M/Construction News & Company Updates

M/28 by Match is a modish addition to the eclectic South Terrace neighbourhood built with a nod to the past and a high five to the future in one of the most desirable and vibrant corners of the greater Fremantle area.

Located in the heart of South Fremantle on the iconic South Terrace café and restaurant strip, M/28 by Match is a three-storey mixed-use development comprising of 20 apartments and 6 commercial tenancies to the ground floor designed to achieve a 4-star green rating. Of the 20 apartments, there are four 1×1, three 2×1 and thirteen 2×2 apartments with a mixture of single and split-level apartments.

M/28 is designed with coastal dwellers in mind including most South Terrace facing apartments enjoying views across the harbour whilst the apartments on the south-side of the building benefit from two private courtyards for entertaining and outdoor living.

The apartments are accessed from the pine-tree-lined Charles Street into a private lobby which includes a lift to all levels and a main stair-well showcasing feature tiling and a timber slatted ceiling with detail lighting.

Michael Read, Director of M/Construction (part of M/Group), said “The building appeals more to the owner occupier market and astute investors typically wanting two-bedroom apartments. The considered building layout creates a diverse housing solution that responds to changing social demographics.”

Designed by David Barr Architect in collaboration with Cameron Chisolm Nicol the building includes protruding box shapes on the north and south elevations finished with a Venetian plaster creating a standout feature along with unique vertical slats that encompass the building in certain areas. These elements help set M/28 apart from its surrounding structures.

The slatted balconies along South Terrace also incorporate a full length shelf angle which is beneficial to the residents as a countertop for décor and entertainment. In addition, the residents have access to a common courtyard on the first floor with Australian native planting in concrete planters. Greenery and vegetation has also been added to the southern rear entrance off South Terrace.

Designed with contemporary coastal living in mind while respecting the fabric of South Fremantle’s past.

In collaboration with the architects, M/Construction Project Manager, Joshua Stott explained how plans were amended to change levels of the original building design.

“The building’s form and scale were developed with respect for neighbours, stepping from three storeys at one end to two at the other, thereby negotiating the height change between an existing heritage pub on one side and single storey housing on the other.

“On its southern boundary, where the project abuts an existing heritage house, the building height was stepped down and then later, following negotiation and collaboration with the local authority and neighbours, altered to further reduce the effects of overshadowing and overlooking.

“The two-storey high brick boundary parapet wall on the eastern side, which was originally part of the existing factory that was demolished, had to be incorporated into the new building design.

Internally, the finishes of the apartments flow from the industrial to the contemporary which is achieved using timber and light, concrete-look colour schemes along with matte-black accents. The project team were also able to accommodate purchaser design changes with minimal disruption to the program.

Each apartment has a contemporary and eclectic mix of materials, textures and finishes that evoke a uniquely South Fremantle feel.

For the external finishes Joshua noted that “Due to the close proximity of the ocean, the project required extra attention to the selection of some materials and products such as stainless-steel hardware and treatment of the external metal work finishes.

“All screens were originally designed to be timber. However due to the fire requirements & regulations they were redesigned to be aluminium wood-look screens which is better for future maintenance and longevity.”

Minimum waste was another important factor and it was achieved by choosing specific products which were all accounted for during the build.

Coordinating a project amidst the busy pedestrian and road traffic of South Terrace was a logistical challenge for Joshua and his construction team. “Main challenges included ensuring neighbours, including residents and businesses, were not impeded by our construction schedule. There was pressure from both boundaries regarding their concerns with disruptions.

“To combat this both myself and the Site Manager had regular meetings with them, providing open communication, and keeping them up-to-date with different construction milestones and all potential impacts to them.”

All challenges were able to be overcome and therefore enable construction of the project to be completed three weeks ahead of schedule.

M/Construction have a transparent and flexible process on delivering the best possible outcome to the client, while at the same time maintaining a strong sense of control over a project’s development. This approach provides a number of benefits — shortened program times, improved value and the opportunity for innovation.

Find out more about M/Construction here www.mconstruction.com.au

Building quality has been under the microscope for some time, so why aren’t more developers taking steps to reduce their construction risk via an in-house building team? 

It may appear counter-intuitive, but the number of genuine developer-builder companies operating in Perth can be counted on one hand, particularly when it comes to larger-scale developments.

Despite the significant benefits of a developer having an in-house builder, including increased quality-control and reduced risk, few construction or development organisations have been successful in making the developer-builder model work.

Mr Michael Read, Director of M/Construction (part of M/Group), one of only a couple of successful larger-scale developer-builder firms in Perth, said the model is generally considered best practice, but it can prove difficult to create a good partnership.

“Achieving the right fit in terms of staff or partnership can prove difficult in an environment where the cultures tend to be quite different. In Perth, our main players are fairly established and there needs to be a lot of trust between both parties for the model to work effectively,” he said.

“While there is unquestionably merit in having a good appreciation of the development process as well as maintaining complete control of the entire building program and its outcomes, the concept has not been fully embraced by the sector and most developers continue to outsource to third-party builders.”

Unlike most construction-based firms, M/Construction evolved within its parent company, M/Group. The company was initially introduced to improve the building quality and maintenance of M/Group’s apartment and commercial projects, but quickly earned industry credibility to work independently of the group.

M/Construction uses its value-add service model to attract new building contracts and build on its capabilities in the building and maintenance sectors. The company recently took home three awards at the Master Builders Western Australian Awards for Excellence, including Best Multi-Unit Development between $10-$20million for Form Apartments by Match; an award the company has won two-years running.

Although most builders today offer a form of design-construct service, a developer-builder can operate both as a single service or independently, and both disciplines’ credentials are of equal calibre.

“Construction is without question a distinct skillset that requires a lot of experience. This is why some 90% of developer-builder companies derive from building firms initially rather than developers. However, the development expertise should not be overshadowed in the mix,” Mr Read continued.

“Certainly, within our organisation, being involved across the entire design and construction  process creates a sense of pride in our staff. It is a different experience than working purely for a construction firm. We get to take ownership of the project from concept to completion.”

Michael Read joined M/Group as a highly qualified and experienced Registered Builder with some 20-years under his belt in top-tier organisations. Rather than a company merger, the M/Construction team was built from within the organisation which helped to circumvent any potential staffing or cultural issues.

Of Western Australia’s top twenty builders, very few are considered to be true developer-builder.

Find out more at www.mconstruction.com.au

Construction completion has been achieved at M/28 by Match located in the heart of South Fremantle on iconic South Terrace café strip.

M/28 Apartments by Match consists of 20 residential apartments and retail/office space on the ground floor. The building also includes a central landscaped courtyard with an industrial style on the first floor.

For the second year in a row M/Construction has been awarded Best Multi-Unit Development between $10-$20 million at the Master Builder Awards Excellence in Construction – but this time for our Form by Match building in Port Coogee.

It goes without saying that construction quality is a top priority when looking for a new apartment and we’re proud our team has been recognised as the best in the business for the second year in a row when it comes to boutique apartments.

Along with this accolade, our Maintenance & Minor Works division were awarded Best Educational Building under $1.5 million for Leda Educational Support Centre.

Finally, Josh Stott’s hard work paid off managing the construction of Form by Match as he won Project Manager of the Year.

Commencement of Quest Ascot is now underway.

In our latest construction update, 500m3 of “grey gold” cement has been poured within one day. This raft slab pour forms the building envelope and is an extremely solid foundation for the eight-storey serviced apartments that will be built.

Just weeks before M/28 Apartments by Match on South Terrace is complete and becomes ‘move in ready’, two luxury apartments have been made available in a complex that ‘sold out’ within months of release.

M/28 is a mixed-use building comprising of just 20 boutique apartments on the popular South Terrace coffee strip. The building is deliberately designed to present as understated with naturally inspired materials and palette, which take inspiration from the Fremantle culture and nearby heritage-listed community hot-spot, The Local.

Mr Lloyd Clark, Managing Director of Match parent company M/Group, said the decision to release the remaining two apartments was not originally planned by the company, but provides new opportunities for those wanting to live in arguably Fremantle’s most cosmopolitan location.

“The apartments attracted overwhelming interest when we released them. It was clear that the opportunity to live in such beautifully designed apartments in the heart of Fremantle’s busy café strip was extremely attractive,” he said.

“No doubt there were many disappointed parties who missed out on securing an apartment in this tightly held location, which makes the current release an even more exciting prospect for many.”

The apartments have been designed in collaboration with respected and award-winning architects David Barr Architects and Cameron Chisholm Nicol Architects.

Every design detail has been considered to deliver an understated and functional design statement that reflects contemporary coastal living with high quality finishes, such as timber, engineered stone benchtops and concrete-porcelain tiles. The apartments also achieve a comparable 4-star Green Star rating; an aspect sighted as extremely important to people living in the area.

M/28’s exterior façade continues the natural theme which incorporate timber screens. This feature is reflected in the lobby with timber ceilings and concrete-look finishes.

The property also includes commercial sites on the ground floor, offering a potential ‘live and work’ option with an extremely visible South Terrace street frontage.

“The release of the last two apartments at M/28 by Match and availability of commercial space on the ground floor opens a lot of doors for those who really want to embed themselves into the Fremantle culture,” Mr Clark continued.

“This new release is without question a highly attractive proposition that is unlikely to last very long.”

The site falls within the development zone approved for a street upgrade and revitalisation by the City of Fremantle. This includes additional trees, landscaping and upgrade to footpaths between South Street and Douro Road.

M/28 by Match is due for completion in June, and is open for viewing now.

For more information visit www.m28apartments.com.au or contact 0432 660 066.

Construction on a 56 room (112 key) Quest Apartment hotel in Ascot has commenced following the successful completion of a $11.5 million development fund by M/Group and subsequent settlement of the 2,211sq.m development site. It is the second property undertaken by M/Group for the apartment hotel giant, with the first in Joondalup currently nearing completion.

The Quest Apartment Hotel in Ascot is located at 266 Great Eastern Highway, near Perth Airport and enroute to the Perth CBD. Its strategic location is in close proximity to Ascot racecourse, Optus Stadium, Crown Casino, Perth CBD and Perth airport, and is serviced by a road network that will see some 63,000 vehicles pass the site each day.

The property is being constructed by M/Group’s building division, M/Construction, which is currently engaged on a number of multi-residential and commercial projects across Perth, including Quest Joondalup.

M/Group Managing Director, Mr Lloyd Clark, said M/Group’s recent success and track record in fully subscribing property funds suggests a thirst in the market for secure investments.

“It’s difficult to dispute the investment potential and returns of a project that has a long- term lease agreement with a multi-national operation, as well as an independent valuation uplift created through the development delivery process,” he said.

“Quest Ascot is one of several property funds M/Group has successfully subscribed, largely due to a group of investors that now follow our projects based on our capacity to deliver.”

Quest is Australia’s largest apartment hotel operator by number of properties and is the second largest by the number of rooms. The Ascott Limited (wholly owned by Singapore’s CapitaLand) owns 80% of Quest . It has over 43,000 operating serviced residence units in key cities around the world with a further 31,000 units under development. Ascott is the largest serviced residence provider in Australiasia and is targeting to double its global portfolio to 160,000 units over five years.

The Quest Ascot development project was negotiated by M/Group in an off-market arrangement.

“We are delighted by our growing investment portfolio and the success it has had in recent months. Some of our investment offers have out-performed expectation, which both demonstrates a solid model and market interest for income-generating funds,” Mr Clark continued.

“We are currently working on a number of new opportunities to meet investor demand.”

M/Group is an integrated property organisation that has over $185 million of Investor funds under management with a projected asset value of approximately $1 billion. The company recently expanded its portfolio to the eastern states to add to its string of regional shopping centres with one centre recording an independent valuation uplift of $10.5million in under a year.

For more information or an investment prospectus contact info@mgroup.com.au or (08) 6380 0400.

In our latest video update for Quest Apartments in Joondalup, M/Construction has completed 5 levels, with a new level being constructed every fortnight. Also shown is balconies being constructed via scaffold towers.

Not noticeable in the video is level 1 and 2 internals being completed with painting, tiling and cabinets being installed.

In our latest construction update you can see a time-lapse from commencement to March 2019. This shows the fast speed of construction for this type of build in just over 6 months.