Sitzler wins major building gong at national Master Builders awards
A Territory builder has won a prestigious award at national building awards. Read who it is.
Northern Territory
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Territory building titan Sitzler has won a major construction prize at the national Master Builders awards, presented in Hobart late last month.
Sitzler managing director Steve Margetic collected the winner’s trophy in the Apple Isle for the MBA’s under $25m civil-infrastructure first prize at the Excellence in Building and Construction Awards.
Master Builders NT chief executive Damien Moriarty said the win “exemplified the complexity and innovation that define modern Territory knowhow”.
“Sitzler’s delivery of this intricate project underscores the exceptional capability of local construction expertise, particularly in executing large-scale infrastructure upgrades over challenging conditions,” Mr Moriarty said.
“This project not only enhances Defence’s operational capabilities but also showcases the critical role of the construction industry in driving growth and resilience across the Northern Territory.”
Known formally as the AIR7000 Phase 2B RAAF Darwin pavements upgrade project, Sitzler was awarded the Department of Defence tender in September 2019.
Part of a national upgrades program to future-proof Australia in the event of an Indo-Pacific war, Sitzler’s brief was to provide RAAF Darwin with improved facilities and infrastructure for the introduction of the Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime surveillance aircraft.
Key elements of the design included a new aeronautic ground lighting network, about 900m of fuel hydrant line, new apron floodlighting towers, supervisory control and data acquisition system upgrades and associated site instrumentation.
The scope of works included demolition and redevelopment of existing aircraft hardstands including rigid and flexible pavements, new aeronautic ground lighting, fuel hydrants, stormwater drainage, electrical and communication upgrades, apron floodlighting and a new aircraft rinse facility.
The project required installation of more than 91,000sq m of new aircraft pavements across about 20ha, including design of a 400mm thick, rigid concrete pavement built on a cement stabilised crushed rock sub-base.
The parking aprons also included a stormwater drainage network with grated inlet drains, precast box culvert and pipe sections with stormwater quality control devices and automatically controlled penstock gates fitted to downstream outlet points.
With an overall apron concrete requirement in the order of 27,000 cubic metres driving every aspect of program, Sitzler’s project planning revolved around development of a production schedule for new areas of rigid concrete pavement and identification of critical underground service and foundation work enablers to allow this to occur.
Sitzler said major construction activity commenced during April 2020, with an early focus on establishing drainage lines able to convey wet season flows through the site over the 2020/21 monsoon period.
Apron concreting kicked off in May 2021, with an average of 440sq m placed every nightshift over the following 12 months.
Originally published as Sitzler wins major building gong at national Master Builders awards
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