St George Dragons High-Performance Training Facility

Contractor FDC
Location: Fairy Meadow, NSW
Services: Fire Engineering

A new home for one of the NRL's foundation clubs — a two-storey, 5,000 sqm Community and High Performance Centre on the University of Wollongong Innovation Campus.

CORE was engaged by FDC Construction to deliver the fire engineering for the Dragons' new training and community facility at Fairy Meadow, bringing together elite gym and training areas, coaching and medical consulting suites, physiotherapy and recovery rooms, classrooms and function spaces shared with the wider Illawarra community.

The architectural intent — an exposed steel frame with external 'V' columns, a double-height gym and open, interconnected floors — sat outside what a prescriptive Deemed-to-Satisfy approach could accommodate. Working alongside the design team, the certifier and Fire and Rescue NSW, CORE developed a suite of Performance Solutions addressing rationalised fire resistance levels to the structure, extended travel distances across both levels, hydrant booster location and the servicing of the mechanical riser.

The outcome preserved the architecture and removed unnecessary fire protection from the steelwork, delivering cost and programme benefit to the builder while demonstrating full compliance with the NCC Performance Requirements and a robust level of safety for the 360 players, staff and visitors the building serves.