June 15, 2017

VBA Audit – 9 Riverside Quay, Southbank (Eureka Tower)

The Victorian Building Authority undertook a series of audits on buildings in Victoria to determine whether there has been “potential non-compliant use of cladding” on buildings.

In early 2016 the VBA web site, as part of that audit, identified possible “non-compliant material” at the Eureka Tower site. The VBA referred their audit outcome to the Municipal Building Surveyor at the City Of Melbourne. Following their own review the City of Melbourne “determined the building safe for occupation with no further action required”.

None the less through 2016 Grocon, and a team of consultants, undertook a detailed analysis of the building and particularly concentrated on the cladding and fire protection systems.  That work was submitted to the VBA, the MFB and the City of Melbourne in August last year whereupon the VBA, being satisfied that the Eureka Tower cladding was fully compliant, revised the information on their web site to identify the cladding as complaint.

Eureka Tower is a very large and complex project. The tower is clad largely with glass. In other areas the tower uses 100% compliant Fire Rated Alucobond as part of the external cladding. This product has characteristics nothing like the material used at Lacrosse and any suggestion that it is similar, or the same, is both misfounded and misleading.

Media contact
Melinda D’Cruze
0408 202 598