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Taylor’s Greek Construction Manager has led many projects to their completion but none as exciting, perhaps, Royal Randwick’s new Winx Stand. Named after the legendary mare who captivated the racing world, this is a multi-purpose facility including a leading-edge, two-floor Conference and Exhibition Centre in the heart of the prestigious racecourse.
Taylor is soon set to deliver the new Winx Stand facility contracted by the Australian Turf Club. With just four weeks to go for the Everest race day, Everest Diaries speaks with Crespis about what makes the Winx Stand a modern marvel, overcoming the challenges involved in building at a functioning racecourse, how Taylor has successfully overcome those, and how he thrives when he is building purposeful spaces that will become a legacy for the city and nation.
Q: Could you give us a little bit of an overview of Taylor and the Winx Stand?
A: Taylor is one of the top ten commercial contractors in Sydney. We work across all sectors including, quite a number of social infrastructure and community projects such as council projects, theatres, and education and sporting facilities. Taylor has been appointed as the managing contractor of the Sydney Opera House’s Concert Hall Renewal works, among others.
Taylor is a privately-owned business, founded by Mark Taylor over 25 years ago. Our tagline is connecting people and spaces and I believe, Taylor is also about giving back to the community and building projects that are there for the community. And Winx is a perfect example of that. It's a public infrastructure project, ultimately, funded by the NSW state and the Australian Turf Club (ATC). It's a project that people can visit and enjoy for the rest of their lives.
Q: And could you tell us a bit more about yourself?
A: I have over 18 years of commercial experience in the construction sector, both in Australia and overseas. However, I really enjoy my current role with Taylor, as it involves community projects. Although I have not worked on a grandstand project before, I previously worked on a project at Royal Randwick and I know the grounds pretty well.
Q: The Winx Stand comprises a stunning open roof space and link bridge. Could you tell us more about the same?
A: The Winx Stand was designed by Cox Architects. The concept and the design for the stand have a really prominent, beautiful position close to the final corner of the racetrack. And it's got the lawn right in front of it. There is this beautiful terrace.
As you probably know, the terrace with an outdoor bar is a multi-functional area. The use of this stand is not limited to race days, although that's the prime function, it's designed as a conference facility that can be split into multiple spaces and six-meter high ceilings. The terrace has wonderful sweeping views of the track, the city and Randwick, and Centennial Park. It's a beautiful space. And the quality of the building will be a testament to what the ATC and Sydney City are able to achieve.
We have also built a partially enclosed pedestrian bridge. It's not in the building in itself, but it's right next to the stand. So, you can go directly onto level one and onto the terrace from the Winx stand.
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Q: Is this a green project? Please tell us more about Taylor’s involvement in sustainable building construction.
A: This is a five-star Green Star project certified by the Australian Green Building Council rating system. Not just a Design rating, but also As Built. That includes low cement-concrete use, solar panels, a number of other initiatives such as low VOC paints. We will receive the As Built certification within 12 months of the opening.
Taylor has always been involved in sustainable projects. A lot of our projects are Green Star rated, with the exception of School Infrastructure projects which have a different system, where we look at equivalency ratings. In fact, all the projects that I'm running have a Green Star rating. However, as a business, we don't have a carbon-neutral target. However, this is something that we are currently looking at. Sustainability is a strategic priority across the whole business.
Q: Why is the Winx Stand different as compared to the other function centres built in Sydney?
A: For the Winx Stand, the location is key. It's a great location that is easily accessible. There is a lot of space around the stand, so close to the city. Although it's so close to the city it still offers an impression of being so far away, in a sense. It is a world-class, multi-purpose facility that boasts flexible spaces and breathtaking views.
Q: Has Taylor been involved with any other projects with the Australian Turf Club?
A: Yes. Taylor was involved with the Rosehill Gardens Racecourse refurbishment, involving the refurbishment of the JR Fleming Stand, a project focused on improving the race day experience.
Q: Considering the unique location, was this a challenging project especially on race days or in the mornings?
A: Yes, of course. But we are a people-centric business. What I mean by that is, the company is made up of a number of people and those people are critical to our ability to operate. Over many years, we've developed our people’s ability to work in live, operational environments. This includes equine environments where you have to have a very careful consideration of what's happening around you and work with minimal to no disruptions, all the while communicating properly.
The reality of construction is that there will be disruption. And really, the key to that is having the right people communicating in the right way. So, specifically for this project, there are a number of constraints. We don't work on race days and we start later in the day after the morning track work has finished. We also don't have anything permanently shading the course, as it obviously impacts races. To keep track of the noise, we have acoustic monitors and we have vibration monitors. They are set up around the perimeter and we are sure to inform neighbouring residents, as well as businesses, and especially the stables, of expected noise levels.
There have been reflectivity studies done on the materiality of the Winx Stand façade, which we have complied with. These look at the translucency and absorption potential of the façade material to minimise any potential for reflectivity onto the racetrack.
On the whole, it's just a matter of putting the operation of the Racecourse at the top of our priorities and being clear about how we work around it, so that the racetrack operations are not disrupted.
Q: Could you tell us a little bit about your background and what you like about your job?
What makes this special?
A: I am a trained civil engineer and have been working for builders in Sydney for 15 years now. Being an engineer, I like the physical element of seeing things being built. Additionally, I enjoy working at Taylor because the projects we undertake are long-lasting buildings, like community buildings. For example, the building of a library, parks, the sort of social infrastructure that is much more rewarding in the long term. On a day-to-day basis, I also enjoy developing people. And giving them the tools and the skills to develop over time. That's a key part of my role and it’s very rewarding.
Q: Our last question is, what is your favorite city and your favorite book?
A: Athens. I'm Greek. I grew up there. It's been four years now since I last went there. I didn't get there for a couple of years and then this whole COVID-19 thing started. Hopefully, we'll be able to go next year.
Recently, I really enjoyed reading The Poisonwood Bible. It’s a very well-written book about a missionary family who, in 1959 moved from the U.S. to Belgian Congo. The connection for me is the international perspective that the book spotlights, how many things get lost in translation as a foreigner when you go into a different land. Personally, I have worked in many countries. I went to university in the UK, I was born in New Zealand, but I grew up on an island, then later lived in Athens. I've also lived in Sydney now for quite some time, with family here. For me, there isn't really a country that says, you know, you're part of it. There's a lot of people like me, in a way unique, so that’s certainly something I relate to.
The Winx Stand is Sydney’s newest major large-scale function center opening at Royal Randwick in October 2021. It will boast a multitude of flexible light-filled spaces that offer seamless indoor and outdoor flow, ideal for conferences, galas and parties. The open-air rooftop space will offer breath-taking views toward Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs and will be ideal for conference breakouts or a pre-dinner cocktail party.
Q. Considering the unique location, was this a challenging project especially on race days or in the mornings?
A: Yes, of course. But we are a people-centric business. What I mean by that is, the company is made up of a number of people and those people are critical to our ability to operate. Over many years, we've developed our people’s ability to work in live, operational environments. This includes equine environments where you have to have a very careful consideration of what's happening around you and work with minimal to no disruptions, all the while communicating properly.
The reality of construction is that there will be disruption. And really, the key to that is having the right people communicating in the right way. So, specifically for this project, there are a number of constraints. We don't work on race days and we start later in the day after the morning track work has finished. We also don't have anything permanently shading the course, as it obviously impacts races. To keep track of the noise, we have acoustic monitors and we have vibration monitors. They are set up around the perimeter and we are sure to inform neighbouring residents, as well as businesses, and especially the stables, of expected noise levels.
There have been reflectivity studies done on the materiality of the Winx Stand façade, which we have complied with. These look at the translucency and absorption potential of the façade material to minimise any potential for reflectivity onto the racetrack.
On the whole, it's just a matter of putting the operation of the Racecourse at the top of our priorities and being clear about how we work around it, so that the racetrack operations are not disrupted.
Q: Could you tell us a little bit about your background and what you like about your job?
What makes this special?
A: I am a trained civil engineer and have been working for builders in Sydney for 15 years now. Being an engineer, I like the physical element of seeing things being built. Additionally, I enjoy working at Taylor because the projects we undertake are long-lasting buildings, like community buildings. For example, the building of a library, parks, the sort of social infrastructure that is much more rewarding in the long term. On a day-to-day basis, I also enjoy developing people. And giving them the tools and the skills to develop over time. That's a key part of my role and it’s very rewarding.
Q: Our last question is, what is your favorite city and your favorite book?
A: Athens. I'm Greek. I grew up there. It's been four years now since I last went there. I didn't get there for a couple of years and then this whole COVID-19 thing started. Hopefully, we'll be able to go next year.
Recently, I really enjoyed reading The Poisonwood Bible. It’s a very well written book about a missionary family who, in 1959 moved from the U.S. to Belgian Congo. The connection for me is the international perspective that the book spotlights, how many things get lost in translation as a foreigner when you go into a different land. Personally, I have worked in many countries. I went to university in the UK, I was born in New Zealand, but I grew up on an island, then later lived in Athens. I've also lived in Sydney now for quite some time, with family here. For me, there isn't really a country that says, you know, you're part of it. There's a lot of people like me, in a way unique, so that’s certainly something I relate to.
The Winx Stand is Sydney’s newest major large-scale function centre opening at Royal Randwick in October 2021. It will boast a multitude of flexible light-filled spaces that offer seamless indoor and outdoor flow, ideal for conferences, galas and parties. The open-air rooftop space will offer breath-taking views toward Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs and will be ideal for conference breakouts or a pre-dinner cocktail party.