STELLA ENGINEERING - Stage 1
Stella Engineering is a Central Coast based engineering company which produces precision components for the medical, electrical and the defence industries globally. With Stella’s attention to detail, the managing director Michael Woodcock, approached UpBuild Constructions to design and construct an amenities, kitchen and staff facility at their Commercial premises at Berkeley Vale NSW.
The idea was to construct an amenities block that not only complimented Stella’s high standards and quality ethos, but must also withstand the test of time in an industrial environment and to raise the bar in staff facilities for Stellas’ employees and employer relations.
The amenities downstairs consisted of bathroom & shower cubicles, urinal, staff lockers, change area and vanity units. The urinal was flanked by a full height recycled brick wall with a unique featured ‘dog tooth brick bond’.
Each cubicle contained a recycled hardwood shelf sourced from a demolition garage at Davistown, typically Sydney Blue Gum and Blackbutt hardwoods.
The overall design of the amenities held an industrial theme with the use of concrete style tiles, brick walls, recycled hardwood shelving and black matt doors and fittings which in turn reduced the visual of finger marks.
The overall theme was complimented with the installation of a beautiful reclaimed timber barn door sourced from Utah in the USA.
The upstairs kitchen, staff and entertainment area is accessed by a hidden tread staircase made from Spotted Gum timber. The black risers reduce the visual of scuff marks left behind from industrial boots. The stair opening also made from Spotted Gum timber, gives a great outlook over the factory bay as you ascend and descend the staircase.
The kitchen facilities were designed to accommodate a number of occupants at any one time and to maintain the industrial feel, charm and character.
The Tasmanian Oak statesman Boardroom table converts to a pool table with the removal of the tabletop. The idea was to facilitate the professional boardroom meetings with a friendly outcome of pool between peers.
The kitchen also contained a 4m Sydney Blue Gum bench, sourced and milled locally, which overlooks the workshop through a tinted window and the Spotted Gum surrounds.
The floor was the standout. We needed to maintain the industrial feel without losing it to a feature. The floor is in fact polished concrete, with a Terrazzo finish including black, white and red rock specially selected and placed to form what looks like polished concrete. The floor is finished at 32mpa, cut and polished to the client’s choice in finish.
“In terms of design and choice of fittings, communication and level of professionalism, UpBuild’s modus operandi is second to none. During the course of the construction, we were made to feel fully informed and confident, that the project was running to plan in both terms of schedule and budget. We will be using UpBuild in the future for further developments to our facility and would strongly recommend their services to those considering doing the same.”
