St Mary’s Zone Substation was originally built in 1965 and provides electricity to people in Colyton and Oxley Park, and parts of St Marys, Erskine Park, St Clair, Minchinbury and Claremont Meadows. The substation is prominently situated in a residential area adjacent to the local primary school.

The project involves 4 construction milestones that allows for the extensive refurbishment of the existing live substation. Decommissioning the old and installation of the new electrical equipment will be coordinated with each construction stage. The end product will have the outdoor yard clear of unsightly structures and a modern amenity to ensure reliable electricity supply.

The first stage of major construction involves:

• extending of the existing building to include a new basement & switchroom
• installation of a structural steel structure around the existing building
• replacement of the existing brick façade
• installation of a new higher roof prior to demolishing the existing above the live switchroom
• upgrading of all services (electrical, security, fire, hydraulic)
• installation of extensive underground conduits and building a new transformer bay

Following stages include:

• replacing existing transformer bays
• upgrading staff amenities
• installation of sound walls
• hard and soft landscaping

This project will result in a modern facility capable of meeting the power needs of the community well into the future.

INNOVATION:

Project Coordination offered a substantial saving to change the design of the transformer bays. The change involved re-engineering the blast walls to be constructed from blockwork in lieu of the originally specified precast panels. A brick veneer was tied to the blockwork to match the building finish.