Pre-fabricated concrete modules were craned into place to build the structural core of Graya’s Enclave tower at Broadbeach in just 48 hours
It took a 3am police escort, rolling road closures, and just 48 hours to drop a 15-storey luxury tower core directly onto the Gold Coast skyline.
Brisbane-based developer Graya trucked in massive pre-cast modules to assemble the spine of its boutique Enclave tower in a fraction of the usual time, leaving locals rubbing their eyes in disbelief.
The 15 concrete cubes, each weighing 68 tonnes and prefabricated in Ipswich, were suspended by crane against the ocean backdrop as high-vis-clad crews guided them through the air to be stacked like Tetris blocks above Old Burleigh Rd, Broadbeach.
Pre-fabricated concrete modules were craned into place
The operation was one of the most challenging feats the company had overtaken
Graya director of construction Dan Goodbun said the innovative operation was one of the most challenging feats the company had undertaken.
“Installing 15 levels in two days required a huge amount of planning across transport, road closures, crane movements and the installation sequence,” Mr Goodbun said.
“It is a significant milestone for the project and means we can now move into the next stage of construction with the floor plates progressing approximately every 10 days.”
The blink-and-you-miss-it method slashed structural labour on-site by 20 per cent and will shave two months from the project’s total construction timeline.
Graya CEO Rob Gray on site at Broadbeach
It comes as Queensland looks to off-site manufacturing as a silver bullet to the state’s crippling housing and tradie shortage.
As Graya adopts prefabricated construction for its highest build to date, a separate manufacturing facility broke ground further north on the Gold Coast.
Delivered by Frasers Property Industrial for modular builder Modscape + Modbotics, the 50,000 sqm mega-factory at Yatala will pump out 2,000 modular building units every year once operational from mid-2027.
“More than a new facility, it’s an investment in people and capability. It gives us the permanent base we need to grow our local team, further industrialise construction in Queensland, and deliver high-quality buildings faster, with greater certainty, and at a scale we simply couldn’t achieve before,” Modscape’s Jan Gyrn said.
The method was expected to shave months off the construction timeline
Enclave is Graya’s highest residential project to date
MORE NEWS
Bachelorette star Angie Kent’s shock property move
‘Rude’: Aussie woman’s shock targeting over baby
Rental vacancy ease but tenant pain not over
Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate said the project was a “a powerful vote of confidence in our city as a destination for advanced manufacturing”.
“It is also a significant step to rapidly address housing supply issues across the Gold Coast and beyond, in line with our ambition to become Australia’s modular home manufacturing hub.”
Graya CEO Rob Gray said their rapid Broadbeach build reflected the company’s focus on finding smarter ways to deliver complex projects.
“As our projects have grown in scale, we have continued to look at how we can build more efficiently, improve certainty around the construction program and maintain control over quality,” Mr Gray said.
An artist’s impression of the completed project
The project has an impressive raft of wellness features
With the tower’s core now anchored just steps from the sand, the developer will take Enclave’s remaining five apartments to market on September 1, including the 1,012 sqm, triple-storey penthouse priced at an eye-watering $26.5m.
Graya managing director Andrew Gray said 70 per cent of the project’s 24 units had been sold, with most buyers owner-occupiers or downsizers from Brisbane and the Gold Coast.
“We are seeing buyers place much greater value on space, privacy, amenity and residences that genuinely work as a permanent home,” Mr Gray said.
“That has been a major driver of demand at Enclave.”
The tower’s features will include a full-floor wellness space with hot and cold plunge pools, a mineral pool, hydrotherapy spa, steam room, sauna, gym and private treatment rooms.
Residents will also have access to concierge services and a dedicated Tesla car share.
The penthouse is priced at $26.5m
The triple-storey penthouse has a rooftop entertaining zone
