Situated at Lincoln University Campus, the Agriculture and Life Science Faculty Building, known as the Burns Building, underwent a significant transformation with the construction of the state-of-the-art Waimarie Building. This relocation project aligns with Lincoln University’s commitment to sustainable infrastructure, aiming to minimize its environmental impact. Key features of the new building include roof- and wall-mounted solar arrays, a ground-sourced heating/cooling system, and a rainwater-fed toilet flushing system.
The Burns Building, constructed in 1976, housed seven levels of offices, laboratories (including PC2), teaching labs, and one of the largest entomology collections in the Southern Hemisphere. The relocation project involved moving 245 staff and postgraduate students to the new Waimarie Building. Crown Project Manager Darryl White and onsite lead Workspace Supervisor Reg Marsh along with a dedicated Workspace crew played pivotal roles in the project’s success.
Crown’s involvement began with a thorough tender process, followed by extensive site meetings with both external and internal project managers. The objectives were to establish a relocation program, packing requirements, supply of specialist packing materials, special equipment moves, move methodologies for the Entomology Collection, labelling protocols, and protection measures for the new building.
Specialized move methodologies were devised for oversized items, including minus 80-degree freezers, Biohazard cabinets, and Fume hoods, along with meticulous packing protocols for Taxidermy items. The relocation was executed over a tight 10-week schedule, moving one level per week, including specialist moves. This schedule ensured that equipment could be reconnected and certified promptly.
The most delicate and challenging aspect of the project was the relocation of the entomology collection, consisting of approximately 1200 drawers of pinned specimens. Crown staff successfully removed these specimens from existing cabinets in sequence, carefully packed them into relocation cages, moved them, and unpacked them in the new facility – all within a remarkable time frame of under two days, with a team of seven staff members.
Despite expanding the initial scope of work during the project, Crown managed to deliver the relocation under budget for Lincoln University. This expanded scope included packing and relocating student files, packing Taxidermy Items, and delivering surplus furniture to various departments within the University.
The feedback received from both External Project Managers and University staff has been overwhelmingly positive:
"You guys have done an
AWESOME job."
The Lincoln University Waimarie Relocation Project stands as a testament to Crown’s expertise in managing complex and delicate relocations, meeting and exceeding client expectations, and delivering results within budget. This successful project reinforces Crown’s commitment to customer-centric, efficient, and sustainable relocation solutions.
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