Grocon facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Grocon

Eureka Tower, in Southbank, Melbourne; at the time of its 2006 completion, the world's tallest residential tower at 297.5 metres (976 ft)
Type	Private
Industry	Construction
Founded	1948; 77 years ago (1948)
Founder	Luigi Grollo
Headquarters	Melbourne , Australia
Area served	Australia India Middle East
Key people	Daniel Grollo (Executive Chairman)
Services	Property development, construction and funds management
Revenue	A$317 million (FY2017)
Owner	Bruno Grollo and family

Grocon is an Australian company that builds and develops properties. It is also involved in managing money for investments. The Grollo family privately owns Grocon. The company started in Melbourne, Australia, in 1948. Over time, it grew and worked in India and the Middle East. In November 2020, some parts of the company went into a special process called voluntary administration. This means experts helped manage the company's money and debts.

History of Grocon

Grocon began as a small family business in Victoria, Australia. Luigi Grollo started it in 1948 after moving from Italy. He worked alone at first, doing small concrete jobs. These jobs included paving, car parks for shops, and swimming pools.

Growing the Business

Luigi's sons, Rino and Bruno, joined the business when they were 15. The company grew quickly in the 1950s. They continued building concrete swimming pools and petrol stations in Melbourne. In the 1960s, the Grollo Group started building bigger projects. They moved from local community buildings to important landmarks.

In the 1970s, Grocon focused on concrete construction. They built shopping centres and tall buildings. They also started developing their own projects. Luigi Grollo handed the company over to his sons in the 1970s. The business kept expanding fast. In 1975, Grocon moved to Darwin for 18 months. They had a big contract to help rebuild the city after Cyclone Tracy. They built 400 houses for the government. After this, the Grollo Group developed buildings in many different areas. These included commercial, residential, education, and sports projects.

Changes and New Directions

In the 1980s, the Grollo family sold many of their developments. They sold buildings like The Hyatt and Shell Corner. They also sold several shopping centres. At this time, the family kept only one major building: the Rialto Towers.

In 2000, the construction part of the business was split. Bruno and his son Daniel Grollo owned the construction side. Rino Grollo owned the property development side. Daniel Grollo became the chief executive officer of Grocon in 1999. He also became chairman of the Green Building Council of Australia. He was part of the Prime Minister's Business Advisory Council.

In March 2012, the construction business split again. Daniel Grollo owned the current Grocon construction business. His older siblings, Adam and Leeanna, owned a separate property development business.

In December 2013, Grocon started a big joint venture with a Swiss bank called UBS. This partnership was named UBS Grocon Real Estate. It was a five-year plan worth A$10 billion. This new company managed real estate and assets. It had the first chance to work on Grocon's A$2 billion development projects.

Recent Developments

In 2014, Grocon was chosen to develop the 2018 Commonwealth Games Athletes Village on the Queensland Gold Coast. On February 24, 2014, Carolyn Viney became the new chief executive officer of Grocon. Daniel Grollo became the executive chairman. He still owned and oversaw the business. In November 2020, parts of Grocon went into administration. This happened after high costs for the Commonwealth Games athletes village. The costs went over $1 billion. This led to Grocon not getting permission for a new project in Queensland.

Awards and Accolades

Grocon received many awards as a company.

• In 2010, they were named the Forest Stewardship Council Developer of the Year.
• In 2011, they were the National Master Builders Association Builder of the Year.
• They won two The National Association of Women in Construction awards in 2013. These were for outstanding and young achievement.
• In 2011, they received the ANZ–BRW Excellence in Community Practices prize.
• Grocon won the 2008 Safe Work Australia Best workplace health and safety management system award.
• They also received the WorkSafe Victoria OHS Management System of the Year prize.

List of Developments

As of December 2013, Grocon had built four of Australia's five tallest buildings. These were in Melbourne, Sydney, and South-east Queensland. Grocon also expanded its work overseas in India and the United Arab Emirates.

Project	Image	City, State	Country	Date completed (or expected date)	Height		Description	Source
					m	ft
Grand Hyatt Melbourne		Melbourne, Victoria	Australia	c. 1986			This 34-level hotel has 550 guest rooms and suites. It is located at 123 Collins Street.
101 Collins Street		Melbourne, Victoria	Australia	1991	260	850	This commercial office skyscraper was the tallest building in Melbourne for five months.
120 Collins Street		Melbourne, Victoria	Australia	1991	265	869	This Art Deco office skyscraper has a granite façade. It was the tallest building in Melbourne until 2006. It was also the tallest building in Australia until 2005.
ANZ Global Headquarters		Melbourne, Victoria	Australia	1993	172	564	This project modified the former global headquarters at 380 Collins Street. It included a 37-storey office skyscraper.
Crown Towers		Melbourne, Victoria	Australia	1997	153	502	Located at 8 Whiteman Street on Melbourne's Southbank. It is part of the Crown Casino. It was the largest casino in the Southern Hemisphere when it was finished in 1997.
Pixel Building		Melbourne, Victoria	Australia				This was Australia's first carbon neutral office building. It used special Pixelcrete concrete. Pixel won the Best Sustainable Building Award. It also received the Premier's Sustainability Award.
Queen Victoria Village		Melbourne, Victoria	Australia				This A$600 million urban village is around Melbourne Central railway station. It won the Australian Property Institute Property Development Award.
Shell House		Melbourne, Victoria	Australia				This was Shell's Australian headquarters. It received a Property Council of Australia certification.
Rialto Towers		Melbourne, Victoria	Australia		270	890	This is a complex with two towers. It is the second tallest concrete building in the Southern Hemisphere.
SECV Project		Melbourne, Victoria	Australia
Telstra Centre		Melbourne, Victoria	Australia
WTC Wharf		Melbourne, Victoria	Australia
1 Bligh Street		Sydney, New South Wales	Australia				This office building has a Six Star rating. It won the Best Tall Building Award in Asia & Australasia in 2012.
Common Ground		Sydney, New South Wales	Australia				This is an affordable housing development. It is in both Sydney and Brisbane. It won the Urban Design Institute of Australia Award.
Governor Phillip Tower		Sydney, New South Wales	Australia		227	745	This is an office complex in Sydney's main business area. It won a Property Council of Australia National Award.
Horizon Apartments		Sydney, New South Wales	Australia		144	472	This is a residential apartment complex in Darlinghurst.
General Post Office		Sydney, New South Wales	Australia				This project developed an historic area around the General Post Office in Sydney.
The Peak Apartments		Sydney, New South Wales	Australia		166	545	This is a residential apartment complex in Haymarket.
World Tower		Sydney, New South Wales	Australia		230	750	This skyscraper in Sydney was briefly Australia's tallest residential building. It won the 2004 Bronze Emporis Skyscraper Award.
480 Queen Street		Brisbane, Queensland	Australia				This office complex has a Six Star rating. It is in the Brisbane CBD.
The Oracle		Gold Coast, Queensland	Australia				This A$850 million development is at Broadbeach.
Soul		Gold Coast, Queensland	Australia				This 243-metre (797 ft) residential tower was finished in 2012. It won an Australian Institute of Building National Professional Excellence Building Award.
Parklands, the 2018 Commonwealth Games Athletes Village		Gold Coast, Queensland	Australia				This A$550 million development has 1,252 homes. It includes apartments and townhouses. It also has shops and green spaces.
Grollo houses		Darwin, Northern Territory	Australia				These houses were built after Cyclone Tracy. They were designed to provide quick housing for Darwin's people.
Melbourne Cricket Ground Northern Stand Redevelopment		Melbourne, Victoria	Australia	2006			This was a redevelopment for the 2006 Commonwealth Games.
Eureka Tower		Melbourne, Victoria	Australia	2006	298	978	When it was built, it was the world's tallest residential tower. It won the Urban Design Award.
Rose Tower		Dubai	United Arab Emirates	2007			This was the world's tallest hotel until 2012.
Almas Tower		Dubai	United Arab Emirates	2009	360	1,180	This skyscraper was the tallest building in Dubai when it was finished.
AXA Centre		Melbourne, Victoria	Australia	2009			This redeveloped building is at 750 Collins Street. It won the 2009 Property Council of Australia Victorian Award for Office Developments.
Media House		Melbourne, Victoria	Australia	2009	40	131	This office building was the publication centre for The Age. It is next to Southern Cross railway station.
Burj Khalifa		Dubai	United Arab Emirates	2009	830	2,720	Grocon was a contractor for the world's tallest residential tower. This included offices, a hotel, and an observation tower.
Elizabeth Street Common Ground		Melbourne, Victoria	Australia	2010			This community housing project has 131 rooms. It was built with support from the Victorian and Australian governments.
Melbourne Rectangular Stadium (AAMI Park)		Melbourne, Victoria	Australia	2010			This stadium has a 30,500 capacity. It is used for soccer, rugby league, and rugby union.
KPMG House		Melbourne, Victoria	Australia	pre-2011			Grocon redeveloped this building for KPMG. It is at 161 Collins Street.
Etihad Towers		Abu Dhabi	United Arab Emirates	2011			This is a group of five towers. They include offices, apartments, and a hotel.
Elite Residence		Dubai	United Arab Emirates	2012			This is a large residential skyscraper project in the Dubai Marina.
Princess Tower		Dubai	United Arab Emirates	2012	404	1,325	This residential skyscraper was the world's tallest residential building from 2012 to 2015.
ANZ Bank Centre		Sydney, New South Wales	Australia	2012	195	640	This office tower is the Sydney headquarters for ANZ. It won the Master Builders Association Safety Award.
Australian Taxation Office		Brisbane, Queensland	Australia	2013			These are the Brisbane offices for the Australian Taxation Office. They are at 55 Elizabeth Street.
Legion House		Sydney, New South Wales	Australia	2013			This building had a Six Star zero-carbon upgrade. It is at 161 Castlereagh Street.
Australian Taxation Office		Melbourne, Victoria	Australia	2014			These are the Melbourne offices for the Australian Taxation Office in Box Hill.
Emporium Melbourne		Melbourne, Victoria	Australia	2014			This is a retail space next to Melbourne Central railway station. It is on the site of the old Myer Emporium.
150 Collins Street		Melbourne, Victoria	Australia	2014			This 12-storey office building is Westpac's main office in Melbourne.
Central Market Project		Abu Dhabi	United Arab Emirates	2014			This project was designed by Foster + Partners. It was initially planned as three towers.
Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre (VCCC)		Melbourne, Victoria	Australia	2015			This A$1.2 billion project is a partnership with the Victorian Government. It is a centre for cancer treatment in Parkville.
Greenwich, Fairfield		Melbourne, Victoria	Australia	2019			This A$40 million residential development has 77 apartments. It includes social housing and shops.
Twenty95		Sydney, New South Wales	Australia	2019			This project in Manly includes homes and shops. It is on the site of a Telstra Exchange.
World One		Mumbai	India	2020	442	1,450	This residential complex was the tallest residential complex in the region when it was finished.
Pentominium		Dubai	United Arab Emirates	On hold since 2011	516	1,693	This is a residential development. It is one of the tallest of its kind in the world.
Northumberland		Melbourne, Victoria	Australia	Contract terminated December 2020			This development in Collingwood was planned to include two office buildings. The project stopped when Grocon went into administration.
The Ribbon		Sydney, New South Wales	Australia	Contract terminated December 2020			This A$700 million redevelopment in Darling Harbour was planned to have a new hotel, shops, and apartments.