Housing Camp for the Australian Government

Reliable and Quick Housing Camp for the Australian Government – Department of Immigration and Citizenship in Papua New Guinea

The Australian Government – Department of Immigration and Citizenship, commits itself to building Australia's future through the well-managed movement of people. Its diverse portfolio includes managing migration, humanitarian and citizenship policy and programmes. They work to keep Australia secure through border management and facilitate travellers crossing the border.

The organisation strives to make fair and reasonable decisions for people entering or leaving the country, ensuring compliance with Australia's immigration laws and integrity in decision-making. They deliver services through offices in every Australian state and territory and in 52 posts outside Australia.

Quick facts:

Industry: Government
Customer: Department of Immigration and Border Protection Commonwealth of Australia
Project: King Abdullah Project at Waad Al Shamaal City Development
Location: Lombrum Naval Base, Manus Island, Papua New Guinea
Timeframe: September 2013- December 2013

Red Sea was awarded a contract to supply and commission a 2-storey 432 person secure accommodation facility for refugees. The initial contract was to be executed in 75 days from contract award. The Australian Government (the Commonwealth) subsequently awarded RSHS a further $17M AUD in variations to supply the entire base with desalinated water, waste water treatment, re-establish a sewerage network for supporting housing and liaise with the PNG Government on duties and taxes associated with the project. This contract required a rapid response and a flexible contract to support the Commonwealth’s requirement.

Building on its global reputation, we successfully designed and constructed a 2 storey, 432 person secure accommodation housing camp for the Australian Government – Department of Immigration and Citizenship, complete with 3 Multipurpose rooms for education, Dining Hall and Servery, Barber Shop, Offices and store rooms, Reverse Osmosis Water Treatment Plant to provide 1100 lt per hour and associated tanks, pumps and distribution lines and associated service material and maintenance for 1 year, Sewerage Treatment Plant to support 500 people, Ablution Blocks, Security Hut, lavatory unit, Power Distribution System 2 by 450kw Generators and 10,000 lt Diesel Tanks, Laundry Units to support 500 people, Fire Control System, Footpaths, Low Voltage Generators to support accommodation units, temporary kitchen and infrastructure, All fit out, furniture’s and soft packs for the facility, Stormwater harvesting and 35,000 lt tank plumbed to toilets, Civil works for site with ground water at a depth of 450mm, Approximately 3000m of reticulation (electrical, water and waste). RSHS established our workforce camp for 50 persons and all associated supporting infrastructure and utilise and train local content providers to our greatest extent.

Key Challenges:

High-quality, quick, reliable modular housing solutions
Constant change in the scope of work and indulgence from other stakeholders who influence the project outcomes
Tight project commissioning and handover time frame
Liaison with various Governments, Customs, Quarantine and tax departments, and PNG Navy
Lack of materials and resources on Manus Island to support the scope of work
Maintaining and communicating with the local workforce
Security of the site and separation of the detainees from works
Tight site size restrictions 80m by 80m
Building Certifications and Geotechnical in an active Seismic Zone
Ground Water, tropical heat and rain every other day
Quality control with hand mix and hand dig over most of the site
Unexploded ordinance potential from WW2 in service locations
Camp en suite all utilities and amenities needed to be up and running within the short stipulated time
No established supply chain for building materials: there was no port facility or equipment including concrete batching, heavy lift or supply services

Highlights of the project:

PNG, Ghana and Dubai prefabricated accommodations units
Chartered Ships, Antonov N124 Aircraft, Passenger Transport Planes, Landing Barges
Red Sea cranes, side loaders, elevated work platforms, bobcats and back hoes
Red Sea fly camp and supporting Infrastructure, power, water supply and ablutions and laundry
Design and Construction of a 2 storey, 432 person secure accommodation
We trained and utilised 80% of the project workforce from local islanders.
High-quality, quick, reliable modular housing solutions.
Demonstrates Red Sea's extensive experience and logistical capability to meet the requirements of our customers and provide comprehensive housing solutions even in some of the most remote areas of the world.
Housing camp can accommodate a 432-tenant capacity.
The turnkey project including infrastructure work and complementary facilities in less than 75 days.
Project was delivered within a very tight timeframe with a design and construction scope of works.
Red Sea supported the Commonwealth with all changes in the scope of works, and identified cost synergies to mitigate any additional cost and future development opportunities.

Services Offered:

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