WOOLWORTHS LAUNCESTON
Project Type
Major Works Friable Asbestos Removal
About The Project
Woolworths has developed a 3800-square-metre supermarket above a 160-lot underground car park on a commercial block between York and Elizabeth streets next to the Cock ‘N’ Bull hotel.
The development houses small ancillary shops and cafes. The development of the new complex in Launceston City has created upwards of 125 new retail jobs and upwards of 100 construction works at the time of development. The process undergone, to reach the February / March 2016 opening, was complexed and a number of hurdles had to be overcome along the way.
Mendelssohn Construction performed all asbestos removal works for this project, given the sensitivity of the area and the close proximity to the city centre, the process for removal had to be meticulously timed and coordinated to allow for ease of access and reduced risk of exposure to the public and construction crews.
Given the age of the existing premises, before demolition was able to be carried out safely, over 1200m² of non -friable and 1150m² of friable asbestos had to be removed and disposed of from the entire block of the Cock and Bull to Wellington Street Villas and retail tenancies.
Friable materials were present in ceiling linings in the Villa Units, this required the encapsulation within the existing building and removal carried out with blasting techniques and equipment sourced from Melbourne. The process is a contained and wet removal with air borne fibres being reduced to almost nil due to the humid environment created in the area and the constant wetting of the product.
Non-friable materials were present in the roofing and wall sheeting in the retail tenancies requiring removal prior to demolition, these works were carried out in close proximity to overhead high voltage power lines requiring the power lines to be isolated and diverted whilst works were underway to ensure the safety of the Mendelssohn Construction employees and the community. The building had to be shut down to all general access and an exclusion zone of 10 metres enforced for the majority of the works.
