The job
Movilift Australia brought Perfect Concrete Care in to cut new lift shaft door openings at the State Library of New South Wales on Shakespeare Place, Sydney, as part of works to the building's lifts.
The job ran from 12 to 28 February 2026, cutting a run of new openings through the concrete shaft walls on multiple levels to take the new lift doors, with new precast concrete lintels going in over the top of each opening.
What we did
- Cutting new door openings through the concrete lift shaft walls on each level, sized to the new lift door frames
- Coring where needed to finish out sections of the openings
- Working from inside the shaft using a wire saw system mounted on a rail for clean, accurate cuts
- Setting up dust containment tarps and floor protection matting before any cutting started
- Coordinating with the trades installing the precast concrete lintels over each finished opening
- Cleaning down the work area and floor protection at the end of each shift
What made it hard
The State Library is a working, occupied building, not a construction site. Every level the crew worked on meant setting up dust containment and floor protection first, and packing it down properly afterwards, so the rest of the building could keep operating around the works.
Cutting inside a live lift shaft also means working in a tight, enclosed space on a rail-mounted wire saw, keeping the cut line accurate on every level so the new door frames and precast lintels would fit without rework.
How it was done
Each opening started with the shaft and surrounding floor protected: blue dust containment tarps up, red floor protection matting down, and the wire saw rig set up on its rail inside the shaft.
The crew cut each opening to size, cored where the wire saw needed a starting point, and worked level by level through the shaft over the three weeks on site. Precast concrete lintels were set over each finished opening as the job progressed, and the crew cleaned down thoroughly at the end of every shift.
Lessons learned on this job
Every job teaches the crew something. These are the ones we took from the State Library, and we use them on every job inside an occupied building.
What worked
- Protect first, cut second. Dust containment and floor protection went up before any tool started, keeping the rest of the building clean
- A rail-mounted wire saw for accuracy. Working inside the shaft on a fixed rail kept every cut true for the new door frames and lintels
- Clean down every shift. Packing down and mopping out at the end of each day kept the site tidy for an occupied building
- Coordinating with the precast trade. Staying in step with the lintel installation meant no openings sat waiting or holding up the next trade
What was difficult
- A tight, enclosed shaft. Working inside the shaft itself left little room to move around the saw and rail
- An occupied building the whole time. There was no closing the library down around the works
- Multiple levels to get through. Repeating the setup and cut on each level over three weeks kept the pace steady
If you have something similar
Head contractors and lift companies needing lift shaft door openings cut or cored in an occupied building should have a look at our concrete cutting Sydney and concrete core drilling Sydney pages, or get in touch.
Lift shaft cutting in an occupied building?
Perfect Concrete Care acknowledges the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as Traditional Custodians of the country on which we live and work. We pay our respects to the Traditional Custodians and Elders past, present and future, and honour their connection to the land and ongoing contribution to society.