The Q1 Resort and Spa has been a landmark of the Gold Coast since opening in 2005. Standing over 320 metres tall, it is the tallest residential building in the Southern Hemisphere.

The state of this building was well-maintained with the Eastern and Western elevations presenting as the only problem areas. Our Gold Coast team was engaged to help take this building to new heights. 

The challenge

The height of Q1 Resort and Spa was the key challenge our operations team needed to overcome within this project. The Eastern elevation required works from the 78th floor down to the 3rd floor, while the Western elevation only needed servicing from the 75th floor to the 60th floor. The decision was made by our project team to tackle this repaint solely utilising abseil painting.

Due to the complexity involved with maintaining this structure we consulted Dulux to determine a long-lasting coating system that would delay the need for further repaints in the foreseeable future. A specification that catered to the building’s environmental conditions was required.

Solution

As evidenced in the video above, we utilised a crew of two abseil painters to complete these works. The scope included painting and rectification works to the concrete pillars underneath the spire and above the residential terraces. Though experienced with working at heights, our crew determined it unsafe to abseil paint when winds exceeded 40 km/h. Our project manager routinely monitored the rain and wind forecast throughout the project’s duration to ensure the safety of the team.

We primed the Eastern and Western elevations with Dulux Acratex AcraPrime to ensure a good, uniform adhesion of the topcoat, followed by Dulux Acratex Acrashield because of its elastomeric performance coating. The Acratex Acrashield was chosen to provide a flexible finish that would withstand the wind, which can sway the building by up to 600 millimetres. This coating also helps to create a barrier against dirt resistance, improves surface washability and protects against corrosion.

Results

After over 200 operational hours, the repaint of the Eastern and Western concrete pillars on this iconic high-rise was complete. The finish has helped restore the building to its former glory, promising to attract holiday goers and impress full-time residents. We were thrilled with the outcome and happy to have provided our trademark quality to yet another Australian landmark.