Category: Uncategorized

By Ben Folkard, General Manager Refurbishments & Live Environments

At Taylor, we understand that by designing infrastructure that protects Australia’s biodiversity and endangered species, we amplify our positive impact on the environment. Construction delivery, protecting nature, and ensuring a sustainable future are intrinsically linked.

It’s not often that an entire development is factored around the protection of a single flower. In Taylor’s case, this happened recently, with a small, native, yellow-flowering plant – Hibbertia Fumana.

This species, native to New South Wales, was thought to be extinct in 2012. After being rediscovered in Moorebank in 2016, it made its way onto the critically endangered plant species list. In turn, this unique little plant changed key aspects of the build for a major development at Bankstown Airport for our client PolAir, NSW’s Police Force Aviation Command.

The facility – created to unite all of PolAir’s current resources under one roof – is comprised of a two-storey office building, hangar and maintenance facility.

Joining Estia Health St Ives’ project team, UTS student Angelique was given behind-the-scenes access to the $32 million project that will transform six local residential blocks into a 118 resident place aged care development.

Diarmuid O’Flaherty, Project Manager, David Tran, Project Engineer, Jack Geale, Design Manager and Glenn Harris, Senior Site Manager shared first-hand insights into the career paths made available by pursuing STEM degrees, exploring the complementary relationship between site experience and theoretical studies.

Connection to place and connection to people are fundamental drivers for Taylor. So too, Diversity is one of our four guiding Principles; Listen, Create, Diversity and Excel. Leading through equality, we make our business stronger through our official partnership with KARI Foundation to increase cultural awareness, connection and opportunity. Together, we can make a more just, equitable and reconciled Australia.

NAIDOC Week, 3 – 10 July, is a time to Get Up! Stand Up! Show Up! for systemic change. This year’s theme is a challenge to all Australians to support and secure institutional collaborative and cooperative reforms. It’s also time to celebrate the many who have driven and led change in our communities over generations – they have been the heroes and champions of change, or equal rights and even basic human rights.

Taylor is proud to support The Property Council of Australia’s commitment to the Uluru Statement from the Heart, a call by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people for real and practical change in Australia through the establishment of a Makarrata Commission, to undertake processes of treaty-making and truth-telling. Giving the Voice a constitutional guarantee through a referendum will create a shared, unifying moment in our nation’s history that we can all understand.

We look forward to working closely with Reconciliation Australia, our people and partners as we continue our important reconciliation journey. To learn more about our Reflect RAP, download our commitment here.

Get Up! Stand Up! Show Up! 

It was a year ago that Taylor embarked on our first Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan. Focused on meaningful outcomes, our RAP builds on Taylor’s strong legacy in achieving and exceeding Aboriginal Participation targets on our projects.

One of the most rewarding aspects of our Reconciliation Action Plan is connecting with new partners. And none have been more pivotal than the KARI Foundation. KARI is the largest Aboriginal Charity in Australia that exists to support Aboriginal people and community, particularly education, employment and connecting everyone to celebrate culture.

KARI has generously advised us on our RAP from the outset and continued to become involved with Taylor in; ceremony and engagement, cultural awareness, procurement, tender advice, and volunteering opportunities.

Taylor is proud to have developed an annual $15,000 KARI / Taylor #WomenBreakingGround Scholarship that will support high achieving female Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in tertiary studies in Construction. In this first year (FY23), the scholarship will support a number of high school students and, in coming years, Taylor will continue that support through to one selected candidate’s 4 years’ of University, and a Taylor Cadetship.

Taronga Conservation Society Australia and Taylor welcomed Leslie McLeod, a Yuin, Dharawal and Ngarigo Custodian and loreman to lead the smoking ceremony at the Upper Australia Precinct. The cultural tradition of a smoking ceremony is undertaken to cleanse an area, protect a build site, and show our respect to Elders past and present.

On completion, the $11.6 million Upper Australia Precinct will provide zoo visitors with an innovative and immersive wildlife experience that shares Australia’s unique animals, plants and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.

This development includes a new Koala Exhibit, and upgrades to the existing Nocturnal House and Macropod Walkthrough. Works also comprise a new western pavilion, walkways and amenities, back-of-house and infrastructure upgrades, landscaping and demolition of the Avian Wetland Ponds as well as partial demolition of the Nocturnal House and Ropes Course.

The new development is the latest of a range of refurbishment and live environment projects Taylor has undertaken, including Taronga’s Institute of Science and Learning and the Wildlife Retreat at Taronga.

Team Taylor look forward to bringing this development to life – thank you for a reflective and rewarding morning for all involved.

Diversity is strength – by cultivating future talents through unique STEM engagement initiatives, we help accelerate the careers of emerging female leaders. 

Students enjoyed a site tour of Tara Anglican School for Girls’ new Aquatic Centre and Sports Precinct, led by Tim Christie, General Manager Construction – General Build, Fred Sedighi, Project Manager and Fara Alavi, Contract Administrator. Over the course of the day, students learnt about materials, techniques and construction methodologies used onsite, in addition to the impact of inclement weather and how Taylor’s innovative reverse-build approach mitigated potential delays.

The new development will comprise of a 25 metre eight-lane competition pool, fitness centre and tiered seating for spectators and supporters. The tiered seating will include shade structures so spectators can comfortably view netball, basketball and tennis on six newly-refurbished outdoor sports courts. The main pool will be enclosed and heated for year-round use. It is primarily designed to accommodate water polo, with a separate learn-to-swim pool, change room, shower and toilet amenities located within the facility.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are advised that this page contains the names and images of people now passed and resting in the Dreaming. 

We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Boomalli artist, Shane ‘Joe’ Hurst. 

Longtime member of Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Cooperative, Joe descended from the Johnson clan of the Murrawarri people, Northern NSW. Working across a vast array of disciplines including design, construction, sculpture, printing, painting, set design and public art, Joe completed a number of commissioned pieces for government bodies such as the Department of Aboriginal Affairs (NSW Government) and NSW Premiers Department. 

Taylor had the privilege of working with Joe on Schools Infrastructure NSW’s redevelopment works at Kyeemagh Public School. With its origami-inspired design, the two-stage project thoughtfully incorporated local Aboriginal totems and artworks. 

The various artworks have their own totemic significance, selected in collaboration with the school’s students and Dean Kelly. Dean is an Aboriginal Liaison Officer from NSW National Parks who grew up in the surrounding Matraville area – a part of the Sydney coastal region known as the traditional lands of the Bidjigal and Gadigal peoples of the Eora nation.  

Dean spoke with the children about animal totems from the local area, sharing the importance of protecting your personal totem, and also that people can have more than one totem. Following this teaching, Joe collaborated with Dean and the children to design a variety of totemic artworks to be allocated across the school grades from Kindergarten to Year 5. 

Joe was responsible for creating these special pieces, including a mix of Aboriginal sculptures, concrete relief stencils, and log carvings. Joe’s sculptures for Kyeemagh Public School were designed and fabricated at Francesco’s Forge, a unique studio in Botany. Home to Joe’s longtime collaborator and fabricator, Francesco Petrolo, the Forge is full of history, character and an impressive portfolio of displayed artworks. Here is where Kyeemagh’s eight totemic sculptures were molded and forged from recycled steel off-cuts. Symbolic of the local animals surrounding the school, the totems include the Rainbow Lorikeet, Butcherbird, Blue Tongue Lizard, the Black Cockatoos that fly through the local area each April, as well as insect totems, the Native Ant, Snail, Bee and Spider. Drawing inspiration from his own backyard, Joe took photographs and used illustrations to sketch each totem before bringing the sculptures to life. The pieces are the cooperative cultivation and amalgamation of Joe’s artistic interpretation, connection with the land the project is built on, and Francesco’s lifelong forging skills. 

Joe also designed and created four concrete stencils and four log carvings featuring local plants Wattle, Banksia, Grevillea, Lilly Pilly. These plants have historically been used as emblems at the school. Sea creatures local to the traditional lands on which the school is situated are also present in Joe’s artworks. These include the Whale, Abalone, Mullet, and Cockle.  

We are thankful for Joe’s collaboration and connection to culture, helping educate our project team on the history and importance of the local land. 

Rest in Peace, Joe.  

More than 220 Taylor employees congregated at Royal Randwick Racecourse, to reflect on a successful, although challenging, FY22 and prepare for the coming fiscal year. With the construction of this venue completed in December 2021, it was fitting to come together in a state-of-the-art facility built by our own.

Taylor welcomed Leslie McLeod, a Yuin, Dharawal and Ngarigo custodian and loreman to lead the smoking ceremony to mark the start of the event. After this, Leslie led a traditional Welcome to Country to show respect to Elders past and present.

Mark Taylor, Managing Director, George Bardas, Chief Executive Officer and Clive Wickham, Chief Financial Officer took to the stage to lead the State of the Nation address. Reflecting on the unprecedented nature of FY22 due to COVID-19 escalation in pricing and inclement weather impacts, they acknowledged the resilience shown across the organisation in the face of shifting industry regulations and unforeseen lockdowns, thanking staff for their ongoing commitment to safety and wellbeing throughout.

Pouring a span of 640sqm – the equivalent of 88 trucks – over two days, this significant milestone is the first step in forming the flexible public spaces, before continuing the foyers walls to the roof level. Using a 51m boom pump to pour over 14m high precast concrete panels, the L1 was deck suspended close to 8m above ground.

Building J, designed by Lahznimmo Architects is designed with an appreciation of concrete as more than just a building material; it will be a core design feature of the new facility.

The expansion of Powerhouse Castle Hill will deliver new levels of access to the Powerhouse collection for the people of the Hills Shire and broader Sydney communities. The new building   also include state-of-the-art conservation facilities, learning, research and exhibition spaces.   .

The new building is set to be completed by early 2023. The site remains open to the public every weekend throughout the duration of the construction.  For more information on Powerhouse Castle Hill programs and tours, please visit this website.