier to change concrete suppliers to secure the finish. An Empire Brick system was applied across large sections of the lower façades, a relatively new application at this scale that involved supplier and engineer review, third-party seismic auditing and additional fixings.

With Sparkes Street too narrow for a road-based concrete pump, a freestanding satellite pump at the rear of the site handled roughly 75 pours without full road closures. Full closures and disruptive works were communicated to residents at least 72 hours ahead, supported by letterbox drops. A lengthy mains water upgrade was coordinated with Council, Queensland Urban Utilities and subcontractors to keep resident shutdowns to a minimum.