Bunjil Place ready to rise with Multiplex

City of Casey Mayor Cr Sam Aziz joined the construction company with Casey Councillors on Monday to formalise the agreement which will bring the remarkable building to life over the next two years.

"Today officially marks the beginning of the construction process for Bunjil Place. This is an exciting day for the City of Casey and a significant milestone in the project's timeline," Cr Aziz said.

"Multiplex was the standout team in Council's comprehensive three-stage tender process which was a first for the City of Casey and is fitting for the size and scale of this project. "

"Multiplex is a highly accredited, top tier construction company with an excellent reputation and extensive experience building large scale, innovative property and infrastructure in Australia and globally."

"It has an impressive track record of delivering high quality projects on time and on budget, which is critical to the Council getting the best outcome and value for the community."

"Melbourne's iconic Federation Square, Royal Melbourne Showgrounds and the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre are a few of the significant cultural facilities Multiplex has completed.

"This gives Council confidence that Multiplex understands the Bunjil Place project and can produce the unique design and meet the special requirements of all the internal facilities such as the theatre and community library."

Multiplex Managing Director Graham Cottam said "We are thrilled to be selected by the City of Casey to undertake this one-of-a-kind project which will be a landmark for Melbourne's south-east. "

"We pride ourselves on our ability to work closely with our client, and we are committed to working together with the City of Casey to make Bunjil Place a reality for the community, bringing the distinctive design to life".

"Brookfield has industry-leading, internationally accredited systems and processes and we are ready and excited to hit the ground running and work with the Council and Casey community to deliver Bunjil Place by late 2017."

The City of Casey and Multiplex have committed to working together to ensure the Bunjil Place project supports the local community.

"Multiplex has committed to implementing social procurement initiatives in Casey to increase local employment, reduce disadvantage and improve social inclusion through training programs," said Cr Aziz.

Mr Cottam added "We aim to leave a lasting legacy with every one of our projects, and we are looking forward to becoming active members of the Casey community and creating local employment and training opportunities to support the local economy."

"This will further support the overall economic activity from the facility's development, which will extend to more than its revenue," said Cr Aziz.

"While under construction, the project will create more than 1,200 job opportunities, 700 of which will be local, injecting approximately $83.5 million in to the regional economy, and $151.8 million in to the Victorian economy."

"The community can expect to see Multiplex on site this week, with construction works to commence within a few weeks."

"We know that during the construction period there may be some inconvenience to residents, but Council will work with Multiplex to ensure this is minimal and that safety is paramount."

"Council will regularly share the project's progress with the community to ensure they are with us every step of the way. "

"It's incredible to think we have come almost full circle since we first visualised the facility when we announced the architect back in January 2014 with Guy Sebastian as our project ambassador! "

"We look forward to developing a strong relationship with Multiplex to deliver Bunjil Place for our community and visitors to enjoy."

About Bunjil Place

Bunjil Place is one of the largest projects to be undertaken by local government in Australia.

It will be the only facility of its kind, serving a regional community which currently lacks access to arts and cultural facilities.

Features include; 800 seat Regional Theatre, Studio, Regional Art Gallery, Community library and meeting rooms, Civic Centre and Council offices; activated community plaza.

Building size: 24,500 m2

Location: Narre Warren in Melbourne's south east, 40kms from the CBD

Budget: $125 million

Architect: Francis-Jones Morehen Thorp

Builder: Multiplex Constructions Pty Ltd

Visitation: 1 million per year (expected)

For further information on Bunjil Place visit Bunjil Place website.