Project Overview
Brown & Moodie was engaged by Lendlease and the University of Sydney for Early Contractor Involvement to deliver a comprehensive hydraulic dilapidation report of the existing services. From these findings Brown and Moodie were engaged to complete the refurbishment of the Molecular Bioscience Building - one of the University’s facilities supporting medical, biological, and scientific research.
The project required delivery within a fully operational PC2 laboratory environment, with strict safety and operational constraints.
The works involved extensive investigation, reporting, and upgrade of ageing
hydraulic infrastructure across multiple levels.
Key components included:
- Replacement of trade waste plumbing from glass to HDPE
- Installation of a complete Reverse Osmosis treatment plant
- Upgrade of reverse osmosis infrastructure pipework throughout the building.
- Supply and installation of new stainless-steel tanks for the potable and non-
potable cold-water systemspotable water systems
- Reticulation of hydraulic services to the laboratories, including laboratory
waste, RO water, potable and non-potable cold water.potable chilled water
(NPCW)
- Reticulation of Potable Cold-Water services to safety stations including safety
eye washes, safety showers and hand-washing basins.
- Upgraded backflow protection and segregation of potable water systems.
Client/ Builder: Lendlease & University of Sydney
Sector: Education
Location: Sydney, NSW
Project Duration: January 2023 – 2025 (2.5 Years)
Scope: Brown and Moodie was engaged to provide the hydraulic plumbing within the University of Sydney’s G08 Molecular Bioscience Building. The project involved the upgrading of the wet laboratories, amenities, core building services, and specialist research spaces to meet current Australian Standards.
The Objective
The primary objective was to modernise the building’s hydraulic plumbing systems while ensuring uninterrupted laboratory research, teaching activities, and compliance with current codes and University of Sydney engineering standards.
Key goals included:
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Upgrading ageing systems to meet university and regulatory requirements
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Maintaining safety and operational continuity within live PC2 labs
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Ensuring safe drinking water delivery and compliant waste handling
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Completing major upgrades under strict WHS, access, and contamination
protocols
Challenges
Major challenges included:
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Working with ageing, deteriorated infrastructure
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Intrusive works within active PC2 laboratories and teaching spaces
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Core drilling and system installation while ensuring zero impact on staff,
research, and equipment within an existing building following strict
engineering requirements. -
Maintaining uninterrupted hydraulic plumbing services to all operational laboratories throughout construction, ensuring research activities remained fully functional and
uncompromised.
Solutions and approach
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Out-of-hours works: All intrusive works were completed outside normal operating hours to avoid disruption to scientific activities. Works were coordinated to keep active sections of the facility live and uninterrupted.
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Virtual Design & Construction (VDC): 3D modelling and clash detection were used extensively to plan installations in congested service zones, ensuring accuracy and reducing rework. Our site team were able to access a live 3D model tool that identified clashes in real time during hydraulic installations.
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Controlled site management: Strict WHS protocols governed all works involving contaminated materials, live service connections, and sensitive research environments. Our site team meticulously documented every stage of the hydraulic installation process, following a comprehensive quality management plan to ensure full compliance with project specifications and industry standards.
Results and Impact
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The successful replacement of all major hydraulic plumbing plant and
equipment within a live bioscience facility -
Improved system performance, reliability, and compliance
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Enhanced safety for research and teaching staff
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Upgraded the Reverse Osmosis system and improved handling of
contaminated laboratory waste -
Strengthened potable water quality and backflow protection across the
building
Sydney University Labs
Technologies used
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BIM (Revizto) – 3D modelling and clash detection
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Autodesk Construction Cloud – Quality assurance management
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Aconex – Project communication and document control
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Microsoft 365 – Coordination, reporting, and workflow management
