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Bureau of Meteorology chooses Folkestone-Leighton in Docklands for new Headquarters

Issue Date:  14 June 2002
Issued By:  Leighton Holdings Limited

Company Announcements Office
Australian Stock Exchange Limited
Level 4
20 Bridge Street
Sydney NSW 2000

Dear Sir

Bureau of Meteorology chooses Folkestone-Leighton in Docklands for new Headquarters.

For your information please find attached copies of media releases made earlier today by Folkestone Limited and the Bureau of Meteorology in relation the Bureau of Meteorology’s decision to relocate its 16,000 sqm tenancy to 700 Collins Street in Docklands when the lease on its current building expires in March 2004.

Yours faithfully
LEIGHTON HOLDINGS LIMITED
ASHLEY MOIR
Company Secretary

Bureau of Meteorology chooses Folkestone-Leighton in Docklands for new Headquarters

Issue Date: 14 June 2002
Issued by: Folkestone Limited

In one of the most anticipated leasing decisions of 2002 it was announced today that the Bureau of Meteorology has chosen to relocate its 16,000 sqm tenancy to 700 Collins Street in Docklands.

The decision is a major win for the joint venture between Folkestone Limited and Leighton Properties Pty Limited that was awarded the development rights to the Batman Hill site in 2001.

Folkestone Ltd Managing Director Mr Allan Davidson said 700 Collins Street would be the first commercial office building in Batmans Hill and the second major office development for Docklands.

The $130 million (end value) building will be linked directly into the city and CBD transport network by the Collins Street extension that will open later this year.

Mr Davison said the Head Office and Victorian Regional Office of the Bureau of Meteorology would occupy about the half the building under a 12-year lease starting in April 2004.  The Bureau will be relocating from 150 Lonsdale Street where it has been since 1974.

The 13 level building will offer approximately 31,000 sqm of office and retail space as well as 4 levels of carparking for 350 cars.  The floor plates will vary between 2,260 sqm and 2,630 sqm delivering greater workspace efficiencies than conventional office floor sizes normally around half the size.

Mr Beck, Victorian Manager, Leighton Properties, said the building was the latest in environmentally aware campus architecture and was designed to minimise energy use and provide a natural work environment for staff.

The building will include two wintergarden atrium zones as a unique feature, located on the east and west sides of the project.  These zones have been designed to provide access to natural light, interfloor connectivity and as linkages between the large northern and southern floor plates.

The wintergarden atria will also be connected to the air conditioning systems for “mixed mode” operations.  This allows the building to reduce its reliance on air conditioning for heating and cooling by using natural ventilation in mild weather.

‘The new building will meet the Bureau’s highly specialised computing and communications requirements and will also provide improved and cost-effective building services within a smaller area of office space’, said Dr Sharman Stone, Parliamentary Secretary responsible for the Bureau of Meteorology.

The building will be designed by Bligh Voller Nield and Peddle Thorp.  Construction will be undertaken by Leighton Contractors Pty Ltd and is scheduled to commence during the September quarter and completion by March 2004.


A copy of the Media release from the Hon Dr Sharman Stone MP, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for the Environment and Heritage, is also attached.

For further information:

Mr Allan Davison        
Managing Director        
Folkestone Limited        
03-9670-7028 (bh)        
0414-883-903 (mob)        

Mr Bill Beck
Manager Victoria  
Leighton Properties Pty Limited
03-9228-7032 (bh)
0418-384-138 (mob)

Bureau of Meteorology on the move

Issue Date: 14 June 2002
Issued by: The Hon Dr Sharman Stone MP
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for the Environment and Heritage, Federal Member for Murray

The Head Office and Victorian Regional Office of the Bureau of Meteorology will relocate to new premises at 700 Collins Street, Melbourne, when the lease on its current building expires in March 2004.  The site, on the fringe of Melbourne’s Central Business District, is part of the Docklands development.

Dr Sharman Stone, Parliamentary Secretary responsible for the Bureau, said the move was necessary to continue to provide the best possible meteorological services to the community for the next decade and beyond. 

‘The new building will meet the Bureau’s highly specialised computing and communications requirements and will also provide improved and cost-effective building services within a smaller area of office space’, said Dr Stone.

The Bureau’s central operations are currently based at 150 Lonsdale Street in Melbourne’s CBD.  The building, which is 28 years old, has been home to the Bureau’s Head Office since 1974 and to its Victorian Regional Office since 1986.

Dr Stone said the Bureau’s existing premises have a limited capacity to cope with the future demands of an organisation which operates one of Australia’s largest supercomputer complexes.  ‘It is vital for the Bureau to maintain the appropriate infrastructure and flexibility to ensure that its day-to-day forecasts and warnings are not compromised’, she said.

The Bureau will phase in its next generation of high performance computing equipment over the next few years.  During an initial testing phase, the new equipment will need to be co-located with existing equipment.  ‘Space considerations in the existing building will not permit this to take place’, said Dr Stone.

Dr Stone says she is particularly pleased that the new building, which will have at least a four star energy performance rating, will be environmentally friendly.  ‘Its design provides for better utilisation of floor space, maximisation of natural light and lower overall energy consumption with resultant reductions in on-going operating costs’, she said.  The Bureau’s operations will take up over half of the office space available in the building.

The new location is well serviced by public transport, allowing easy access for Bureau clients.  Selection of the Docklands site means the Australian Government will participate in one of Melbourne’s most innovative developments.

Weather observations for the Melbourne area will not be affected by the move.  Readings of temperature, rainfall, air pressure, wind speed and direction, humidity and evaporation will continue to be taken at the Bureau’s enclosure at the Royal Society Grounds on the corner of Victoria and La Trobe Streets.  Observations were first taken at this site on 31 December 1907.

Property consultants KFPW Pty Limited report that the current state of the Melbourne property market has enabled the Bureau to negotiate commercially favourable terms for its new building, resulting in a significant improvement in the quality of its infrastructure while reducing its annual property operating expenses.  The Bureau has agreed to a 12-year lease with flexibility to reduce its space requirements in the future. Savings will flow from the selection of a building that incorporates a high level of Environmentally Sustainable Design elements.

Tendering for the new accommodation has been handled by an in-house Accommodation Project Management Group with support from KFPW Pty Limited, engineering consultants Gutteridge Haskins & Davey Pty Ltd, and Building Services Design & Management who have a close knowledge of the Bureau’s specialised building requirements.

For further information please contact:
Dr Stone’s Office: Simon Frost - 0419 495 468
Bureau of Meteorology: Tarini Casinader, Manager, Accommodation Project - 03 9669 4851 or 0438 322 948