With house prices soaring in Australia over the past few years, developments have sprung up. But Australia`s local workers have never faced so much construction demand in the past few decades, and the quality of the construction has gradually been under scrutiny and supervision. Especially`s recent Sydney light rail, Australian pagoda and other projects and projects have raised concerns about the quality of the construction industry, putting the entire construction industry under a magnifying glass.
In fact, the current slowdown in housing prices, for the construction industry, all construction practitioners, is a rare opportunity for self-improvement. It is a good thing for everyone if we can grasp it well. Only with the occurrence of events, a variety of media, so that a lot of things gradually lost their original direction.
I`ve been in this industry for more than ten years, I`ve been in developers, I`ve been in construction teams, and I`ve been working in the design industry. Basically, all types of buildings have come into contact with each other. Among the many projects, government`s infrastructure projects have the highest safety requirements, and residential construction safety is often difficult to be effectively monitored.
Let`s start with government`s infrastructure projects:
Forget where to see the data, that is to say, Australia`s construction site, on average, there is a fatal accident every day. After working for so many years, I unfortunately watched some accidents happen. During the construction of the, Barangaroo Ferry Hub in 2016, a worker was killed by a steel beam falling from a crane. And I am the site architect of the project, responsible for answering questions on the site, the accident occurred, and the project was suspended for a week to check whether the safety was up to standard or not. After the project was over, The project manager, who is in charge of the project, re-emphasized the importance of security at the celebration conference.
, PPE (personal protective equipment personal safety equipment is required for infrastructure projects in Australia. These include: helmets, reflective clothing, protective glasses, engineering shoes (coated with iron, anti-skid, thick soles), stockings, and long sleeves.
At the Wynyard train station renewal project, as a site architect, I had to go through an alcohol blow check every time I got off the site, and I had to be accompanied by the head of the engineering team, and PPE had to be dressed. It is also necessary to brush the RISI card (rail industry safety induction Railway Industry Safety introduction before entering the construction site. It is proved that I have passed the railway industry safety training and passed the examination (this examination requires a physical examination, a visual examination, and the last day`s lesson. Then passed the written examination and interview.
Everyone who goes down to the site is responsible for the safety of the site, and we must report it once we see something dangerous. Everyone at the site is likely to run into alcohol and drugs. This is a blood test. So we usually take drugs have guidelines, some drugs can not be taken under the construction site. If the body`s blood contains alcohol, the program can`t be done, go home directly, and keep a record. Therefore, two glasses of workers can drink two drinks before 06:30 after 04:30 every day, and then no more alcoholic drinks can be touched. Otherwise, the alcohol will be in the body for up to 12 hours, and the next day, if the blood is drawn, the alcohol will be drawn from the body for up to 12 hours. There is a chance to be tested.
But with such strict training and inspection, there will still be accidents on the site. After all, like railway projects, the power system is as high as 11kv, and there is an opportunity to live on the tracks. This is why we are required to wear long-sleeved clothes, insulated gloves, and so on.
So if it`s so hard to build, there`s no security problem? No, it`s not a lot of projects that we`ll find out when we`re in the process of acceptance. All the government projects, in the design phase, at the conceptual design stage, we started the design and safety meeting, and all the design consultants sat together to put forward the possible safety problems during the construction of the project. Is there any way to avoid the design? It is necessary to inform the contractor of the risk that the construction of the contractor may face if the design is not to be resolved if the design is not to be resolved.
After talking about infrastructure projects, let`s talk about residential projects.
When things happened in Opal tower before, a lot of media were constantly adding to the situation, confusing the public, out of incendiary flow, did not bring any practical help to the resolution of the matter. Some people still yell at developers to buy back property, which is even more ridiculous.
To know the quality of the project, we first need to know what the level of responsibility of the Australian project is.
Developer: the investor is the person who invests the money; the locator of the project development can be said to be the chief planner of the project;
Bank: lenders, money to assist developers to do project investment, in fact, is the real investor;
Architect: architectural designer, only the registered architect (Architect), can not be registered, can only be called the designer (designer), below the general three floors, four rows below the house, can not need architects to do the design; More than one must have an architect to do the design and signature;
All kinds of consultants: design consultants, including structure, civil engineering, landscape, BASIX, water supply and drainage, fire protection, etc.
Contractor: depending on the type of contract, the contractor is the principal responsible person for the construction design, including the building design, structural design and plumbing design, depending on the type of contract, if the contract is the D / C contract, the contractor is the main person in charge of the construction design. In large-scale residential projects, contractors are actually project managers, and they are not people who start work;
Subcontractor: builders, the construction of a project requires different types of work, for example, the structural part, usually by the concretor (concrete builder), carpenter (carpentry) to do a good job, a variety of tradies, including electrician, hydraulic, Gyprock (dragon skeleton wall) and so on to cooperate to do a good project, they are the people who start the work;
In the case of opal tower, there is a problem with the prefabricated concrete bearing wall at first. If the responsibility is concerned, the primary responsibility is the subcontracting company of the concrete bearing wall, and then icon, as the manager of the project, also has the unshirkable responsibility. As the audit deepens, and the building is exposed to a variety of other issues, ICON`s responsibilities are growing. People familiar with Australia`s construction history know more or less that ICON is inextricably linked to the early collapse of southern cross. You can google the history of southern cross.
So what role does the developer play here?
In the case of opal tower, developers are in fact unlucky. I don`t know much about developer Ecove,. I don`t know if they have a project manager or a design manager.
In general, small and medium-sized developers, in fact, project management managers and design management managers can be outsourced, there are also many project management and site management companies in the market, they are recognized as bank project managers, Can replace developers to do project management work, in theory, they are more professional. They charge 1.5% of the total cost of the project, depending on the company.
In fact, developers are interested in a piece of land that can be developed, buy it, and then find an architect to design it. After applying for approval by DA, they generally design and apply for a construction permit. At this stage, 60% to 75% of the construction drawings will be achieved to ensure a certain design quality. Then the project will be tendered, determined the cost, and after the contractor is selected, the contractor will be responsible for the completion of the design, which is also known as the common language of the D / C contract.
The benefit of this contract is that the contractor can refine the design, or even modify the design, based on his own experience and supply channels to ensure that the construction price is within a certain budget. In opal tower, it is important whether ICON, as a contractor, has a change design for cost savings.
Readers see here should be able to understand a point, the original to save the cost of the design changes, not developers, but contractors! So the clamour for developers to recycle the property is even more speechless.
In engineering, the existence of architects and structural engineers should be for quality control, while the project management manager is for capital control. The relationship among the three is tight and contradictory, just like one person`s left and right hands. Each has its own responsibilities. In real life, architects and designers are ignored, even deliberately despised.
When I was doing Barangaroo Ferry Hub, I was also used by the contractors` workers in the construction site, because I wanted them to improve their practices. When I was working on the wynyard train station update project, I was also roared at the desk by the contractor`s project manager because they didn`t follow my drawings; but this is the government project, and I have these authority to ask the contractor to explain to me.
Two years ago, when I went to the site on behalf of Party A to supervise the site, the project manager of the contractor saw me and laughed at: ha, another architect. in person. It means another person who doesn`t know how to build and who can only waste money. It was not until I knew my work experience that I began to face up to my existence and worked with me in the following year to control the quality. Even so, at the construction site, I can`t control everything 100%. Even if the contractor changes the design, he still doesn`t need my permission, even if I represent the developer.
In Australia, the quality control, the construction safety control is the contractor! The developer`s role is simply an investor, of course, the developer needs to control the cost and budget, but in the bidding process, the contractor is the primary responsibility, they should not ignore the quality of the project and construction safety in order to rob the project.
However, developers in fact in selecting contractors, but also need to be very careful, not just look at the price.
As for site safety, residential projects are sometimes very difficult to control. If subcontractors are qualified, prices are usually not cheap, and high security often means high prices. In capitalist economic, the higher the risk, the higher the risk. The greater the return, the harder it is to control it. A simple example is that in summer, in the government project, workers are hardly seen without blouses, because it is a safety requirement, even if they have to wear long-sleeved reflective clothes. In residential projects, with the exception of foremen, it is difficult to find a worker in a coat.
Finally, the residential construction site safety, many friends when building houses hope to go to the scene to see, even like anytime, anywhere, without notifying the construction party to the construction site to see, in fact, this is not possible. Construction sites, in fact, are very dangerous, scattered floor, scattered nails and materials, are walking obstacles; scaffolding, suspended wires are dangerous.
So usually when we get off the site, we first need to notify the construction workers, let them send an employee who is familiar with the construction site, and then wear complete safety equipment: helmet, safety shoes, reflective vests, all of which are necessary. In such a situation to enter the construction site to protect their own safety.
About the autho
Tony Tang is a senior registered architect and BIM management manager with 15 years experience in architectural design. He is involved in major infrastructure projects such as the Lane Cove Tunnel, the upgrading of the, Wynyard train Station of the Northwest Railway and the design and construction of the Barangaroo ferry wharf.
