Structural | CORE Consulting Engineers

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Commercial Office, Heritage, Façade, Remedial, Structural

124-136 Chalmers St, Surry Hills, NSW

Restoring the Beauty of a Historic Facade

CORE was engaged by Hector Abrahams Architects as the heritage facade remediation engineer for the restoration of the historic Amalgamated Engineering Union building at 124–136 Chalmers Street in Surry Hills.Constructed in 1929, the building’s distinctive terracotta faience facade is listed as a heritage item by the City of Sydney for its architectural quality and technological significance.

Over time, deterioration of the original fixing system and vegetation growth had caused sections of the facade to become unstable, with tiles loosening and posing a potential risk to the public along the busy Chalmers Street frontage. Investigations confirmed that conservation of the fragile terracotta facade would require an extraordinary intervention -the careful dismantling and reconstruction of the facade to address the underlying structural and durability issues.

CORE provided specialist engineering advice to guide the conservation strategy and ensure the heritage fabric could be preserved while addressing safety and structural performance.

The facade was safeguarded through extensive scaffolding works before restoration commenced. Approximately 80% of the terracotta tiles were individually removed, assessed and reinstated -requiring meticulous coordination and careful engineering oversight.

CORE had also previously delivered structural strengthening works to the building, installing carbon fibrere inforcement to the existing floor slabs, enhancing structural capacity while minimising intervention to the heritage structure.

Through close collaboration with key stakeholders, the facade was successfully conserved and reinstated. The project was recognised with a Highly Commended award in the Built Conservation category at the 2024 National Trust Heritage Awards, acknowledging the careful restoration of this significant heritage facade.

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Government, Industrial/Logistics, Structural

Piper Drive – Ballina, NSW

Our structural division was engaged by MODE Design to deliver full engineering and modelling services for a new multi-storey council depot located on Piper Drive, Ballina. The facility includes a ground-floor warehouse and a first-floor office, all within a steel-framed structure tailored to meet the operational needs of Ballina Shire Council.

Timeline:

Design – 2023

Construction – 2024

MODE’s Vision, Engineered To Perform

From the outset, we added value through early design collaboration – working closely with MODE to refine structural options that balanced buildability, cost-efficiency and designintent. Our comparative analysis of concrete versus steel framing systems provided the clarity needed to proceed confidently with a steel solution, streamlining the structural
grid and reducing material waste while supporting MODE’s architectural vision.

A key area where we supported MODE was in the detailing of architecturally exposed elements, including cantilevered staircases and a visually prominent 10-metre-long awning on the building’s northern side. These components required
careful engineering to ensure performance under live and environmental loads, while preserving the clean architectural lines essential to the design narrative.

Our team’s proactive coordination with MODE’s design team allowed for seamless integration of these features into the overall structure, minimising redesign and delay during documentation.

Throughout construction, we provided consistent technical support – including site inspections, real-time issue resolution and final certification, ensuring the project moved efficiently from design to delivery.

Our proven track record working with local councils helped streamline compliance with statutory requirements and contributed to the timely approval process for Ballina Shire Council.

This project demonstrates the value we bring as a collaborative and solutions-focused structural partner – delivering more than just engineering, we bring clarity, coordination and confidence to every stage of the project.

Read More "Piper Drive – Ballina, NSW"

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Faith-Based Buildings, Education, Electrical, Façade, Fire Engineering & Fire Protection, Hydraulic, Mechanical, Remedial, Structural

Sydney Catholic & Anglican Schools

Delivering Integrated, People-First Solutions Across Multiple Educational Campuses

CORE has developed a strong and ongoing partnership with Sydney Catholic & Anglican Schools, delivering end-to-end engineering consultancy services across a number of primary and secondary education projects throughout Greater Sydney and regional New South Wales.

Our multi-disciplinary capabilities have supported the successful planning, design and delivery of projects at:

Holy Spirit Catholic College, Lakemba
St. Patrick’s Catholic Primary School, Mortlake
St Michael’s Catholic Primary School, Meadowbank
Shellharbour Anglican College
St Aloysius College, Cronulla

These projects reflect our ability to respond to the complex and evolving needs of educational environments, delivering tailored solutions that prioritise safety, efficiency, and long-term value for students, educators, and administrators alike.

Our scope of services across these campuses has included electrical, mechanical, hydraulic, fire, civil, structural, and facade engineering. Each site presented unique challenges – from site constraints in dense urban settings to integration with existing infrastructure and staged construction around live school environments.

Through close collaboration with architects, project managers, and Sydney Catholic Schools’ planning teams, CORE ensured that all building services were designed to meet modern educational standards while supporting sustainability objectives, operational efficiency, and ease of long-term maintenance.

Engineering Educational Spaces for Performance and Longevity…

Educational environments require a people-first approach that goes beyond technical delivery. Considerations around student wellbeing, acoustic comfort, natural ventilation, lighting, and safety are central to our design philosophy.

Our ability to deliver coordinated, in-house consultancy services means fewer handovers, faster issue resolution and a more unified outcome that aligns with the school’s vision and values.

Whether designing for new learning spaces, administration buildings, or upgrades to essential infrastructure, CORE consistently provides thoughtful, responsive engineering solutions that support the holistic development of school communities.

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Faith-Based Buildings, Electrical, Fire Engineering & Fire Protection, Mechanical, Structural

Nan Tien Temple – Berkeley, NSW

CORE was engaged to provide multi-disciplinary engineering consultancy services for a highly sensitive and culturally significant project at the Nan Tien Temple – Australia’s largest Buddhist temple, located in Berkeley, near Wollongong.

Our scope included electrical, mechanical, civil, fire, façade, and structural engineering services, all delivered in support of the integration of a new lift system within the temple’s existing structure.

This upgrade was intended to enhance accessibility for worshippers and visitors, while ensuring minimal disruption to the function and integrity of the temple.

Timeline: 6 weeks – design

Mindful Integration Within a Living Place of Worship

Given the spiritual and cultural importance of Nan Tien Temple, our design approach was deeply respectful and mindful of the environment we were working within.

Faith-based buildings demand not only technical expertise but also a nuanced understanding of how engineering interventions affect the daily operation, acoustics, atmosphere, and visual harmony of the space.

The addition of the lift required significant coordination across all disciplines – structural adaptations to accommodate the lift shaft, re-routing of mechanical and electrical systems, and careful integration of fire safety requirements – all while preserving the aesthetic and spiritual ambience of the temple.

The project was completed under a fast-tracked design timeline, with CORE delivering a comprehensive and coordinated design package in a matter of weeks. This quick turnaround was achieved through close collaboration between our in-house teams, allowing us to anticipate service clashes early and propose efficient, buildable solutions.

By taking a people-first engineering approach, we ensured that our designs supported not only the functional upgrade of the facility but also the comfort, dignity, and spiritual experience of its users – reinforcing our commitment to engineering with empathy and precision in spaces that serve communities.

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Aged Care/Health, Electrical, Fire Engineering & Fire Protection, Hydraulic, Structural

‘Uniting Bramley’ Aged Care Village, Beecroft, NSW

Situated in leafy Beecroft, Uniting Bramley is favoured amongst locals for its location – just moments from Beecroft Place shopping centre and Beecroft train station, it is perfect for those needing to downsize.

CORE has been engaged to provide electrical, fire, hydraulic and structural engineering consultancy services pertaining to Uniting Bramley’s aged care village. The village consists of 46, 2-bedroom aged care residences that are spread across three low-rise buildings.

The scope of work will see significant upgrades and modernisation carried out to existing buildings with the objective of optimising usable space and delivering on end-users changing requirements.

Working closely with the architect, AI Design, the CORE team are tasked with assessing existing assets and preparing a recommendation that supports the Client’s vision, timelines and budget. We are also facilitating DA lodgment with Hornsby Council.

Our MEPF and Structures divisions are working closely to provide a design that enhances Uniting Bramley’s residences with tenant comfort and experience in mind. We are also providing rectification solutions to improve elements of the original design to ensure these locations reflect and align with proposed modern additions.

Timeline

Currently undergoing design (3 – 6 month estimate)

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Aged Care/Health, Electrical, Façade, Fire Engineering & Fire Protection, Hydraulic, Mechanical, Structural

‘Anthem Care’ Residential Aged Care, Hornsby, NSW

CORE were initially contacted by Blissett Group to provide pre-engagement advice regarding a new residential aged care development in Hornsby. During this period, our team collaborated with both the Client as well as their preferred local and international suppliers to determine optimal construction methods.

Testament to our quality advice and having gained a strong understanding of Client objectives, CORE was formally engaged to deliver design services from concept to completion across all major disciplines: mechanical, electrical, fire, hydraulic, facades, structures.

Timeline

Our team is currently undergoing design for the 12-storey aged care facility with commercial tenants and assisted living units. We estimate a 6 – 9 month completion timeframe for design.

A Welcome Addition to Hornsby’s Community Hub

Located in the middle of the Pacific Highway and adjacent to Hornsby station and key community sites such as Hornsby Westfield, Anthem Care’s new facility is a welcome addition to Hornsby’s community hub.

This project is a great example of what CORE does best – showcasing our ability to deliver 360-degree engineering solutions via our in-house team of experts, providing seamless project coordination of multi-disciplinary services and all bolstered by exceptional communication.

CORE are committed to delivering on the Client’s vision, with superior engineering and Client experience at the helm of our offering.

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Aged Care/Health, Commercial Office, Education, Government, Hospitality, Residential/Strata, Remedial, Strata, Structural

Structural – Awning Safety Inspections & Certification

Council Crack Down On Awning Safety

Following a tragic incident that occurred at Sydney’s Northern Beaches some years back, Councils have continued to crack down on ageing, unsafe awnings by implementing a ‘Awning Safety Program’ to addresses their potential failure or collapse.

The program has seen a significant number of Council notices issued to business owners, instructing them to have their street front awnings inspected and assessed by a registered professional engineer as a matter of urgency. Following the inspection, the engineer is required to submit a 5-year safety certificate certifying the structural integrity and safety of the awning.

Our Expertise

As a result, our team has recently seen an influx in Council stipulated requests and is providing this service to an array of clients – having recently completed awning assessments to 80 awnings for the City of Sydney.

CORE Consulting Engineers is a multi-disciplinary firm armed with the knowledge and expertise of the industry’s leading engineers. For more than 20 years, our team has delivered outstanding, 360°engineering solutions to a range of clients across all major property sectors Australia-wide.

An awning’s age along with recent weather conditions are some contributing factors to structural failures and can pose a significant public safety risk.

Awning inspections include a condition assessment and are then followed by a structural assessment to confirm the awnings are compliant for gravity, imposed and wind loadings. Sometimes, awnings need to be strengthened to comply with current codes of practise.

Having your awning inspected and assessed by a RegisteredProfessional Structural Engineer is critical to confirming that there are no underlying safety issues.

Typically, Councils require awnings to be reassessed every 5 years.

Key Process Stages

Where an awning is a closed structure, we undertake opening up works with the contractor, typically by lifting roof sheets at key locations to facilitate visual inspection of the internal framing to assess condition and measure up the members. CORE can engage a contractor to conduct opening up works under CORE’s direction and also facilitate access to the awning roof.
We then conduct a risk assessment of the awning to establish whether an awning can be accessed by the public, either via openable windows above the awning, from adjacent accessible awnings, by ladders from ground level or other means such as adjacent structures.
Awnings can be subject to high imposed loads due to unauthorised access by the public, such as the ‘Black Lives Matter’ protest in July 2021, when a large number of people climbed onto the Woolworths Building awning.
Australian Standards require varying application of imposed loading to an awning depending on its access risk level.
CORE then undertake a condition assessment and structural loading assessment to ascertain if any remedial works or strengthening works are required to achieve structural adequacy for load compliance and also ensure the awning is structurally sound.

If an awning is determined to be structurally adequate and does not require major repair, we will provide a structural certificate, valid for 3 to 5 years. Where strengthening or major remedial works are required, we can assist with the design and specification of any upgrade works before CORE undertake a final inspection and then provide final certification.

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Refurbishment/Fitout, Structural

Sydney Veterinary Emergency & Specialists, Rosebery, NSW

Therian Architects and their client had taken on an ambitious project to convert what was previously a warehouse building into a modern veterinary practice in a prominent location. Our structural team was engaged to complete the structural design of a new mezzanine floor, lift shaft, additional floor strengthening and a new car park, with our in-house civil team providing the stormwater management plan and public domain upgrade.

A Cost-Effective Transformation

Engaged as the lead structural and civil engineers, the CORE team was excited to transform what was once an outdated, existing structure into the client’s vision.

Clever design and material selection resulted in significant cost savings for the client. Our engineers worked together to challenge council requirements and design a stormwater system that exceeded requirements which in turn, saved the client thousands of dollars.

When managing a project of this scale, it is important to apply a holistic approach to desired outcomes, costs and timeframes. CORE ensured that the quality and timelines of our advice was meticulous and that the optimum end-result was delivered.This project is a strong example of two engineering disciplines problem-solving and working closely together to develop out of the box solutions.

With the architect based interstate, timely and effective communicationwas key – CORE ensured the client was kept updated at all times, throughout the project duration.

The client was delighted with the result and quality of the finished product. The practice is now providing around-the-clock care for pets in the Eastern and Inner suburbs of Sydney.

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Retail, Structural

Jardan – 42 Oxford St, Paddington, NSW

CORE was engaged to provide structural and facade engineering services for the conversion of an existing two-storey (plus basement) office/retail building into a high-end furniture showroom in Sydney’s bustling suburb of Paddington.

Project Details

The works included:

Strengthening of the existing timber-framed building for seismic upgrade and increased gravity loads
Design of an impressive 13m span circular steel staircase and 5m glass skylight within the existing timber floors and roof structures
Strengthening of existing timber roof trusses to facilitate the removal of existing timber columns
Partial replacement of the brick facade to allow for large glazed openings
Awning strengthening works to ensure compliance with current standards

Our Process

CORE’s specialisation in adaptive re-use of existing buildings and expert knowledge in working within the confined of an existing envelope enabled us to conceptually design the major structural works at an early stage with the key consultants and raise any potential issues. Through the course of several early-stage design workshops, several options were explored for all parties to consider ‘form vs. function’ as well as cost. CORE responded immediately to design changes required to suit the existing structure once works commenced on site and provided additional temporary works design support to the builder.

CORE and the project team were proud to achieve the client’s requirements to deliver a superior result in keeping with the premium nature of the client’s brand.

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Residential/Strata, Hydraulic, Remedial, Structural

67 Ocean St, Woollahra, NSW

CORE was engaged to conduct a site inspection and condition assessment of 36 units and balconies at 67 Ocean St, Woollahra – a 1967, 7-storey, brick-facade residential/strata building.

Inspection Findings…

During the inspection process, the CORE team identified numerous issues ranging from:

Non-compliant balustrades
Defective balcony soffits with non-functioning drip-grooves
Inadequate primary drainage systems causing extensive water ponding and significantly reducing the service life of waterproofing membrane
Blocked and non-compliant secondary overflow outlets
Leaking downpipes
Concrete spalling
Drummy balcony and skirting tiles
Balcony doors and windows installed with inadequate separation between external and internal areas causing water ingress

Detailed Reporting to Inform Decisions…

Upon completion of the inspection, a detailed balcony condition assessment report was submitted to the Owners Corporation (OC) along with recommendations on how to resolve root causes, address internal consequential damage and achieve a long-term solution for the owners.

CORE’s engagement continued as per the OC’s request for the delivery of technical specifications and approval to proceed with tendering the works inclusive of a:

Balustrade upgrade
Stormwater drainage system upgrade
Balcony waterproofing works
Balcony sliding door upgrade
Concrete spalling repairs

In relation to the balustrade upgrade, CORE provided several options for the OC’s consideration – taking both the building’s aesthetic and project budget into account. Indicative design mock-ups were issued, enabling owners to
envision the end result for each option and make a more informed decision on how to proceed.

Overall, the project required the expertise of CORE’s Remedial, Facade, Structures and Hydraulic divisions.

Preparing for the construction stage…

The next stage saw CORE tender out the works to 3 remedial contractors within our preferred partner portfolio.

It is important to note that CORE’s Contractor portfolio has been established and vetted over many years – developing and maintaining relationships with the most reputable and reliable Contractor groups in the industry.

Prior to the works contract being signed, CORE team met with all owners and the OC to provide a detailed brief of the issues, upcoming works and to provide an opportunity to answer any questions they had.

All eyes on safety and communication…

CORE believes that both safety and communication play a critical role throughout our projects and are crucial to achieving a successful outcome.

Prior to any works being formalised or contracts signed, the CORE team met with all owners to provide a detailed brief of the building issues at hand along with upcoming works.

Upon commencement of works, CORE delivered weekly progress updates and ensured remediation was carried out with minimal disturbance to residents.

The project was compliant with the new DBPA requirements and Certificates of Practical Completion were delivered. The project was completed in October 2022.