Law Courts Hydrant Upgrade
Project Overview
Brown & Moodie contracted to BGIS as the principal contractor to undertake the entire replacement & upgrade of the fire hydrant system within the 27-storey Queen’s Square Law Courts Building, home to the Supreme Court of NSW, the Federal Court of Australia, and the High Court of Australia.
The challenge included the building was to remain fully operational throughout the works, requiring the project to be delivered in clearly defined stages.
The upgrade included the removal of all existing hydrant pipework and pumps, installation of a new booster assembly and dual diesel hydrant pumps, and included the integration of dry fire monitoring with the existing Fire Indicator Panel (FIP).
Principle Contractor: Brown & Moodie
Sector: Commercial
Location: Sydney, NSW
Project Duration: 16 months (March 2024 – July 2025)
Role: Principal Contractor
Scope: Full replacement of the existing hydrant system across a 27-storey operational court building, including new pipework, penetrations, dual diesel pumps, booster assembly, fire rating, and integration with the existing FIP.
The Objective
The objective of the project was to replace the ageing hydrant system throughout the 27-floor building while maintaining full building operations.
Key objectives included:
-
Deliver the hydrant upgrade in staged sequences
-
Replace all existing hydrant infrastructure
-
Maintain building operation throughout the works
Challenges
Delivering the hydrant upgrade within a fully operational multi-storey building presented several challenges, including:
-
Staging works across 27 levels
-
Coordinating shutdowns, penetrations, and reinstatement
-
Maintaining ceiling access and reinstatement across multiple floors
-
Core drilling new penetrations without interrupting building use
Solutions and approach
To maintain building operations and manage access constraints, the project was delivered in three defined stages:
Stage 1 - Western Fire Stair + Cross Connections (Level 8,12, 17 & 20)
-
Western fire stair hydrant replacement
-
Cross-connection works on Levels 8, 12, 17, and 20
Stage 2 - Level 24 Dual Diesel Pump Installation
-
Installation of new Level 24 dual diesel hydrant pumps
Stage 3 - Eastern Fire Stair
-
Eastern fire stair hydrant replacement
Scope of Works
Brown & Moodie’s delivery included:
-
For-construction design of the new hydrant system
-
Demolition of all existing hydrant pipework and pumps
-
Core drilling of penetrations to suit new pipe layout
-
Removal and reinstatement of ceilings to facilitate cross-floor connections
-
Installation of new hydrant pipework throughout
-
Installation of dry fire monitoring and integration with the existing FIP
-
Installation of a new hydrant booster assembly
-
Fire rating of all new penetrations
-
Final testing and commissioning
Results and Impact
-
Full replacement of the hydrant system across all 27 floors
-
Works delivered in staged sequences to maintain building operation
-
Installation of new dual diesel pumps and booster assembly
-
Completion of all required demolition, penetrations, reinstatement, installation, and commissioning
Technologies used
-
Revit – 3D modelling and clash detection
-
Autodesk – QA management
-
Hammertech - EHS
-
Microsoft 365 Suite – Project coordination and reporting
