Post Entry Quarantine (PEQ) Facility

The new Post Entry Quarantine (PEQ) facility was built to consolidate Australia’s four existing PEQ operations and has been designed in cooperation with industry.

A.G. Coombs Projects was appointed by Managing Contractor, CPB Contractors (formally Leighton Contractors), to deliver mechanical and HVAC services to the first three stages of the new PEQ facility, and Walker Fire Protection was commissioned to install fire detection systems.

A wide range of specialised HVAC, mechanical and fire services has been delivered to meet the many individual requirements of the compounds. Everything from straightforward reverse cycle air conditioning for the electrical substation building, through to very particular systems for the complex Quarantine Containment (QC) laboratory spaces, QC2 and QC3, has been installed. Fire detection has been installed throughout the facility, mimicked back to a central monitoring and control station.

The horse, cat, dog and bee compounds, and the buildings that provide site-wide services such as the dispatch, administration and central utilities buildings, all reached practical completion in October 2015 and are already in use. Specialist climate control systems have been installed into the glasshouses, shade house and laboratory in the plant compound, which have also reached practical completion and are currently undergoing some client testing, with some areas already in use.

Key technical challenges for A.G. Coombs in many of the buildings were around the assurance of pressure hierarchies, air cleanliness and correct temperature and humidity control to support the safe and effective operation of the facility. Detailed engineering and technical support, together with the thorough commissioning processes and rigorous testing of all systems, was important in achieving the required outcomes.