Micropiling works underway at District Docklands
Micropiling works are now underway at District Docklands, strengthening an existing operational building through carefully planned foundation works.
At our residential project in Docklands, District Living, we saw an 800-tonne mobile crane lifting seven precast beams, each weighing more than 50 tonnes, into position. What wasn’t seen was the months of preparation involved to do this successfully.
The hollowcore installation marked a major milestone on the District Living project, but the real story started long before the crane arrived on site. It started with design development, modelling, logistics planning, temporary works coordination and detailed sequencing.
Working closely with Ashe Morgan and our project partners, we developed a solution for a complex piece of structure above an operational plant room and alongside a live retail environment, while maintaining existing operations throughout the process. The project team used a model-first approach to understand constraints, coordinate interfaces and plan the installation before any physical work began. District Living is being delivered for Ashe Morgan in Docklands, VIC.
Large lifts are often remembered for the crane size or the weight of the structure being installed. Those elements matter, but they are only one part of the equation.
At District Living, the challenge wasn’t simply getting seven beams into the air. It was understanding how those beams would interact with existing structures, new structural elements, temporary works and active operations around them.
The installation involved existing columns that had been extended in situ, new precast columns supporting the transfer structure and a sequence of hollowcore planks installed after the beams were in place. Every element was modelled before works commenced, including temporary components such as handrails and installation-related items, helping identify potential clashes before they became site issues.
That level of detail gave the team confidence that the installation could proceed safely and efficiently.
Milestones like this don’t happen because of one discipline or one team.
The installation brought together input from design, digital engineering, project management, consultants, trade partners and site delivery teams. From early concept development through to final installation planning, every group had a role to play.
The District Living Digital Engineering Management Plan highlights coordination between design models, clash reviews, model federation and constructability assessment as core project processes.
That coordination became particularly important because the works sat within an active environment.
The team needed to understand not only the structure being built, but also the operational requirements of the existing plant room, surrounding retail activity and access arrangements around the site. Every decision affected something else.
Good design coordination helps identify those relationships early, giving teams time to solve problems before they impact programme, safety or delivery.
What made this milestone stand out wasn’t the crane, the beam weights or the scale of the operation.
It was the number of people involved in making it happen.
From early concept development and design reviews through to modelling, logistics planning and installation, the hollowcore milestone drew on expertise from across the project team.
The final lift lasted a day. The preparation took months.
That’s often how major milestones work. The visible moment is only possible because of the work completed beforehand.
At District Living, the successful installation demonstrated what can happen when early thinking, detailed planning, BIM coordination and project delivery align. It also reinforced something we see on projects every day: certainty on site is usually built long before the first crane arrives.
