Description
The Victorian Government awarded the Multiplex Plenary consortium the contract to deliver the new 66,000 square metre Melbourne convention centre at a cost of $480 million.
The building works involved the integration of the Melbourne Convention Centre with the existing Melbourne Exhibition Centre and officially opened in June 2009. The building itself set new World benchmarks as the first Convention Centre to be awarded a “6 star Green star” environmental rating By the Green Building Council of Australia.
Hufcor’s scope of works was the design, manufacture, supply and installation of Acoustic Operable walls which included the 16.5 metre & 9 metre Operable Wall panels in the state-of-the-art Plenary Hall, which in turn divides into three self-contained, acoustically separate theatres. Each pair of Operable Walls in the Plenary Hall comprises of 90 panels, a total of 180 panels for both pairs of Operable Walls.
The Acoustic consultants to the Project – Marshall Day, set the target for the acoustic performance of the Operable Walls on site to achieve a rating of 60 DW. Not only were these panels the second tallest Operable Wall panels in the World, but Hufcor also achieved the highest acoustic rating of 60DW, which we are very proud of.
Within the Banquet Hall Hufcor installed 9 metre Operable Wall panels which enhanced the myriad of audio visual and production lighting features for varied events, and 3 – 4.8 metre panels in the various meeting rooms. From the outset Hufcor worked closely with the Architects- Woods Bagot and NH Architects and with Brookfield Multiplex to achieve a successful outcome on what would be Hufcor’s biggest and most challenging project to date in Australia.
The size and scope of the project posed many design challenges, but on the whole Hufcor rose to the challenge with a very successful outcome. Hufcor has since been employed By Multiplex Facilities Management to undertake the preventative maintenance and service contract for the operable walls within the Melbourne Convention Centre and Melbourne Exhibition Centre.
