Bravehearts

Together with more than 60 of our loyal contractors, Hutchies donated $1M of time and materials to the $1.3M expansion of Bravehearts' headquarters on the Gold Coast. The 760m² build has provided an additional 160m² on the ground floor, and an entire new second floor, providing additional capacity to accommodate Braveheart's community engagement, fundraising and management teams, as well as providing much needed space for safety education programs, training, research, and the royal commission, advocacy and counselling departments.

Design considerations emphasised a whole-of-life approach, including natural ventilation via operable windows to minimise reliance on air conditioning, and the use of materials that minimise maintenance, such as Colorbond® cladding, and aluminium windows. The design also maximised the floor plan size in terms of amenities and also seamlessly integrated the original precast building to present a comfortable and inviting look and feel to the overall building. In addition, an open plan arrangement was utilised to accommodate future growth within the delivered scope of works to reduce any requirement for further construction in the future.

The construction methodology saw the new steel framed first floor construction erected and clad prior to the existing skillion roof being removed. This kept the ground floor envelope secure and water tight throughout the build.

Although there was a fixed schedule for completion, the programme needed to accommodate the fact that project resources were volunteers donating their personal time. Despite this, the expansion was finished within the targeted time frame.