Since then, Lucas Stuart has established a strong reputation as a managing contractor, working in close partnership with clients to achieve their goals.

Lucas Stuart's real advantage is in the out-of-the-ordinary projects that require a detailed understanding of the work and high quality subcontractors.

In particular, we've been involved in a number of 'design & construct' projects where we've been responsible for council liaison, budgets, schedules and all the detailed design work as well as its execution. Sydney Wildlife World is among the most dramatic of these. But we were similarly closely involved in Willowood Nursing Home which set new sustainability standards. And the $50m Hyundai building in Macquarie Park employed our expertise from the pre DA stage right through the construction process.

We are proud of the fact many of our projects have been awarded Excellence in Construction Awards from the Master Builders Association.

Commercial & industrial

A commercial project is always more than just "a building". It's being built to meet specific commercial objectives within specific constraints. Lucas Stuart works closely with clients to focus on their objectives and understand their constraints. Then we can apply our expertise to help achieve them.

So, for instance, we were able to devise an alternative way of building Cycle & Carriage's new headquarters that saved them $1.5 million (and, incidentally, won us an award). We refitted 11 Westpac branches without closing a single one for a single day. We gave Tower Life a dramatic branding structure on top of their headquarters, without inconvenience. We built a new interior for AAPT, including data facilities and a telecommunications hub, while maintaining operations.

We've applied these principles to successful, out-of-the-ordinary projects for the Museum of Contemporary Art, Hyundai, Audi, Nike and many others.

Health & aged care

Hospitals, medical centres and aged care facilities have a wide range of specific requirements, some of them very tightly specified. The varying demands of high and low care, federal and state legislation and different operators’ design requirements all have to be met, along with budgets and timetables.

Lucas has met these goals for Willowood Nursing Home, James Milson Village, Catholic Health Care Ltd  and Lindfield Gardens.

Hospitality, tourism & entertainment

Roller coasters, zoos, hotels, bars, restaurants, function centres, golf clubs – we've built pretty much the full range. In every case, there are complex requirements for both front of house and back of house. And they're all very demanding of building quality, because any shortcuts become very obvious, very quickly.

Merivale's Ivy, Wildlife World, Cairns’ Shangri La Hotel, Royal Sydney Golf Club, Doyles at Circular Quay, Sydney's Chinese Gardens and the Sydney Opera House Studio are among our successful projects.

Public, government & education

As long-time builders to the Department of Defence, Lucas Stuart is proficient and understanding of the need for security and accountability – on top of the normal demands of construction – in government and publicly funded work.

Education has its own security and safety requirements, particularly when working in operating schools.

Heritage restoration

The restoration and reuse of heritage buildings demands an appreciation of traditional construction techniques and a flexibility to adapt to the inevitable surprises and constraints.

As Australia's oldest builder, we have a very direct relationship with the past and the building styles and methods that have come and gone over the last century or so.

We work closely with heritage architects, building owners and outside authorities to functional and statutory demands without compromising the integrity of heritage structures.

Customs House, Scots Church, Garden Island, the Museum of Contemporary Art, Royal Sydney Golf Club and several restorations at the Sydney Opera House are some recent heritage projects.

Residential

Close cooperation with developers, architects and other team members distinguish Lucas Stuart's residential work, keeping the focus on the project's overall goals.

We've successfully delivered 88 apartments and 14 houses at Liberty Grove; nine waterfront villas and 32 apartments at Kendall Inlet for Multiplex Dulux; the conversion of a medical facility and nurses' accommodation into apartments at Northcote Road, Hornsby and a prestige apartment building at Manly.

Civil

Lucas Stuart, often working in conjunction with other Lucas divisions, is also experienced in civil projects including water treatment works and marinas. Sydney Slipways is a major new marine maintenance facility we're constructing for Sydney City Marine.