Girdwood

This development provided 60 units in total: 36 semi-detached units, 10 duplex units and 14 apartments, all with associated roads, footpaths and drainage.

With the site having uneven ground levels, Taylor & Boyd designed retaining walls that optimised a layout for social housing.

Deep-piled foundations were recommended for footings into made-ground over glacial till.

The contamination assessment identified a number of potential risks from substances in soil, groundwater and gas. Appropriate remediation measures were employed to mitigate these risks to acceptable levels, including the replacement of contaminated soil from grass areas with clean topsoil, and the installation of a gas membrane and vented voids beneath the houses.

Houses were of timber-frame construction with precast ground beams on precast piles.

As with most of Taylor & Boyd’s social housing projects, rapid delivery was sought to minimise time and cost. Value engineering exercises promoted materials and design solutions appropriate to the use of public money. (Photographs courtesy of Paul Bell Photography)

Click to expand the photos below