Fitting out a tenancy inside a live shopping centre is a different discipline to working on a standalone site. A bubble tea retailer in North Ipswich needed drainage, trade waste, and water supply brought into a bare shop. Every metre of that work had to thread through a busy multi-level building without disturbing it.
For that reason, the tenant engaged Citi Industries to deliver the plumbing fit-out. The job called for under-slab pipework, fire-rated penetrations, and a long run to a shared grease trap.
Project Overview
This shopping centre trade waste project connected a new beverage tenancy to the building’s existing services. Because the work sat below the slab, the team suspended pipework rather than digging trenches. That approach suited a centre where the floor above stayed in use throughout.
The scope blended drainage, trade waste, fire protection, and water supply into one coordinated fit-out. Each element followed the tenancy plan and the centre’s base-build infrastructure.
Key scope items included:
- Eight core-drilled penetrations, allowed for plumbing works only
- Fire collars supplied and fitted to all penetrations through the slab below centre level
- New trade waste pipework suspended under the slab to each fixture as per plan
- Connection to the existing base-build trade waste line below the shop lease line
- A new trade waste line run roughly 80m to shared grease trap number six
- A new 20mm cold water line drawn up through the slab into the tenancy
Challenges
A shopping centre is a shared, fire-rated structure, so plumbing cannot simply pass through it. Every penetration through the slab breaks a fire barrier that must then be restored. Therefore, fire collars were essential on all eight core holes to seal each opening against fire spread.
Distance posed the second hurdle. The tenancy’s nearest shared grease trap, unit six, sat near the central ramp by Ultra Tune. That point lay roughly 80m from the lease line, so the new trade waste line had to travel a long suspended path under the slab. Maintaining correct fall across that distance took careful planning.
Working below an operating centre added constant coordination. Under Urban Utilities trade waste guidelines, the connections also had to meet trade waste standards.
Key constraints on this project:
- Eight slab penetrations each needed a fire collar to restore the fire rating
- The shared grease trap sat roughly 80m away near the central ramp
- Trade waste pipework had to hold correct fall across a long suspended run
- All work stayed below the shop lease line and the centre slab
- Connections had to tie cleanly into existing base-build infrastructure
Solutions
Citi Industries staged the fit-out to work with the centre, not against it. Each phase below kept the building’s systems intact.
Coring and Fire-Rated Penetrations
To begin, the team core-drilled eight penetrations through the slab, strictly for the plumbing works. Each opening then received a fire collar. A fire collar is a fitting that wraps a pipe penetration and seals it shut under heat, holding the slab’s fire rating.
This step is non-negotiable in a shared building, since an unsealed penetration weakens the whole structure’s fire defence. Our commercial plumbing services treat fire-stopping as core to any centre fit-out.
Suspended Under-Slab Trade Waste
Next, the crew ran new trade waste pipework suspended beneath the slab. The line reached each fixture as set out in the tenancy plan, then tied into the existing base-build trade waste line below the lease line. Suspending the pipe avoided cutting the floor above, which kept the centre trading.
Holding the right gradient mattered most here. The team set each hanger so waste flowed freely toward the connection point.
The 80m Run to the Shared Grease Trap
Then came the longest leg of the job. The tenancy had to discharge to grease trap number six, near the central ramp by Ultra Tune, around 80m away. So, the crew extended a new trade waste line from the lease line, below the slab, the full distance to that trap.
Across 80m, fall is everything, because too little slope stalls the flow. The work followed Queensland regulated plumbing work requirements to keep the long run compliant and free-draining.
Cold Water Supply and Accessible Metering
Finally, the team drew a new 20mm cold water line from the existing supply up through the slab into the tenancy. They fitted the water meter on a column rather than a hidden recess. That placement gives easy access for future reading and maintenance, which suits a long-term retail tenancy. You can read how we approach trade waste plumbing installation on similar projects.
Final Outcome
A bare shop now runs as a fully serviced beverage tenancy. Citi Industries completed the North Ipswich fit-out in December 2025 without disrupting the centre around it. As a result, the retailer gained compliant drainage, trade waste, and water supply ready for trade.
- Eight slab penetrations sealed with fire collars to hold the fire rating
- Suspended trade waste pipework connected to base-build services below the lease line
- An 80m trade waste run delivered clean fall to the shared grease trap
- Cold water connected and metered on a column for easy future access
Because the work met trade waste and plumbing standards, the tenancy holds infrastructure the centre can rely on. The accessible meter also simplifies billing and servicing down the track.
Final Thoughts
Shopping centre fit-outs reward planning over speed. The shared slab, the fire ratings, and the distance to services all shape how the plumbing must run. However, a coordinated approach turns those limits into a clean, compliant result.
Citi Industries plans each tenancy fit-out around the building it sits in. Because of that, retailers open on time without compromising the centre’s systems. The team cores carefully, fire-seals every penetration, and holds fall across even the longest runs.
If you are fitting out a tenancy in a centre or complex, the team can map the works. Enquire about a fit-out, and we will coordinate with base-build services and deliver compliant trade waste and water supply.
Call Citi Industries on 1300 002 484 to discuss your project.
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