Geocon’s High Society is now the tallest building in Canberra. Photo: File.
It started as a conversation over some salami, Italian bread and homemade wine and resulted in constructing what was Canberra’s tallest building some six years ago, Wayfarer.
Since building the Wayfarer apartments in Belconnen, CPS Concrete Group and Geocon have worked together to pour five more of the tallest structures in the ACT, accounting for more than 3,000 homes.
CPS has been on the Canberra construction scene for over 40 years, albeit under a different name for much of that time.
Director of CPS Concrete Group Tony Costanzo was handed the reins in 2015.
“For 25 years, it was purely about concrete for residential and commercial dwellings. Since then, we also do steel reinforcement, landscaping, and a few other bits and pieces.”
The award-winning National Arboretum is a highlight in CPS’s portfolio. Photo: Supplied.
CPS certainly has an impressive portfolio, providing the concrete backbone for the Canberra Airport terminal, Canberra Hospital multi-storey car park, the Centenary Hospital for Women and Children, the award-winning National Arboretum and the Gungahlin Grandstand.
One of their favourite projects was the jungle-themed Playground at the Centenary Hospital for Women and Children where they collaborated with the George Gregan Foundation to donate their services.
Tony says the landscaping side of the business kicked off about three years ago.
“Basically, the construction side of the business puts the buildings up and then the landscaping team comes in to make it look pretty. They take care of all the courtyards, garden beds, paving and irrigation.”
At the same time, Geocon began breaking ground for low-rise residential dwellings and townhouses in Canberra’s suburbs in 2007. From there, it was on to bigger things – much bigger things – and the company is now the largest residential builder and developer in the nation’s capital, with an annual turnover of $500 million.
Geocon general manager Damon Smith says that delivering the size and scale of their projects, they needed to work with the biggest and the best when it comes to laying all that concrete.
Despite working on massive buildings with Geocon, not to mention the equally massive fleet of mobile concrete boom pumps and tower placing booms ranging from 28 to 52 metres, CPS isn’t limited to the big stuff.
Tony says they offer landscaping services to residential dwellings, while the concreting side also has a “purely residential side” too.
“We can do all your foundations, concrete slabs, driveways, and things like that.”
CPS says they and Geocon share a common goal: bettering Canberra and assisting it to grow.
Visit the CPS Concrete Group website for more information.
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