Our Customer
For its first fifty years, the Salamanca Silos stored grain for export. Today, Salamanca Silos is one of Hobart’s most sought-after waterfront addresses housing thirty luxury residential apartments and an adjacent commercial building.
Project Description
The converted eleven storey Salamanca Silos utilises the original external concrete structure, which was built early in the last century, as the framework for the building. This also incorporates in-situ concrete slabs and over 500 precast concrete columns.
With age, wear and tear, multiple cracks were beginning to appear on the building’s concrete surface. Dirt and residue were also accumulating, casting a shadow on its once impressive facade.
As a Hobart icon, presentation for the Salamanca Silos ranked as a priority, prompting its property managers to seek out a partner able to implement structural repairs as well as provide a full external repaint.
They engaged Programmed, confident that our knowledge and expertise in painting and remedial repairs, as well as focus on safety, would yield a quality outcome.
Project Solution
For a seamless and smooth finish, a concrete and cement mixture in a shade that would blend in with the existing concrete surface was used over the cracks. Once the mixture had fully cured, the team repainted the Silos, applying a waterproof membrane coating to seal off joints and cracks.
The open waterfront location and high winds necessitated stringent risk mitigation as we used aerial booms to reach the Silo’s maximum height of 35 metres.
Close communication was prioritised so that the privacy and comfort of residents who called the Salamanca Silos home could be maintained. Diligent liaison with the commercial tenants of this mixed-use complex ensured that we didn’t disrupt day to day business.
With the repaint straddling the Christmas period, programming of the works had to be flexible even to the point of suspending work to after the festive period. This allowed people to continue enjoying the myriad entertainment offerings of the popular Salamanca district and the project to be safely completed to the required standards.
Project Outcome
The enhanced presentation and high standard of finish left the body corporation, residents and tenants extremely satisfied. The refreshed Salamanca Silos and Programmed’s professionalism assured the Silos’ property managers that entrusting Programmed with a second repaint, this time for the Somerset Apartments in Castray Esplanade, would yield equally stunning results.
“We were fortunate in having Programmed as the winning tenderer on this project. In the manner which I am finding typical of this firm, nothing was too much trouble. They were well prepared, they have a considerable depth of experience and use skilled workers. If difficulties arise they systematically take them in their stride. For an administering architect, excellent lines of communication with contractors are vital to project health. With Programmed this communication is a given, we were able to work together efficiently all the way; to evaluate each possible problem and resolve the same in advance.
The Silos complex includes a more recent concrete building on Castray Esplanade. This includes offices, a car parking level and the Sommerset Apartments. Programmed went on to complete the refinishing project covering this building after their successful main Silos works. This was a large work where management of various teams, multiple users and visitors was both required and flawlessly executed.
It remains my considerable pleasure to have worked with Programmed on these projects.”
Ian Johnson, JAID Architecture