Project Case Study
Sydney Markets Homebush Project
Coolroom and freezer room panel works at Sydney Markets, Homebush, installed around a live trading environment where uptime matters and access windows are tight.
- Live trading site
- Wall and ceiling panels
- Freezer door and frame work
- Tight access windows
- Homebush
The Job
Homebush, Sydney
Sydney Markets at Homebush is one of the busiest trading environments in the country, and the cold storage inside it does not get a day off. This project covered coolroom and freezer room panel works installed while the site kept trading around us.
Working live changes how a job runs. Access windows are tight, materials have to arrive when they can be moved through the site, and every stage has to leave the floor clean and safe before trading starts again. There is no leaving a wall half sheeted overnight in a place like this. The program gets built around the site’s rhythm.
The works themselves covered the full range of panel construction: insulated wall panels, ceiling panels overhead, joint and trim detailing, and the freezer side, including freezer door and frame work where the hardware takes constant traffic. On the freezer rooms in particular, the door and frame details decide how the room performs for the next decade, so they get built carefully no matter how tight the access window is.
Project Details
The works as built, from the panels, plant and detailing shown in the photos.
| Location | Sydney Markets, Homebush, Sydney |
|---|---|
| Setting | Live trading environment, kept trading throughout |
| Scope | Coolroom and freezer room panel works |
| Wall panels | Insulated wall panels, set full height |
| Ceiling panels | Overhead ceiling panels, set out and suspended in long spans |
| Detailing | Panel joints and trims |
| Freezer side | Freezer door and frame work built to take constant traffic |
| Plant used | Forklift and two scissor lifts |
| Access | Tight windows, sequenced around trading hours |
Setting Out the Ceiling
Ceiling panels are their own discipline on a job like this. Long spans overhead mean the panels, suspension and trims have to be set out properly before anything goes up, because reworking a ceiling over a stocked cold room is a job nobody wants to do twice.
At Sydney Markets the ceiling panels were set into position from two scissor lifts working together, lifting each panel up between the building services and holding it flat while the crew fixed it off. Nobody hand-lifts a full ceiling panel to height, and the set-out has to be right before the first one goes up, because every panel after it takes its line from the one before. The photos show the crew working the wall line and the ceiling in the same tight envelope the market operates in.
The Freezer Side
The freezer rooms are where the detailing matters most. The door and frame are the part of a freezer that moves, wears and gets knocked, and they carry constant traffic in a place like this, so they get built to take it. A door that seals cleanly and is set up to be serviced keeps frost, condensation and running cost under control for the life of the room. That is the same reason the panel joints and trims get detailed properly: the junctions you never see once the room is finished are the ones that decide whether it holds temperature. Our coolroom panels page covers the panel systems and where each one belongs.
Cold Storage That Cannot Stop
A lot of coolroom and freezer room work happens in buildings that cannot shut down: markets, distribution operations, food facilities. Over 15 years we have built for that reality, including work alongside Woolworths, DHL, Arnott’s and Aldi. If you need coolroom construction or freezer room construction around a live operation, or repairs and modifications on rooms that have to stay in service, start your quote online or contact us and we will work out a program that fits your trading hours.
Project Gallery
The photos run from wall panels being set to completed cold storage works: ceiling panel installation off the scissor lifts, panel joints and trims, and the freezer door and frame details that finish the job.
Related Work and Services
Sydney Markets was panel works delivered around a site that never stops. If you are planning something similar, these are the pages worth reading next.
Coolroom Construction
How we scope, build and hand over a commercial coolroom, including work on live sites.
Freezer Room Construction
How we build and hand over a freezer room, with the door and frame details that decide how it performs.
Repairs, Modifications and Extensions
Work on rooms that have to stay in service, sequenced around your trading hours.
Chullora Cool Room Project
Three cool rooms inside a working food warehouse, the main room 35m x 11m and 8.1m high.
Minchinbury Cold Storage
A minus 20 freezer hall and a 4 degree ante room inside a working cold storage facility.
Commercial Coolrooms Sydney
Walk-in chillers, cold storage and multi-bay rooms for Sydney business, in insulated panel and built to hold temperature.
Cool Rooms in Sydney
Where we work across Greater Sydney, including the markets and food businesses through the inner west.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you install coolroom and freezer panels while a site keeps trading?
Yes, and Sydney Markets is exactly that job. The site is one of the busiest trading environments in the country and does not shut down, so the work was sequenced around it: deliveries arrived when they could be moved through the floor, panels were cut and staged clear of the traffic, and every stage left the area clean and safe before trading started again. There is no leaving a wall half sheeted overnight in a place like this. Our Chullora and Minchinbury projects were built around live operations the same way.
What is involved in installing ceiling panels?
Ceiling panels are their own discipline. Long spans overhead mean the panels, their suspension and the trims all have to be set out properly before anything goes up, because reworking a ceiling over a stocked cold room is a job nobody wants to do twice. At Sydney Markets the ceiling panels were set into position from two scissor lifts working together, up between the building services. Get the set-out right and each panel lines up off the last; get it wrong and the error runs the length of the ceiling.
Why do freezer doors and frames get special attention?
Because they take constant traffic and they decide how the room performs for the next decade. The door and frame are the part of a freezer that moves, wears and gets knocked, so on the freezer rooms at Sydney Markets the door and frame details were built carefully no matter how tight the access window was. A door that seals properly and is set up to be serviced keeps frost, condensation and running cost under control long after the build is finished. See our freezer room construction page for how we handle the freezer side.
Do you work at Sydney Markets and across the inner west?
Yes. Sydney Markets sits at Homebush, and we build coolrooms and freezer rooms across Greater Sydney from our base at Penrith, including the inner west, Western Sydney and the markets and food businesses through the middle of the city. Same crew on every job.
Need Panel Works Around a Live Site?
Every project is different, so we start with a site visit rather than a guess over the phone. We assess your space, talk through temperature requirements and floor considerations, and put together a detailed quote based on what your business actually needs. No obligation, just a straight answer on what is involved and what it will cost.