Lend Lease today announced that it has been selected as part of the successful consortium by Queensland Health to deliver the A$2 billion Sunshine Coast University Hospital, a new tertiary hospital to be built at Kawana in Queensland.

Lend Lease and the Exemplar Health consortium will work with Queensland Health to enter into a public private partnership arrangement to design, construct, maintain and finance the hospital.

The consortium will deliver a 738 bed tertiary level hospital, with stage one scheduled for completion in late 2016 and further stages planned for commissioning in mid 2018 and mid 2021.

Lend Lease’s project management and construction business will perform the design and construction and Lend Lease’s infrastructure development business, Capella Capital, is acting as financial adviser to the consortium. Lend Lease will invest 50% of the equity in the Exemplar Heath project vehicle.

Lend Lease Group Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Steve McCann, said the Group was pleased to be working with Queensland Health on this significant project.

“Lend Lease has a strong track record of health infrastructure delivery in Queensland and this latest award confirms the experience and track record of our business in the health sector and the strength of Lend Lease’s integrated model being applied to the infrastructure sector,” said Mr McCann.

Financial close on the project is expected by the end of July 2012 followed by the commencement of construction.

Stockland acquired the site when it purchased the Lenworth portfolio in 2004. It’s expected the first residents will move to the new community in 2014. Homes within an early release, approved by ULDA last year, are under construction.

Sekisui House, Japan’s largest home builder, has officially unveiled to the Australian market their SHAWOOD homes which provide some of the most advanced eco-friendly design elements ever built in Australia.

The SHAWOOD homes at The Coolum Residences on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast have been developed in collaboration with Queensland Architects to suit the location using a combination of imported technology and local materials.

The first three SHAWOOD homes are in a beachside location surrounded by other unique SHAWOOD designs under construction, generating employment for Queensland trades-people and stimulating the local economy.

Sekisui House Australia President and Managing Director, Mr. Toru Abe said the first three display homes in The SHAWOOD Collection at The Coolum Residences represent significant investment in design and technology. “These unique homes clearly show what can be achieved when there is a real commitment to living in harmony with our surroundings. I am proud to bring SHAWOOD to Australia because these homes are a glimpse into the future and an example of what quality and precision can create.”

Construction material for SHAWOOD Homes is pre-engineered off-site, including the timber frames and metal joints, to ensure the highest precision on each home and to minimize on-site waste. Each home uses photovoltaic roof tiles, highly insulated windows, wall ventilation and energy monitoring systems. Low maintenance materials are used including the external cladding which is self-cleaning, further cutting costs.

SHAWOOD Homes maximize orientation and cross ventilation to provide natural lighting and breezes further reducing energy consumption. The homes are built based on extensive research and development and significant experience in designing and constructing homes in Japan to suit the location and conditions including planning for earthquakes, typhoons, fire and even snow-loads. This experience has been brought to Australia with the SHAWOOD homes at The Coolum Residences.

Lend Lease is the Development Manager for The Coolum Residences. Lend Lease Australia CEO Mark Menhinnitt said the homes are a fitting addition to a wonderful location.

“The Coolum Residences offer some of the last remaining beachside opportunities on the Sunshine Coast and the location is a perfect fit for these SHAWOOD homes. The investment by Sekisui House is a vote of confidence in Australia and Queensland and we congratulate them on what is an important day for the industry and the environment,” said Mr Menhinnitt.

The SHAWOOD Collection at The Coolum Residences are for sale and open to the public. Already construction is underway at Cala Luna on several other SHAWOOD Homes. The Coolum Residences offers private recreational facilities including pool, tennis court, bbq and parkland but also access to beautiful Yaroomba beach and the adjacent five star resort amenities.

The Coolum Residences is located in the heart of Queensland’s Sunshine Coast close to shopping, professional and commercial services at Coolum, Noosa and Maroochydore. Just 10 minutes from the Sunshine Coast Airport with direct connections to Sydney and Melbourne, and only 90 minutes drive from Brisbane.
For further information on the SHAWOOD homes please contact or visit The Coolum Residences sales team, Freecall: 1800 688 530 or 07 5455 1900 or visit thecoolumresidences.com.au.
ENDS

About Sekisui House:

Established in 1960, Sekisui House is Japan’s largest and most respected home builder and new community developers. With over two million homes to our credit, and a multitude of awards for innovation, quality and sustainability, a major milestone has been the design and construction of the world’s first Zero Emissions House built for the G8 Summit in 2008 to showcase Japan’s leading technology for sustainability to the world.

Sekisui House employs more than 22,000 people with its international headquarters in Osaka, Japan and its Australian headquarters in Sydney, NSW.

Since coming to Australia in April 2009, Sekisui House has become a significant part of the home building and development community.

In NSW, QLD, SA, VIC and ACT Sekisui House provides innovative and desirable home designs to build, which feature our unique design philosophies and offer eco benefits through our “Rethink Green” initiatives.

As a developer, our exciting and innovative residential communities in NSW and QLD and apartment projects in NSW and VIC provide living solutions in line with our corporate values, and we have also partnered with some of Australia’s leading developers who share our vision for a sustainable future.

Dedicated to every element of the development process – from planning and community design, through to the construction of individual homes – Sekisui House brings a unique, human philosophy to building and are we’re committed to creating positive, harmonious living spaces for all Australians.

The Noosa market is experiencing a downturn, with up to 50 per cent of values in some developments wiped since 2007. Since the start of this year several large scale projects in the area have also been shelved, largely because of financial difficulties.

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Construction contract awarded for upgrade to Whitsunday Coast Airport

Minister for Infrastructure and Planning Stirling Hinchliffe today announced T.F. Woollam & Son Pty Ltd as the winning bid to upgrade and refurbish the Whitsunday Coast Airport terminal.

Mr Hinchliffe said this marked a major step towards delivering a modern airport with improved facilities, which will not only benefit locals but help to attract many more tourists to the Whitsunday region.

“The Whitsunday Coast Airport will now undergo a $7 million upgrade to the terminal and passenger airport facilities,” Mr Hinchliffe said.

“Construction will commence shortly and work will be staged to minimise disruption to flights and the terminal’s operations.

“The project is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2011.”

Member for Whitsunday Jan Jarratt said the tender was awarded after ongoing negotiations between the council and Qantas on existing leasing arrangements were resolved.

Ms Jarratt said the project would improve airport efficiencies and rejuvenate the facility.

“Just last week in Parliament I expressed my constituents’ frustration at the prolonged discussions between Whitsunday Regional Council and Qantas so I’m pleased this had been addressed,” Ms Jarratt said.

“This expedient resolution will prevent significant delays in the construction of a critical piece of tourism infrastructure for the Whitsundays.

“A new airport is not a panacea for success, but it is one important plank in a suite of actions that we as a community are undertaking and I sincerely look forward to being able to enjoy the riches it will deliver to our region in terms of tourism market share.

“To ensure the Whitsundays fully benefit from the airport’s revitalisation, the State Government will soon unveil the new tourism branding campaign for the Whitsundays which will position this region as a premier destination for both adventure and luxury travel.”

Nine applications were received to undertake the refurbishment and extension works and T.F. Woollam & Son Pty. Ltd’s offer was selected after extensive evaluation of the tenders.

The Department of Infrastructure and Planning is managing the project for the Whitsunday Regional Council.

The airport will remain open during the terminal’s refurbishment and extension. The facility will be transferred to council on completion in 2011.

The Mooloolaba property was offloaded by Juniper Development Group, which is building the Soul skyscraper at Surfers Paradise.

The waterfront complex includes shops, offices and luxury apartments and is leased to 18 tenants, according to the AFR which reported the sale.

According to an article published in the AFR, a weak Australian dollar is contributing to holiday makers “choosing more economic destinations rather than going overseas.”

The Sunshine Coast Regional Council runs nine caravan parks and says occupancy for its powered sites was 82.3 per cent.

Airlie Beach, Sunshine Coast and Far North Queensland parks led the pack, Caravanning Queensland chief executive Ron Chapman said in the AFR.

“In recent years holidays have changed with people staying shorter periods, but this year there’s been a lot more people staying three weeks or more,” Mr Chapman said. “What else has helped is the standard of caravan parks – if you don’t have your own trailer, you don’t stay in an onsite van anymore, you stay in an upmarket luxurious cabin.”

“People who would otherwise stay in an apartment or hotel are starting to see this and realise there’s so much more to do at the parks.”

Nightly accommodation costs at a caravan park can range from $20 to $450 per night.

Some caravan parks, like the Cairns Coconut – Queensland’s only five star resort – include facilities like outdoor movie nights, bocce, aqua aerobics and beach volleyball.