Derinya Primary School Fire Damage Classroom Remediation

23 April 2019     Steve Dooley

Derinya Primary School Building Remediation

At the beginning of the new round of the VSBA Emergency Make-Safe program I was presented with this challenging opportunity. Derinya Primary School suffered a fire in one of their portables!

The challenge. The classroom needed to be repaired before the Easter school holidays finished – less than 3 weeks. 

Using the expertise of the Symmetry Commercial team I developed a proposal to re-mediate asap. This was a standard tender process where we suggested significant cost savings (>40%!) for the client. These savings demonstrated the Symmetry Commercial sustainability ethos.

eg. Instead of replacing all the AC units, we recommended changing the filters. Outcome: great air and limited waste.

eg. Process: instead of pulling the ceiling down to get at the insulation and the complexity that creates, we recommended just pull roof sheets one-by-one. Then remove the insulation from above – leaving electrical connections untouched. Outcome: less tradies required.

eg. Instead of replacing the ceiling, we recommended to just spray paint it in situ. Outcome: same great look and no waste.

My team of 9 trades and services:

  • Cleaners
  • Plumbers
  • Carpentry
  • Security
  • Flooring
  • Electrical
  • Painting
  • Waste
  • Steel Fabricator

were coordinated efficiently to get the job done fast over the holiday period.

Despite the tight timeline, we achieved classroom readiness on day one of next term.

Unfortunately, I do not have great ‘after’ photos as I was washing windows and putting rubbish in the skip at 8:01am on 1st day back!