AECOM was selected by Phillip Island Nature Parks to be the Project Manager and Superintendent for the redevelopment of the Penguin Parade Visitors Centre. The Penguin Parade is a major tourist attraction for Victoria, being the main reason for 38% of all international visitors to the State. The visitors centre was outdated and located on a site where the penguins naturally want to inhabit. By relocating the visitor centre and demolishing the old one the project has simultaneously increased Nature Parks’ commercial footprint and the natural penguin habitat.
AECOM worked closely with the client to select the best procurement model for both the design team and the contractor. We managed and co-ordinated of all development aspects of the project during the design, documentation, construction, equipping and commissioning stages. The project was funded by the State government and we worked with Regional Development Victoria to ensure its success.
Our Project Management team led the project, procuring a consultant team and a lead contractor who could operate in an ecologically sensitive environment that maintained the wildlife habitat while constructing the new building. In house ecological advice was key to managing the environmental impacts throughout construction and environmentally sustainable design was a main driver for the project.
The completed building won the William Wardell Award for Public Architecture and the Regional design award at the Victorian State Architecture Awards.
Completed early and on budget this project is an exemplar in collaborative project teams working to make the world a better place.