The WDA winning projects in the Collaboration category

Photo: Mann Group

Below is an overview of the projects that saw the companies come away with the accolade. 

Mann Group

The Chifley South Tower project, located in the heart of Sydney’s CBD, showcased exceptional collaboration in the face of extraordinary complexity.

Mann was engaged to carry out the demolition of the South Tower whilst the adjacent 43-storey Chifley North Tower remained fully operational, despite thousands of essential services running through the demolition zone to support North Tower functions.

The project demanded an unprecedented level of coordination between demolition crews, service trades, structural engineers, and the client team.

Mann led the development of a carefully staged program, facilitating daily interface meetings and workshops to ensure every move was aligned with all involved.

A major challenge was the hand strip-out of 18,000m² of office fit out due to limited service disconnections. This enabled service trades to follow closely behind, identifying, isolating, and rerouting live systems without disrupting North Tower operations.

An evolving scope around the retention system became a collaborative highlight. Initially intended as a temporary measure to enable the Demolition works, it was reimagined mid-project to also serve as part of the Client’s permanent retention solution.

Mann coordinated multiple engineering consultants and stakeholders to deliver a compliant, integrated design without impacting or slowing down the demolition program.

As demolition neared completion, new construction activities commenced simultaneously. MANN successfully maintained sitewide safety and productivity through detailed planning and cross-trade cooperation.

The Chifley South Tower demolition stands as a model of collaborative delivery under pressure, where trust, communication, and shared problem-solving ensured the success of one of Sydney’s most technically demanding demolition projects.

Safedem, Wheatley, and Despe

No longer is it purely the technical aspects of a project that demolition professionals are faced with.

Nowadays, external factors, political activists, building conservationists, environmental concerns, embodied carbon, and nearby residents who resist any change and are “anti-demolition”, are all challenges that need to be addressed and overcome.

Photo: Safedem

At Wyndford in Glasgow, UK, client Wheately Group and contractor Safedem were faced with a barrage of challenges that required the traditional client-contractor contractual approach to be ripped up and replaced by a collaborative partnership philosophy that ultimately drew upon 24 organisations to support and deliver a safe and successful demolition project.

Testimonials include: “The sense of teamwork to get the job done was incredible” – Wheatley Area Housing Office

“the contractors attention to detail and professionalism filtered through the entire planning and co-ordination group” – Police Scotland

“…great team spirit and empathy for displaced residents” – Glasgow City Council Health & Social Care Partnership

“a pleasure to be part of such a well organised and managed project” – Effective Engineering