Blackwater is a remote location in central Queensland: a prime example of a regional area that has seen a huge boost in activity thanks to the coal mining industry boom.
Most of these out-of-the-way coal-mining towns see an influx of workers that precipitates an increase in services and infrastructure. Blackwater needed more accommodation; for instance, a motel that could accommodate high numbers of visiting professionals such as consultant managers and engineers. However, with such a transient population and workers demanding premium wage, managing such a motel was expected to be an expensive and time-consuming project.
Jonathon Emblin, the managing director of Buildfirst explains his view of the project in more detail: “In Blackwater we provided a ‘supply only’ arrangement with 68 motel pods being manufactured here in Noosaville and delivered to site. From the date of the first motel pods arriving onsite to the last was under four months delivering significant time savings to the alternative traditional construction options.”
The motel ‘pod’ is a prefabricated, modular spatial entity that is designed to service a building with a range of applications such as kitchens, bathrooms, en suites, laundries and robes. Podfirst’s design development aim is to produce units that are manufactured in a safe, quality controlled and efficient environment, with all of the trade work finished including fixtures and fittings. The pod incorporates sustainable features such as solar design, thermal mass and natural ventilation methods. They are highly durable, low maintenance and fitted with latest energy and water saving devices that will reduce energy costs and carbon emissions.
But by far the most unique feature is Podfirst’s masonry modular system; it is on its own in the industry.
They provide high quality, true masonry, fully finished and connection ready pods that can be transported from one side of the country to the other. In recent years the Australian industry has seen many lightweight systems introduced within the construction sector and while these can be suitable for some applications, there are limitations with durability and longevity as well as cyclone ratings and resistance to termites and other pests.
The decision in Blackwater to use this particular unique modular construction had many benefits:
Initially they were only looking for lightweight steel frame buildings for the project but there was a quick realisation that for the lower level of the motel the masonry structural pods were a much more sensible choice, due to being much more cost effective and for their load bearing capabilities – this smart decision resulted in a very high quality end result.
It is well known in the industry that the main cost of building in regional and remote areas such as Blackwater is the expense of having skilled laborers fly into and be accommodated within the area itself. The use of the modular and prefabricated pods significantly reduced this cost.
The expected build time was drastically minimalised at Blackwater; it is worth considering that an average sized project on site takes between 20 to 24 weeks to build by conventional construction methods – these pods can be constructed within six weeks or less.
The concrete filled Ritek panels of the pod provide a very durable long life structure that massively reduces the life cost of the entire build and is especially suitable for commercial locations such as the Blackwater Motel project. The long working life span means that in 10 or 20 years, if the location is quiet you can decide to relocate these pods to a new site and recoup much of the capital cost of the development. This is especially useful here, taking into account the transient nature of the mining industry.
All in all, this project was a huge success: the pods look stylish, were built safely, quickly and efficiently. And as Jonathon Emblin says, the process was a win/win for the developers who chose to use the unique and innovative pod build for their projects because, “they get all the benefits as it is the most cost effective way to build in remote areas”.