This challenging project involved refurbishment and new construction works across four areas of Curtin University’s Engineering Faculty, delivered within a live university environment with minimal disruption to staff and students.

The works comprised the TIGeR Paleomagnetic Laboratory, Vibration Research and Laser Laboratory, the Big Blue Building and Aggregate Stores, and the Structural Dynamics Workshop decant/mixing room and hazardous goods store.

A key feature of the project was the construction of an exceptionally complex strong floor for the Structural Dynamics Workshop. Designed to support Curtin’s advanced structural testing requirements, the 2-metre-deep slab incorporates multi-strand post-tension cabling and more than 300 high-tensile Macalloy bolts, each 2 metres long and cast to extremely tight tolerances.

The strong floor provides the robust, highly engineered foundation needed for heavy-duty structural and geotechnical research, allowing Curtin to undertake large-scale testing of components and systems under extreme loading conditions. This includes research applications such as heavy testing rigs, pavement and geotechnology studies, earthquake engineering, and blast impact testing.

The facility is the largest of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere.