Sydney tower builder on NZ apartments
A Sydney tower which was evacuated on Christmas Eve after fears it was about to collapse was built by the same construction firm erecting what will become New Zealand’s tallest residential building.
About 300 residents had to be evacuated from the newly built Opal Tower at Sydney Olympic Park after they noticed cracking noises and damage to an interior pre-made concrete panel wall on level 10 of the building last Monday.
The construction firm which built the tower, Icon, is now carrying out urgent remedial work as the New South Wales state government investigates.
Icon is an Australian contractor which has been operating for 157 years and has 50 projects on the go including the 56-storey apartment tower The Pacifica going up on Commerce St in Auckland’s CBD.
At 178 metres the 282-apartment development will be the tallest residential tower in New Zealand and the secondtallest building in Auckland. So far 80 per cent of the apartments have been sold.
Construction on The Pacifica began in November 2017 and is expected to be completed towards the end of 2020. So far 13 floors have been built.
Icon New Zealand general manager Dan Ashby said no changes to the construction or design of The Pacifica would be required in light of the defects at Opal Tower.
‘‘There are virtually no similarities between Pacifica and Opal apart from the fact they are both high-rise apartment buildings,’’ Ashby said.
‘‘The structure is different, the design is different, and the compliance and quality assurance regimes and processes are substantially different in the two countries.’’
Precast concrete panels were being used around the perimeter of the podium areas of The Pacifica, but they were not the same type of panels, or doing the same job, as at Opal Tower, he said.
Ashby said Icon had overall responsibility for all aspects of The Pacifica’s construction, although much of the physical work was subcontracted out to specialist trades.
In a written statement Icon said The Pacifica design had been appropriately consented and certified by registered engineers and professionals. The New Zealand compliance regime was more stringent, and in New South Wales this was the subject of ‘‘ongoing industry discussion’’.
After cracks first appeared in Opal Tower most residents were allowed back inside when the building was declared safe. However, many remained in limbo as 51 apartments in the tower were off limits to residents days after the incident.
On Thursday Opal Tower residents were told that everyone who lived in the building would be relocated for up to 10 days to allow ‘‘comprehensive investigations’’ into the damage.
Icon said the damaged section of the building had been reinforced as a precautionary measure.
The project’s developer Ecove said Icon had full liability on the design and construction of Opal Tower. An Icon spokeswoman told the Sydney Morning Herald the company accepted its responsibility.
The 36-storey residential Opal Tower complex was a completed in August at a cost of $165 million.