A whole new set of building techniques

A Bicentennial gift from Guangdong, Sydney's sister city in China, the Chinese Gardens were a key part of the redevelopment of the Darling Harbour rail yards and wharves.

The Gardens were definitely an out of the ordinary project for an Australian builder, with plans and many Chinese building materials provided by Guangdong along with a supervising architect and a team of artisans to train the locals.

We completed the $35 million project in time for its official opening by Queen Elizabeth II. In fact, these were the only buildings in Darling Harbour completed on time. And among very few built without industrial disputes.

We returned to the Chinese Gardens in 2005 to carry out its first major upgrade.