ISSUE
06
ONE PLACE COMPLETE SERVICE
December
ONE CHOICE
e-struct News
2015
this issue Project Profile: Apartments P.1 Project Profile: Engineered Canopy
P.2-3
Professional Development P.2-3 Work Experience P.4
Merry Christmas from e-struct News!
Project Profile: Lilydale Apartments E-struct has thoroughly enjoyed engineering this
Goodbye 2015—you have flown by!
amazing project with Sharpe Homes over the past
What an amazing year it has been!
12 months. This beautiful development features
We have loved working on a variety
two slick buildings, each housing four state-of-the-
of projects over this year! We’ve
art stylish apartments. Built in the heart of Lilydale,
been involved in a range of Residential builds, Commercial builds, Institutional and Industrial builds and Community builds too. We’ve also started our Junior Engineers group and are thrilled at the support for the program.
these gorgeous homes offer twin advantages of convenience and beauty in location. The open floor plan in each upstairs apartment features a spacious balcony with full opening stack doors that bring the outside in.
These amazing structures
required massive cantilever design to make the large overhangs work in supporting both apart-
Please note that our office is closed for the Summer break from
ments and balconies in each building.
Wednesday 23rd December and reopens Monday, January 4th 2016.
E-struct has provided soil testing services, structural and drainage design and energy rating for this
We wish you a wonderful Christ-
development. We have made use of TechSlab, a
mas and a happy, healthy and
brilliant system that is a quarter the weight of con-
prosperous 2016.
crete and has fantastic thermal and acoustic prop-
All the best for your celebrations
erties. It is an especially effective system in low-
with family and friends and a relax-
rise developments.
ing Summer break. We’re looking forward to a fantastic new year, helping you with your projects.
As the end of year approaches and everyone settles into their new apartments, we wish them all the best for their first Christmas in such elegant and
Chris, James, Jade and Bridie
inviting homes!
Housing Engineering Design & Research Association (HEDRA) Melbourne Conference: “Fixing Heaved Slabs, preparing for the next drought and Legal Responsibilities”
Project Profile: Play Space Makeover Engineered Canopies The lucky students at Sacred Heart Catholic School in Kew have these
December 4th, 2015, Ibis Hotel, Glen Waverley.
amazing playgrounds to call their own. Beneath the stylish and well protected canopies, the kids can
James and Chris attend-
play safely all year round.
ed this full day conference to build up on their knowledge of slab heave. We profiled this
We enjoyed working with Carl Saker
problem in Issue 3 and
from Riviera Building Group and pro-
looked at the damage
vided soil testing and structural de-
caused by excessive
sign for this fantastic project. Carl
moisture at the edge of
has been a Moorooduc Hwy Plan
slabs. This is mainly
Printing client for some time and it
caused by poor surface drainage around the
was wonderful to be invited to consult
structure.
and collaborate on this great project,
The conference featured speakers from a variety of fields including: Geotechnician James McCloud, Engineering Geologists Dominic Lopes and Bruce Hargreaves, Arboriculturist Jenny Boyer, Professor Emad Gad and Tim Margetts QC, Barrister.
creating this terrific play space. The canopy has been constructed using Danpalon® panels, a honeycomb polycarbonate material that
E - Struct Junior Engineers Science
Key points included: examining construction
Technology Engineering Promoting kids’ STEM skills
Mathematics
Contact: juniorengineers@ejuniorengineers@e-struct.com.au
www.facebook.com/groups/estructjuniorengineers/
It’s your understand it… do it… defects not meeting the Victorian contractual arrangement, specifically, what can be classified as ‘occasional defects’ and how defects breach the contractual agreement and the consequences that follow as a result. For instance, if low category (0, 1, 2) defects occur within two years of obtaining certificate of occupancy, the structure breaches the contract and such defects further imply that more defects may occur.
combines innovative features. It’s watertight, strong, can be molded to fit requirements; there are so many features, shade cloth just can’t compete. The light architectural glazing allows light to travel through but protects against UV rays. The glazing also has excellent thermal properties, reducing the temperature beneath the canopy so that children are spared the heat in Summer months. The design also protects them from wind and rain making play possible all year round.
Other issues raised included examining methods of determining tree effects. A study of moisture content in soil at a Braebrook development found that the South Australian method lead to under designing and the Victorian method was the most consistent approach.
The galvanized steel structure affords the canopy excellent weather protection, builds in strength and creates the added bonus of being able to span a significant area. The space beneath the canopy is enormous! With commercial, institutional and residential applications, there’s no stopping its implementation. Can you imagine the smiles on the kids’ faces? Makes me want to go back to school! Discover more at www.danpalon.info
Find
Moorooduc Hwy Plan Printing
e-struct
o ffice . We
at our
print colour o r black &
white la rge fo rmat pla ns up to A0 , scan in black & white up to A0 and laminate up to A2 . F o r fri e n d l y a n d p ro mp t se r vi ce , e ma i l yo u r p l a n s to www.mhplanprint.com.au
ma i l @ mh p l a n p ri n t. co m.a u o r d ro p i n to th e o ffi ce !
Finally recent examination of sites has determined that less than 30% of properties complied with sufficient temporary downpipe installation to deal with excessive moisture on the ground adjacent to the footings before handover. Most structures were missing temporary downpipes or downpipes that had been in place, were removed by trades on site in order to complete their work and not reconnected afterwards. Simple errors can lead to big consequences, like slab heave, leaving builders with big costs (Softly vs Metricon Homes, VCAT 2014). by James Blair & Chris Rozycki.
Prefer to receive e-struct News via email or as a hard copy? Drop Jade a line at: mail@e-struct.com.au
Work Experience Student Deng Atem, St Peter ’s College,
Stay in touch
PO Box 7095 Karingal 3199
(03) 9770 1738 1300 E STRUCT (1300 378 782)
(03) 9770 1740
www.e-struct.com.au mail@e-struct.com.au
e-struct
Cranbourne. During September, we received an impassioned call from careers counsellor, Melissa Dillon, at St Peter’s College, who was trying to secure a placement for a student with an interest in engineering. We were happy to offer Deng Atem some time with us, and he benefitted from a very hands on approach to his time here. For his final day, we asked him to design a bridge for us with the specific challenge that it must be able to support weight effectively and he could only use the materials that we gave him: straws, tape and popsicle sticks. Furthermore, he had to justify his design: “I chose this bridge design because it is strong, and strong is always reliable. While building this bridge i used more then one layer of Popsicle sticks for the edges, the edges must be the strongest because they carry most of the weight." We used tiles for the test, each weighing 250g. The bridge held under 5.5 kilograms and then we ran out of tiles! It bowed slightly but stood strong. We were very impressed by Deng’s use of the "elbow" joints from the straws to create the ramps onto the bridge! Deng is also a talented artist and drew our staff as Lego figurines. We think he did a great job. Congratulations Deng, and we wish you all the best for your engineering future. By Jade Triffitt and Bridie Briggs
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e-struct News Issue 06 December 2015
Pictures from the top Deng reviews plans by Northpoint Architecture, many thanks for your me and tutelage, John Hammond. Deng’s bridge bows slightly under the weight of the les. Deng’s Lego portraits of staff (top-bo$om, le%right): Jade, Bridie, Chris and James.