What are the stages of building a new amenities building?

A new amenities building goes up in the same order as any small building: ground first, then the slab, the walls and roof, and the fit-out last. What makes it harder is the amount of plumbing packed into a small space, and the park around it, which stays open.

Monument builds community amenity and clubhouse buildings for councils, from earthworks through fit-out.

Set-up and earthworks

The work area is fenced off from the rest of the park first. Signage and a safe route take the public around it. The building is then set out on the ground, and the earthworks cut and fill the site to the levels the slab needs, with the fill compacted in layers so the slab sits on firm ground.

Services in the ground

Toilets, showers and basins mean a lot of pipework, and most of it goes in before the slab. Sewer, water and stormwater pipes are laid and tested, along with conduits for power and data, while the ground is still open.

The connection to the mains can be a long way off across a park, so that trench is planned early. Pipes under a slab are very hard to reach later, which is why they are tested before the concrete covers them.

The slab

Footings and reinforcement are inspected before the pour, because nobody can check them afterwards. Floor wastes are set in place and the slab is shaped so the wet areas drain towards them. Get those falls wrong and water sits on the floor for the life of the building.

Those checks are hold points in the quality plan, as covered in how quality is assured during construction.

Walls and roof

Masonry or a frame goes up next, and the roof closes the building in. From then on, rain no longer holds up the work inside.

Inside

Plumbers and electricians run their pipes and cables through the walls first. The wet areas are then waterproofed, and the membrane is inspected before any tile covers it. That inspection is the last chance anyone gets to see it.

Linings, tiles, partitions and fixtures follow. These details decide how long the building lasts under heavy public use, as set out in what makes amenities buildings difficult to build well.

Outside works and handover

Paths, ramps and landscaping tie the building into the park, and every service is connected and tested. At handover, the client receives the certificates, warranties and manuals for the building.

Public access during the build

The rest of the reserve stays in use for the whole job. Monument stages and zones public works so the open areas stay usable while construction is fenced off, with clear signage and careful management of access and parking. How that works is set out in how a public park stays open during construction.

Council projects

For the City of Canterbury Bankstown, Monument built the Roberts Park Clubhouse at Greenacre, a multi-use building with changerooms, referees rooms and amenities. Its other council work includes the architecturally designed amenity buildings within the new recreational playground zone at Parry Park, Lakemba, and the Beaman Park amenities at Earlwood. The rooms a sports building needs are listed in what rooms a sports clubhouse needs.

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