Commercial Builder of the Year 2024

Kennett has proudly accepted the top honour for the 4th time at the recent award ceremony, with wins across 3 separate categories to secure the overall title.

Winning categories included:

• Commercial / Industrial $50m to $100m – Nazareth Catholic College, new campus
• Commercial Refurbishment / Redevelopment over $5m – South Australian Jockey Club, Wolf Blass ‘The Man’ Event Centre, Morphettville Racecourse
• Retirement Living / Aged Care – Clayton Church Homes (CCH), Summerhill Development, Uraidla

Judges at the Master Builders Association (SA) summarised the win as follows:

“All judges unanimously agreed Kennett were the most deserving winner for Commercial Builder of the Year 2024. Kennett showcased its strengths and versatility as a builder in this year’s Awards, winning three highly-contested and differing categories against some serious competition.Taking out the wins in Commercial / Industrial $50m to $100m, Commercial Refurbishment / Redevelopment over $5m and Retirement Living / Aged Care across multiple judging teams, they have proven to be a leading builder in South Australia. All judges noted the outstanding management of complex builds, strong and cohesive relationships with their trade contractors, suppliers, stakeholders and clients and exceptional quality in construction across all projects entered. Kennett were faced with multiple challenges across all projects, including working in live functional environments, material issues and site access, but managed these challenges with innovation and forward thinking. A clear stand out this year.”

This recognition is a testament to the hard work, passion, and unwavering commitment the Kennett staff bring to their roles every day. The collective effort and relentless pursuit of excellence sets an industry benchmark. Congratulations to each and every member of the Kennett team!

Nazareth Stage 3 Senior Campus – Judges Comments

“This project was extremely complex covering the construction of all the facilities required of a highly respected secondary school. The school had made a commitment to parents of an opening date that could not be moved. This required Kennett to commence construction with documentation still be resolved. A very strong relationship between client, consultants and the builder engendered an atmosphere of trust and mutual respect. Within this spirit of cooperation Kennett’s project managed the delivery of this school, meeting all the objectives set. Very high end but durable finishes were selected by the architect which were essential to achieve a superb outcome. Respect for the designers was clearly shown in maintaining these finishes whilst under value management scrutiny. The finishes achieved both internally and externally was exceptional. In all other assessment criteria Kennett scored very highly consequently resulting in them being a worthy winner of this category.”

Clayton Church Homes, Summerhill – Judges. Comments

“Kennett’s quality of work and attention to details across the CCH Summerhill Redevelopment is exceptional. The quality of trades throughout are a testament to Kennett’s strive for excellence, noting the stonemason’s care with stone selection to ensure the natural stone colour and vein colours were constant through the building, both internally and externally. The demolition of the existing structure had extensive rock excavation and civil works that removed 50,000 ton of soil from site to re-profile the area. A high level of finishes gave the building a homely and warm feeling, not at all feeling like a hospital or institution. The site’s position on top of a hill added complexity to the project. Transport / logistics had to be managed and co-ordinated with trades meticulously. An exceptional project by Kennett, more than worthy of this award.”

Wolf Blass ‘The Man’ Event Centre, Morphettville Racecourse – Judges Comments

“Morphettville Wolf Blass ‘The Man’ Event Centre by Kennett was an outstanding project. Kennett had to work closely with SAJC to ensure the design intent was met and works could be facilitated within an operational event space. The administration building refurbishment included all new services and structural enhancements. To achieve the new design, the building underwent a full strip of finishes and fixtures, followed by point cloud scanning for precise BIM modelling. Two-storey in-situ double-sided formwork walls were erected to address the required seismic upgrades, and with the introduction of new lifts, the building required extensive underpinning. Working within the site was complex being a fully functional racecourse, horse training daily and race meets most weekends. The site bordered existing buildings on both sides. A complex project met with exacting standards and a very happy client. Well done Kennett.”