Fire Upgrade of Main Switchboard Room - Parliamentary Annexe

Summary and scope

The existing Main Switchboard Room (MSB room) of the Parliamentary Precinct, located on Level 2 of the Parliamentary Annexe, has had recommendations presented by an independent Building Certifier to provide 120/120/120 FRL separation from the rest of the storey to meet compliance with the current Building Code of Australia. As part of the Building Certifiers inspection report, it was noted that the MSB room requires fire separation from the remainder of the building to comply with the BCA 2022 with outstanding compliance items including, but not limited to: • Various cracks and holes in the blockwork wall • No fire stopping to wall perimeters • Unprotected ventilation grille • Holes in the ceiling to adjacent corridor • Unsealed penetrations in the ceiling. The report also notes that a critical defect notice has been issued for new fire doors installed as part of a Switchboard Upgrade Project, with various compliance issues with the frame, gaps and surrounding passive fire protection.