Perth-based M/Group and its construction arm, M/Construction, have delivered its second Quest Apartment project, Quest Perth Ascot, giving investors a high-profile freehold property and a long lease arrangement with the national accommodation provider.
Although construction of the 112-room apartment hotel was subjected to lengthy planning approval delay and Covid-19 regulations, it met strict building timeframes due to a new development model and building process that saw one floor completed every two weeks.
M/Group Managing Director, Mr Lloyd Clark, said the formula used on the project had been perfected in the development of Quest Joondalup several months prior, and proved critical in an environment that brought with it unexpectedly challenges.
“The M/Construction team used a building process that combined pre-cast concrete walls and a hollow core flooring structure with the integration of construction methodologies and custom-designed features. These had all been perfected during the Quest Joondalup program and, as a result, dramatically cut down construction time,” he said.
“The process allowed for up to 100 people on site at once, and the building program was meticulously coordinated and synchronised to not merely save time and maximise resources, but adhere to new Covid-19 safety regulations. It was an extremely impressive build from many perspectives.”
With concrete floors and toppings poured and cured over the weekend to create self-supporting formwork, the workspace below was obstruction-free for follow-on trades to install framing and services unencumbered.
The process effectively shaved some three to four months off the construction timeline, which meant Quest Apartments could meet their operational deadlines and M/Group could fulfil their investor commitments.
The Quest Perth Ascot project was the result of an $11.5 million development fund managed by M/Group. Its success has been instrumental in building on a commercial relationship with Quest Apartments, which was established after the previous Quest Joondalup project attracted a great deal of praise in terms of finish and quality, including a finalist nomination in the 2020 World Travel Awards.
“We have earned a high level of trust with Quest Apartments by clearly demonstrating our capacity to deliver on what would have undoubtedly been quite a challenging process for other companies,” Mr Lloyd continued.
“We hope this relationship will open many more doors in the future, not merely from an investment opportunity perspective, but for M/Construction as an independent operator.”
The main structure of Quest Perth Ascot officially commenced in January 2020 and the building was fully completed in August of the same year, equating an impressive eight-month build.