Melbourne Market Precinct Asset Management Program.

Melbourne Market is one of Australia's largest wholesale fruit, vegetable and flower markets, operating as a critical piece of logistics and commercial infrastructure serving retailers, growers and distributors across Victoria.

Sheer Force Engineering was appointed as an ongoing structural engineering advisor across the market precinct, providing investigation, assessment, remediation design and asset-management services across a broad portfolio of structures and infrastructure assets. Over multiple engagements, SFE supported the market through condition assessments, deterioration investigations, impact-damage inspections, remediation design, temporary works engineering and infrastructure reviews.

Rather than a single project, the engagement evolved into a precinct-wide structural engineering support program spanning multiple asset classes and numerous independent work packages.

Operating industrial precincts experience a very different set of engineering challenges to traditional buildings.

Assets must remain operational while accommodating:

• Heavy vehicle movements.

• Forklift traffic.

• Ongoing maintenance activities.

• Environmental exposure.

• High utilisation rates.

• Continuous public and commercial use.

Over time, the market precinct presented a wide variety of structural issues requiring investigation and engineering input, including:

• Acoustic wall deterioration and cracking.

• Structural steel corrosion.

• Gate and gantry defects.

• Cracking within suspended slabs.

• Vehicle and plant impact damage.

• Pavement performance concerns.

• Infrastructure maintenance requirements.

• Temporary stability and rectification works.

The challenge was not simply repairing isolated defects.

The challenge was helping asset managers prioritise risk, understand deterioration mechanisms and establish practical remediation pathways while maintaining day-to-day operation of the facility.

Sheer Force Engineering adopted an asset-management focused approach that combined investigation, risk assessment and practical remediation design.

The engagement included:

Acoustic Wall Program

Assessment and remediation planning for extensive precast acoustic wall systems around the precinct. Services evolved from initial condition assessments through testing programs, bills of quantities, tender documentation and detailed rectification design across multiple wall zones.

Gate & Gantry Investigations

Assessment and rectification of gate structures, canopies and gantry systems including temporary works engineering and permanent repair solutions. SFE also completed design certification and construction documentation associated with rectification works.

Structural Deterioration Assessments

Investigation of steel corrosion, column deterioration, roof slab cracking and warehouse floor distress. The assessments focused on understanding underlying deterioration mechanisms and developing appropriate maintenance and repair recommendations.

Operational Damage Events

Rapid-response inspections following impacts involving vehicles, forklifts and mobile plant. These investigations helped determine structural consequences, identify immediate safety concerns and establish repair requirements to return affected assets to service.

Infrastructure & Pavement Assessments

Review of pavement performance and bearing capacity together with coordination of geotechnical investigations to inform future infrastructure upgrades and reconstruction programs.

Over multiple commissions, SFE became a trusted structural engineering resource for the ongoing management of the Melbourne Market precinct.

The work extended beyond traditional engineering design and into broader asset stewardship, helping the client:

• Identify deterioration before failures occurred.

• Prioritise remediation expenditure.

• Investigate operational damage events.

• Maintain safe ongoing operation of assets.

• Plan future repair and replacement programs.

• Improve understanding of the condition and performance of existing infrastructure.

The engagement demonstrates how engineering can contribute to the long-term performance and resilience of complex operational facilities, not just individual buildings.