Vicinity Centres
2021
$6.07M
Runaway Bay, QLD
Project Details
1
4200m
WINNER: 2022 - Master Builders Association Queensland (Gold Coast) - Retail Facilities +$5M
Attributes
Project Partners
Overview
A touch of casual elegance for Runaway Bay's retail heart. By redefining the centre's 'spine', we transformed this coastal shopping hub into a haven for retail and respite.
Higgins delivered the awarding-winning refurbishment of Runaway Bay Centre, a popular regional shopping destination on the Northern Gold Coast.
An array of enhancements stretch from the fresh food precinct through to casual dining and out to the alfresco deck. We transformed outdated spaces to accommodate a diverse range of new tenants while redefining the building's central ‘spine’.
This redevelopment writes a new chapter for a well-loved retail space, offering a suite of revitalised zones for its tenants and patrons. The reconfigured layout fosters a harmonious balance among atriums, circulation areas, and brand presence, fully realising the centre’s potential.
Stage 1: Fresh Food Precinct
Our program began with the rejuvenation of the Fresh Food Precinct. We reconfigured nine tenancies into two premium retail spaces, demolishing the existing structures, to form a base for new tenancy alignments.
Key steps included installing structural steel bulkheads to delineate new shopfronts and constructing flexible inter-tenancy walls for evolving lease requirements. We then customised or replaced services, providing the client’s coordinator with ready-to-fit shells, followed by installing essential Category 1 services such as drainage, electrical, mechanical, and fire safety systems.
Stage 2: Casual Dining Precinct
The next phase refurbished the food court into a welcoming hospitality space, consolidating 11 tenancies into six and introducing an alfresco waterfront area.
The newly minted Casual Dining Precinct serves as a striking atrium. We reshaped pokey and irregularly proportioned spaces to harmonise form and function. The addition of a timber deck alfresco area with canal views extends the centre’s inviting ambience externally, fostering a connection with the coastal context.
Fresh Food Precinct
Casual Dining Precinct
Process
Although a modest budget, this project was highly demanding. With precise coordination, we executed a major refurbishment within a busy shopping centre, completing the two stage program in 10 separable portions. Despite various challenges, we hit every deadline and achieved our client's desired opening date.
Plan.
Approach & Value Adding
- As leasing negotiations were still in progress at the start of the project, our strategic use of comprehensive Category 1 (CAT 1) costs for tenancy management was crucial to meeting the tight timeline. We developed these rates with our client prior to signing the head contract, which streamlined the management of the D&C components for incoming tenants, resulting in a more efficient design and pricing process.
- Our sequencing strategy was paramount to maintaining centre operations whilst keeping patrons safe. We obtained a Council permit to employ a dedicated night shift and programmed our construction activities in isolation from the public areas.
- We identified multiple time savings to offset delays caused by noise during night works and resource shortages. These efforts helped ensure we completed the project on time.
- The project relied heavily on internationally sourced materials with delivery times of up to 22 weeks. These imports were subject to potential delays, including the notable 2021 Suez Canal obstruction. Our team adeptly implemented a tracking system that allowed us to synchronise our other construction activities, ensuring no further delays to installation processes once these materials arrived.
Drive.
Key Challenges
- The design incorporated many bespoke elements that were difficult to build, for example, the main feature light. Our team showed great ingenuity to create a detail that would incorporate the LED strip, and meet the seismic loading requirements. We manufactured its 25m circumference in ten segments, suspending each segment with two seismic-engineered cables designed to separate and remain suspended during a seismic event.
- Given the Gold Coast location, some of our subcontractors were based in northern New South Wales. We faced further program pressures when Covid-19 border closures shut out many workers from Queensland, increasing our site hours to stay on track.
- We managed our site with highly restricted access by working around loading dock operations and coordinating all deliveries with centre management to prevent back-of-house congestion.
Deliver.
Project Outcomes
- This refresh transformed an outdated retail asset into a vibrant gathering spot for the local community, unlocking the centre's full potential and meeting the modern expectations of today’s shoppers.
- The reconfigured layout improves wayfinding for visitors through a harmonious blend of atriums, circulation areas, and brand presence.
- The new fresh food precinct has introduced a broader selection of produce and specialty ingredient retailers, offering more choice for locals.
- The new alfresco dining area elevates the centre’s waterfront location and repaired the deteriorating timber decking.
- The construction program provided opportunities for existing tenants to improve customer and staff experiences by updating their space.
- We completed the entire refurbishment with minimal disruption to customers, tenants and centre operations.