Civil and Civic
Encyclopedia
Civil and Civic was an Australian company acquired in 1961 by Lend Lease Corporation
.
in 1951 on behalf of the Dutch
building companies Bredero's Bouwbedrijf of Utrecht
and The Royal Dutch Harbour Company as an Australia
n-based building contractor. Its first contract was to supply and erect 200 prefabricated houses for the Snowy Mountains’ Authority which had been established by William Hudson, engineer of the Snowy Mountains Scheme
. Hudson's greatest obstacle in the completion of the scheme was the provision of labour and materials. Without a resolution to these two problems the realisation of the project was doubtful. But 31 year old Dutch immigrant Dick Dusseldorp conceived a plan to prefabricate frames for worker housing in Finland, plumbing in England, ship materials via Cooma and recruit labour from the Netherlands to erect the homes. Dusseldorp established 'Civil and Civic' to take on and manage the multi-million-dollar contract.
Civil and Civic went on to become Australia's leading provider of project management services in the construction industry, delivering a number of landmark projects including Stage I of the Sydney Opera House
, Australia's first high-rise (Caltex House), and the world's first high-rise strata title apartment building (Blues Point Tower
).
In 1961 Civil and Civic was acquired by Lend Lease Corporation, but the company continued to trade under the Civil and Civic name for some time, also constructing the world's tallest lightweight concrete construction building (Australia Square
), and the tallest building in the world outside North America (MLC Centre
) at the time of completion.
In 1999 Lend Lease Corporation acquired P&O's Global Project Management Company, Bovis, rebranding the business as Bovis Lend Lease
. The Australian operations of Civil and Civic were merged with the new subsidiary, effectively ending the use of the original company name.
Lend Lease Corporation
Lend Lease Group is a global property and infrastructure company headquartered in Sydney, Australia...
.
History
The Company was originally founded by Dick DusseldorpDick Dusseldorp
Gerardus Jozef Dusseldorp AO was a Dutch engineer and the founder of Civil and Civic, the financing arm of which later emerged as Lend Lease Corporation, one of Australia's largest companies.-Career:...
in 1951 on behalf of the Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
building companies Bredero's Bouwbedrijf of Utrecht
Utrecht (city)
Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands with a population of 312,634 on 1 Jan 2011.Utrecht's ancient city centre features...
and The Royal Dutch Harbour Company as an Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n-based building contractor. Its first contract was to supply and erect 200 prefabricated houses for the Snowy Mountains’ Authority which had been established by William Hudson, engineer of the Snowy Mountains Scheme
Snowy Mountains Scheme
The Snowy Mountains scheme is a hydroelectricity and irrigation complex in south-east Australia. It consists of sixteen major dams; seven power stations; a pumping station; and 225 kilometres of tunnels, pipelines and aqueducts and was constructed between 1949 and 1974. The Chief engineer was Sir...
. Hudson's greatest obstacle in the completion of the scheme was the provision of labour and materials. Without a resolution to these two problems the realisation of the project was doubtful. But 31 year old Dutch immigrant Dick Dusseldorp conceived a plan to prefabricate frames for worker housing in Finland, plumbing in England, ship materials via Cooma and recruit labour from the Netherlands to erect the homes. Dusseldorp established 'Civil and Civic' to take on and manage the multi-million-dollar contract.
Civil and Civic went on to become Australia's leading provider of project management services in the construction industry, delivering a number of landmark projects including Stage I of the Sydney Opera House
Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in the Australian city of Sydney. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, finally opening in 1973 after a long gestation starting with his competition-winning design in 1957...
, Australia's first high-rise (Caltex House), and the world's first high-rise strata title apartment building (Blues Point Tower
Blues Point Tower
Blues Point Tower is an apartment block in Sydney, Australia. Located in McMahons Point, close toNorth Sydney, the tower is 83m tall with 144 apartments over 25 levels...
).
In 1961 Civil and Civic was acquired by Lend Lease Corporation, but the company continued to trade under the Civil and Civic name for some time, also constructing the world's tallest lightweight concrete construction building (Australia Square
Australia Square
Australia Square is an office and retail complex in the central business district of Sydney, Australia. Its main address is 264 George Street, and the Square is bounded on the northern side by Bond Street, eastern side by Pitt Street and southern side by Curtin Place.The building was designed by...
), and the tallest building in the world outside North America (MLC Centre
MLC Centre
The MLC Centre is a skyscraper in Sydney, Australia. This office building is 228 metres high and has 60 storeys. Occupants include the Sydney Consulate of the United States of America. The podium of the building includes a shopping centre with several exclusive fashion labels and a 1,186 seat...
) at the time of completion.
In 1999 Lend Lease Corporation acquired P&O's Global Project Management Company, Bovis, rebranding the business as Bovis Lend Lease
Bovis Lend Lease
Lend Lease Project Management & Construction is the international project management and construction division of Lend Lease Group.-History:...
. The Australian operations of Civil and Civic were merged with the new subsidiary, effectively ending the use of the original company name.
Major Projects
Major projects included:- Caltex House completed in 1957
- Sydney Opera House PodiumSydney Opera HouseThe Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in the Australian city of Sydney. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, finally opening in 1973 after a long gestation starting with his competition-winning design in 1957...
completed in 1962 - Blues Point TowerBlues Point TowerBlues Point Tower is an apartment block in Sydney, Australia. Located in McMahons Point, close toNorth Sydney, the tower is 83m tall with 144 apartments over 25 levels...
completed in 1962 - Australia SquareAustralia SquareAustralia Square is an office and retail complex in the central business district of Sydney, Australia. Its main address is 264 George Street, and the Square is bounded on the northern side by Bond Street, eastern side by Pitt Street and southern side by Curtin Place.The building was designed by...
completed in 1968 - MLC CentreMLC CentreThe MLC Centre is a skyscraper in Sydney, Australia. This office building is 228 metres high and has 60 storeys. Occupants include the Sydney Consulate of the United States of America. The podium of the building includes a shopping centre with several exclusive fashion labels and a 1,186 seat...
completed in 1977 - The ConnaughtThe Connaught (Sydney)The Connaught is a landmark residential apartment building in Sydney, Australia on Liverpool St. overlooking Hyde Park.-History:The Connaught was completed in 1984 by Civil and Civic, builders of the Sydney Opera House, and was one of the first concrete high-rise strata title apartment buildings in...
completed in 1984