Construction Engineering Australia V4.02 April/May 2018

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CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING AUSTRALIA APRIL/MAY 2018

V4.02

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Editorial and Publishing Consultants Pty Ltd

Publisher and Managing Editor Anthony T Schmidt Phone: 1300 EPCGROUP (1300 372 476) Mobile: 0414 788 900 Email: ats@epcgroup.com Deputy Editor Rex Pannell Mobile: 0433 300 106 Email: rex@epcgroup.com National Advertising Sales Manager Yuri Mamistvalov Phone: 1300 EPCGROUP (1300 372 476) Mobile: 0419 339 865 Email: yuri@epcgroup.com Advertising Sales - SA Jodie Gaffney - AmAgo Mobile: 0439 749 993 Email: jodie@amago.com.au Advertising Sales - WA Licia Salomone - OKeeffe Media Mobile: 0412 080 600 Email: licia@okm.com.au Graphic Design Annette Epifanidis Mobile: 0416 087 412

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APRIL/MAY 2018 Volume 4 Number 2

10 Project Brief: Strammit RMH 12

4

IT Focus

14 Cover Feature: City of Gold Coast 18

Aquatic Facilities

22 Special Report: MACE Modular Construction

24 OH&S – Safety & Leadership

22

26 Equipment Spotlight 30 Special Report: Post Tensioning Concrete in Winter

40

32 Concrete Institute News 38 National Precast Feature 46 IPWEA NSW News 52 ACA Corrosion Feature

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Copyright ©2017 - EPC Media Group

CIRCULATION 15105 Registered by Australia Post Publication No. 100001889

ISSN 2204-7247

About the Cover The XXI Commonwealth Games hosted on the Gold Coast was the first large-scale multi-sport spectacle to be hosted in Australia for over a decade and the first in a regional city. The City of Gold Coast embraced transformative civic projects like never before, with more than $13.5 billion in major infrastructure projects changing the face of the city.

Turn to Page 14 for the full story.

EDITORS COLUMN

Covering the Spread Investing in infrastructure to meet the needs of our expanding cities Dear Readers, While few would question the complexities associated with urban planning and development, it is also clear that in some areas - particularly urban sprawl areas something appears to have gone badly awry.

More specifically, it appears that regardless of the much-touted focus on ‘building communities’, the provision of appropriate supporting infrastructure, or for that matter, ensuring the suitability and/ or capacity of existing infrastructure in the vicinity of many new developments is still, for many, a secondary consideration.

Not surprisingly, the consequences of this inaction are felt by many around the country on a daily basis. Indeed, the issue of the lack of infrastructure across the greater Melbourne metropolitan area is the focus of the RACV’s recent ‘Growing Pains’ report.

While the majority of commercial and residential developers highlight the array of facilities and services within the new residential estate or commercial area as the number one selling point, it’s a sad fact that in the majority of instances, it appears that the focus on quality infrastructure extends only as far as the boundaries of the development precinct.

More often than not, there appears to be little or no concern on behalf of those involved about the impact that a sudden

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Construction Engineering Australia • April/May 2018

increase in population (working and/or residential) and, in particular, the associated increase in traffic levels, will have on the surrounding areas.

These issues are further compounded by the fact that in recent years, many new developments are now being marketed as multifunction or 'mixed-use’ precincts, where there is a particular focus on the establishment of home offices and/or micro businesses in with the residential dwellings - thereby further increasing activity and demand. In addition, when it comes to the existing infrastructure - particularly roads and drainage - in the outlying and in many instances, until recently, semi-rural areas that are often chosen as the location for these developments is often well past its use-by-date and is already being expected to cope with demands that far exceed its original design specification. With that in mind, I believe that unless we urgently address the problems associated with the lack of appropriate infrastructure and facilities in the areas around these new estates and developments, we are seriously running the risk of undoing much of the excellent work that has been done in recent years to improve the quality of life in our cities - particularly in terms of our road network. It’s simply not good enough to place a set of traffic lights at the entry to a new estate and consider it effective traffic management.

Sadly, there are a number of major new estates that haven’t even provided traffic lights! And even if there are traffic lights, they do nothing to overcome the problems of traffic congestion that result from the introduction of hundreds (if not thousands) of additional vehicles onto an already overstretched road network - a road network which in many instances was neither designed nor intended to carry such high levels of traffic.

I believe that the only way to overcome these issues is to take an holistic approach to infrastructure development - one that considers the wider footprint of these new developments and takes into account the true impact on the surrounding areas.

Needless to say, this process must then also deliver appropriate funding for the development and delivery of suitable infrastructure in the areas surrounding new estates. And this new and/or upgraded infrastructure needs to be delivered and fully-operational prior to the completion of the new estate - lest we run the risk of developing very expensive suburbs with second-rate facilities and access.

Anthony T Schmidt Managing Editor

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INDUSTRY NEWS

MAKING AGEING ASBESTOS IN BUILDINGS LESS DANGEROUS IN THE SHORT TERM

A FASCINATING HISTORY OF AN ICONIC BRIDGE

Practices to make asbestos less dangerous where it is not immediately possible to remove it have been examined by the Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency in a new report that looks at current ways of containing and stabilising asbestos, particularly in roofing.

The Agency has examined current products and practices used to contain and stabilise asbestos in order to make it safer to remain in place, or to help make it safer while it’s being removed.

The study found support in the industry for a government incentive towards dealing with and managing asbestos.

In bonded form, building materials that contain asbestos are relatively stable, but they pose a risk to human health and the environment as they age. Exposure to the elements and disturbance increases the likelihood of asbestos fibres becoming airborne.

“As Australia grapples with the legacy of in-situ asbestos in our built environment, we need many solutions,” ASEA CEO Peter Tighe said.

“A lot of asbestos has been removed from Australian buildings, but there’s a long way to go.

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Construction Engineering Australia • April/May 2018

“In an ideal world, we would have all the resources we need to remove asbestos completely from all buildings. But in the short term, methods like encapsulation are vastly preferable to doing nothing.”

Asbestos roofing is a particular problem, both in commercial and residential buildings. Asbestos roofing is prevalent in Australia, and its exposure to the elements means it is more likely to deteriorate over time than other uses of asbestos.

Encapsulation of asbestos on roofing is essential and a simple and cost-effective way to make deteriorating asbestos safer whilst waiting for removal as the only permanent solution. Encapsulation is the process of covering a material containing asbestos in a penetrative compound to contain the fibres.

Under a National Strategic Plan for Asbestos Management and Awareness, the Agency has a focus on improving stabilisation and containment practices for asbestos containing materials in poor condition.

The report is available for download from: https://www.asbestossafety. gov.au/research-publications/reviewasbestos-stabilisation-and-containmentpractices-final-report

The Hawkesbury River Bridge is the single largest asset in the care of Sydney Trains.

Situated in an obscure bend in the river, it is out of public view, except when crossing it.

The current bridge was built alongside the original bridge, side-by-side.

Both bridges were technically challenging for their time, and required significant ingenuity and engineering feats to move the huge steel spans into place. Fortunately, the construction of both bridges was well photographed.

The history of these iconic bridges has now been documented in Bill Phippen’s new book The Hawkesbury River Railway Bridges.

Detailed, informative and with an array of photos, it provides a fascinating and comprehensive history of these remarkable structures, and is an extremely worthwhile read for historians, engineers and railfans alike. (329 pages, $88).

The Hawkesbury River Railway Bridges is available from the Australian Railway Historical Society NSW Bookshop, Ph: (02) 9699 4595 or visit: www.arhsnsw.com.au

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Bill Phippen OAM was born in Sydney in 1950. He graduated in Civil Engineering from Sydney University in 1976.

Bill was elected to the Founding Board of TAD disability services where he served continuously until 2017, holding the position of President from 1996 until 2012.

TAD Disability Services is a charity which builds custom equipment for people with disabilities.

On Australia Day 2013 Bill was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for service to people with disability, and to the community.

In 2010 he was named as New South Wales Senior Volunteer of the Year and by the Sydney Morning Herald as one of the 100 most influential people in Sydney.

In 2013 Engineers Australia named Bill as one of the 100 most influential engineers in Australia on the basis of his work with TAD and invited him to be a Fellow of that Institution.

Bill is a member of the Engineers Australia Sydney Division Heritage Committee.

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INDUSTRY NEWS

CORELOGIC MARKET MOVEMENT REPORT POINTS TO RISING CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITY OVER THE YEAR CoreLogic captured approximately 2,429 projects moving into construction across the December quarter. This outcome delivered a result that was -7.8% lower than the number of projects commencing in the previous quarter. In addition, the value of construction projects commencing was down 7.0% over the quarter, to $13.1 billion.

According to CoreLogic commercial research analyst Eliza Owen, the lower number and value of projects in the December quarter most likely reflects seasonality, with fewer commencements occurring around December.

However, she said that the value of commenced construction was up 40% over the 2017 calendar year. Even as the number of commencements in 2017 (10,433) remains below the 5-year average (12,439), the average value of projects is generally rising.

Ms Owen said, “2017 marked continued participation in construction from state and territory governments, which accounted for 36% of construction value commencing in the year to December 2017. In fact, 85% of the value of civil engineering projects commencing in 2017 was held in government or joint venture projects, leaving only 15% owned wholly by the private sector.

“However, economic data suggests that the private sector is in recovery and reflected in the new projects added to the pipeline over 2017. The pipeline over 2017 indicated that private ownership

“However, localised challenges to capital growth in housing, state government expenditure and the feasibility of large-scale construction projects will be big factors in determining which areas will realise higher levels of construction.”

The Australian Railway Historical Society NSW Division latest publication, The Hawkesbury River Railway Bridges by Bill Phippen OAM, is a fascinating and comprehensive history, well worth reading for historians, engineers and railfans alike. on the ge, Brid largest way third 1889, r Rail the in y Rive , was een built betw a kesbur ney NSW it was nection ed by he Hawts of Syd ld when ay con er Separat ld nev outskir in the wor the railw ia. cou le in ge brid l link Austral colonies workab as out the fina nies of h, the with said was colo kes of bus nation and his le ry Par before eastern metres sing t Hen the a kilo . ths into brough them ge, mon sand thou rated between brid ge was es from fede the brid piec an have links g of The of rt . nin ds spo Americ ope tran address thousan led by at the dations eld of e much assemb the foun Tenterfi in tens collaps a ly and s ous to e Sad ship fam York n. ing e clos most as New kme in sail w and l wor bridge cam ded it ent of loca the ia nee Departm ge Glasgo rs and tral and t brid ed n Aus th. The enginee promis acemen were e whe the nor com a repl projects the tim line to were new r build 9, at ply ed to n othe er. At the in 193 time sup ways’ pow continu war whe war man the Rail icated vital s of NSWrs of the erial or aps perh d, fabr .

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The Hawkesbury River Bridge is the largest single asset in the care of the Sydney Trains. Situated in an obscure bend in the river it is unseen by the public, except when they cross it. Two bridges have had to be built, side by side, both technically challenging for their time, and both requiring spectacular, and well photographed, engineering feats to move the huge steel spans into place.

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accounted for 47.4% of the value of new civil engineering development applications in 2017, as opposed to just 24.9% in 2016.”

According to the report analysis, new projects captured over 2017 indicated that future private sector civil engineering would largely be characterised by renewable energy.

Renewable energy made up $19.4 billion, or 10.6% of the value of all new projects added to the pipeline in 2017.

There were 5,274 new project applications captured in the December quarter, with a combined construction value of $43.9 billion. Over the year, there were 23,559 new projects captured at a combined construction value of $182 billion.

This was up from $165 billion in the year to December 2016 and indicates continued strength in the construction sector.

As with the previous quarter, civil engineering projects dominated commencements, with 1,046 projects entering construction at a value of $5.4 billion over the period.

In closing Ms Owen said, “With new pipeline values up 10% on 2016 and commencement values up 40%, it is fair to say that the construction sector will see higher levels of activity going into 2018.

>

Construction Engineering Australia • April/May 2018

PLEASE ORDER AT PHONE: (02)96994595 EMAIL counter.sbo@arhsnsw.com.au

Bill Phippen was born in Sydney in 1950. He graduated in Civil Engineering from Sydney University in 1976. Bill was elected to the Founding Board where he served continuously until 2017.

From 1996 until 2012 Bill was the President of TAD. In 2010 he was named by the Sydney Morning Herald as one of the 100 most influential people in Sydney. In 2013 Engineers Australia named Bill as one of the 100 most influential engineers in Australia.

Bill is a member of the Engineers Australia Sydney Division Heritage Committee.

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INDUSTRY NEWS

NEW CAMPAIGN TO TARGET WORKPLACE SAFETY IN NSW

REGISTRATION KEY TO IMPROVING ENGINEERING STANDARDS The Board of Professional Engineers of Queensland (BPEQ) has welcomed Victoria’s decision to introduce a mandatory registration scheme for engineers saying it will lift standards in the profession.

The Victorian Government recently introduced the Engineers Registration Bill in the state parliament, a move that will likely see Victoria join Queensland in requiring mandatory registration for engineers.

BPEQ Chairperson Dawson Wilkie said Victoria has taken a step in the right direction and that engineers and the public will benefit.

“Thanks to the foresight of Professor Roger Hawken, Queensland has had a mandatory registration system for engineers for more than 80 years and it is welcome news that Victoria is doing the same”, said Mr Wilkie.

“Under our system only highly qualified and competent engineers have been able to work here, ensuring engineering in Queensland is of the highest standard.

“Registration benefits engineers and the public by establishing professional standards of practise, preventing unqualified people from carrying out engineering services and reducing the risks of something going wrong with a project or service, either materially or financially.

“BPEQ has provided the Victorian Government advice throughout their legislative drafting process and we are also ready to assist other states and territories if they introduce registration schemes.”

In recent weeks engineering associations in New South Wales, Western Australia and the ACT have begun lobbying their respective governments to introduce registration.

Earlier this month, BPEQ registered the 20,000th Registered Professional Engineer of Queensland (RPEQ). There are now 13,000 active RPEQs and several hundredRPEQ applications are received each month, underlining the profession’s support for registration.

SafeWork NSW has launched a $3.2 million campaign aimed at ensuring workers and employers stay safe on the job.

The “Safety starts with you” campaign has been developed to improve safety and help reduce workplace injuries and illnesses across NSW. It highlights risky behaviour in an effort to reduce the number of injuries in NSW workplaces.

In 2015/16 alone, SafeWork NSW received 30,902 reports about major workplace injuries and illnesses, and tragically, there were 60 fatalities.

SafeWork NSW, Group Director, Regional Operations and Sector Initiatives, Tony Williams said the campaign aimed to encourage workers and business owners to discuss safety in the workplace.

“No matter your occupation, industry or background, safety is everyone’s responsibility,” Mr Williams said.

“Through the campaign, we want workers, to think about what might happen if they’re injured at work and look at changing their behaviour.”

The campaign features paid advertising across a mix of media, including new tv, print and radio ads that focus on high risk industries and work activities.

The campaign is part of SafeWork NSW’s Work Health and Safety Roadmap for NSW 2022. For more information visit: www.safetystartswithyou.nsw.gov.au

NEW FRAMEWORK TO HELP INSURERS AND CLAIMS MANAGERS SUPPORT WORKERS WITH PSYCHOLOGICAL INJURY CLAIMS Safe Work Australia launched a new framework to support the management of psychological workers’ compensation claims, at the recent National Workers’ Compensation Summit in Sydney.

Taking Action: A best practice framework for the management of psychological claims in the Australian workers’ compensation sector is aimed at helping workers’ compensation insurers and claims managers better support workers experiencing psychological illness.

“Psychological injury claims are different to physical injury claims and often present unique challenges. This is 8

Construction Engineering Australia • April/May 2018

why this framework is so important, it specifically focuses on the management of psychological injury claims in Australian workplaces”, said Safe Work Australia CEO Michelle Baxter.

“Workers’ compensation authorities, insurers, claims managers and others involved in the workers’ compensation process will find this framework useful for empowering and supporting the injured worker to a faster recovery and return to work” said Ms Baxter.

Safe Work Australia partnered with SuperFriend to develop the framework which was adapted from their original

TAKING ACTION Framework, developed for the life insurance industry.

“We are pleased that Safe Work Australia is expanding on our original framework and using it to support workers experiencing psychological illness lead healthy safe and productive working lives” said SuperFriend CEO Margo Lydon.

Taking Action: A best practice framework for the management of psychological injury claims in the Australian workers’ compensation sector is available for download at: www. safeworkaustralia.gov.au/takingaction

INDUSTRY NEWS

TACKLE GENDER PAY GAP WITH MORE WOMEN IN CONSTRUCTION In celebrating the recent International Women’s Day Master Builders Australia is calling for more women to pursue careers in the building and construction industry to help tackle the gender pay gap.

“There is profound community concern about the gender pay gap. Getting more women into well-paying jobs in growing industries like building and construction has a big role in closing it,” Denita Wawn, CEO of Master Builders Australia said.

“Building and construction is the nation’s second largest industry and one of the highest paying. It currently employs more

than a million Australians but only 11 per cent of them are women,” she said.

“There are great opportunities for women to achieve financial security and independence through a wide range of careers in our industry now and in the future,” Denita Wawn said.

“On-site or off it, on the tools or in the office or, as is often the case both, women need to know that building and construction is an industry that will welcome them and where they can achieve both financially and in their careers,” she said.

“Master Builders is committed not just to talking but to achieving real change.

Women Building Australia is an initiative to change perceptions and raising awareness so the industry can recruit, train and retain more women,” Denita Wawn said.

“We want our members businesses to benefit from the skills and aptitudes that women bring to building and construction workplaces,” she said.

“Master Builders has also launched a National Mentoring Program to support women in their choice of a construction industry career. It brings together women who are just starting out in their careers or are training to attain a building industry qualification,” Denita Wawn said.

“As an industry a key priority it is ensuring that we can provide the skills that young people need and that employers want. The Women Building Australia initiative is a great example of how industry can invest in the future of its workforce and help tackle the gender pay gap,” Denita Wawn said.

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Construction Engineering Australia • April/May 2018

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PROJECT BRIEF

State-of-the-art design and materials take centre stage at new Ronald McDonald House Ronald McDonald House South Brisbane has not only been built with functionality in mind, but designed unlike other inner-city high rises – with roofing material used as exterior walls to give it a “home away from home feel”.

Award-winning architecture firm BVN looked to Queenslander homes for inspiration which typically comprise of three main features: a garden; a metal roof and either brick or weatherboard cladding.

The new building design is focused at reinterpreting these features within a larger building typology to create a finer grain and domestic tectonic.

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Construction Engineering Australia • April/May 2018

Unlike other institutional buildings within the precinct, it was particularly important the new Ronald McDonald House, the latest offering from the non-profit organisation helping to house seriously ill children and their families, have a large expressed roof which wrapped over the top and down the building sides. Visible from the street, this roof typology clearly marks the building as a home for visiting families.

“We wanted to create a building that didn’t feel like either a commercial tower or an institutional facility,” says BVN Senior Practice Director Terry Braddock.

“This led to the careful selection of

materials to reflect what is most commonly used in Queensland domestic buildings – principally single houses,” Looking to Stramit, Australia's premium rollformer of steel building products, Stramit Speed Deck Ultra® cladding manufactured in BlueScope Colorbond Aries from the metallic paint range was chosen for the roof and wall cladding.

“The use of this roofing material over a continuous height of 11 storeys is unusual for an inner city high rise building,” explains Braddock. “It is a highly cost-effective method of dressing an otherwise blank boundary wall condition.”

Visually appealing, strong, lightweight and weather resistant, Stramit Speed Deck Ultra® cladding is ideal for large roofing applications. Its large water-carrying capacity and weather-tightness allow for it to be used in very low roof pitches – and with Queensland’s harsh climate the need for such a high-performance, advanced material was a must.

With the design focusing on families and children, the importance of highquality, durable and safe materials used for the building construction was vital.

“Speed Deck Ultra was chosen for its cost efficiency and being a trusted, quality product that is carefully tested and accepted in the industry,” says Braddock. “The product achieves a valuable mix between design aesthetic and cost, while the large spans covered quickly.”

Stramit Technical Services Consultant Ken King says the FarLap® joint system was used to achieve a step of 22mm between the wall sheets, enabling the architect’s requirements to use the roof cladding as exterior walls.

“So it was decided to install the Speed Deck Ultra and the FarLap joining system at every second floor,” King explains.

“This also enabled the contractors to have shorter sheet lengths to work with in a vertical situation.”

Ronald McDonald House South Brisbane, on the Brisbane River, Queensland and directly opposite the Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital, currently offers family accommodation of more than 70 rooms, consisting of a range of unit types, from family studios to selfcontained and accessible arrangements.

It is the largest development type of its kind in Australia with a total of 112 units.

PROJECT BRIEF

Designing and creating a structure that isn’t just aesthetically pleasing but also functional is no easy feat, but the Ronald McDonald House South Brisbane has managed to break the mould – pleasing not just design enthusiasts but also countless families and children.

“To see our vision for such a special place come to life with the help of so many hardworking and passionate teams has been a memorable and treasured experience for everyone involved in the project,” says Braddock.

Braddock describes the project design as personal and specialised, with a tailored brief provided. “The design brief called for a facility that felt like a home away from home for families with a child who is seriously ill and undergoing specialised treatment at nearby hospitals,” he says. “The main aim was to make families as supported and comfortable as possible in a setting that feels both familiar and domestic.”

The building features multiple children’s games and play areas, a number of shared domestic scale kitchens and dining areas,

lounge spaces, an outdoor recreation and play section, quiet zones with computer facilities for adults, a roof-top function space and many more inclusions adding to the ‘home away from home’ feel.

“The design of the building has been undertaken in a manner which promotes the gathering of families together within the building,” says Braddock. “This includes the provision of communal areas on every level building, and the main lounge and dining area being visible from the main entry.”

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Construction Engineering Australia • April/May 2018

11

IT FOCUS

Meeting current and future construction industry challenges with enterprise technology

By Rob Stummer, Managing Director, IFS Australia and New Zealand As a provider of enterprise software solutions to Australian construction companies, we have seen a tremendous amount of change in both the construction industry and the technology industry in the last few years.

Technology – in particular, the data that underpins it – has gone from being a tool that organisations use to help run their businesses to becoming an indispensable asset that companies need in order to survive.

At a recent IFS Australian roundtable, however, leading construction companies revealed large gaps in their technology systems and told us they often struggled to drive adoption of more efficient enterprise software. Companies admitted that subcontractors were often more advanced in their use of digital technology and that their senior employees were often resistant to change, with the mentality, “If it works, why change it?”

Construction lagging in digital uptake In 2016, global consulting firm McKinsey & Company ranked construction second last out of 22 industries in its digital technology uptake, ahead only of agriculture. While they were U.S. rankings, the local industry also has a history of low technology investment.

With digital technology set to transform construction, low technology investment is becoming a risk to construction businesses.

Technologies like Building Information Modelling (BIM), the Internet of Things (IoT), drones, robots, 3D printing and blockchain 12

Construction Engineering Australia • April/May 2018

will disrupt the industry. Innovative companies will grow rapidly and those that don’t adapt will fall by the wayside.

While acknowledging that disruptive technologies will bring many changes to construction, many construction companies tell us that their main IT focus is on becoming more digitally connected and efficient to compete in the current operating environment.

In our view, most companies could improve their competitiveness and efficiency with modern, integrated enterprise software providing a single, centralised system to connect business, people and processes. This would not only remove current business constraints, but also set companies up to adopt disruptive technologies in the future.

Five factors holding companies back IFS sees five IT-related factors – poor visibility of project performance, lack of on-site data collection, double handling of information, delayed project actuals and forecasts, and inefficient management of people, safety and compliance – that are holding many construction companies back.

The systems we see at most construction companies are characterised by silos of disconnected systems including financial and project management software, and Microsoft Office documents containing asset management, HR and other information.

Combining these within a single enterprise system vastly improves visibility of project performance across the business.

Just look at all the Excel spreadsheets used across the industry to manage people, safety and compliance. These make onboarding of staff costly and cumbersome and result in business bottlenecks that negatively affect projects.

One of our Australian customers has seen average staff onboarding costs fall from nearly $1,000 to under $100 after replacing Excel spreadsheets with an IFS enterprise workforce management solution. They also achieved significant improvements in staff retention rates.

Making software integral to the business Another customer has implemented an IFS enterprise solution to increase visibility and control over project costs and revenues. Consistent processes, a modern user interface and a single repository for all information have streamlined everyday tasks and improved team dynamics.

As a result, the company has increased efficiencies in managing contracts, subcontractors, purchasing and materials, and can deliver better services to its clients.

But what is most impressive – and perhaps encapsulates what we want to help all our customers achieve – is the way that the company’s culture has changed to make software integral to the business and how this has empowered employees. Staff are now coming forward to suggest ways that the company can extend its systems to grow its business, for example, through technology partnerships or integrations.

IT FOCUS

Technology is no longer something that has to conform to how people work, or vice versa – people and technology are becoming different aspects of the same thing.

Real-time data access via mobiles One of the other things that our roundtable reinforced was how urgent it is to allow field staff to access and enter information in real time using their mobile devices.

In combination with a centralised enterprise system, this allows companies to get a live snapshot of projects, for example. The move to real-time data access and collection via mobiles also supports dynamic, timely decision making, rather than waiting for the consolidation of weekly or monthly reports. Forecasts can be constantly recalculated, not just updated once a month.

Even gradual introduction of mobile technology can deliver major benefits and form a foundation for wider mobile use

throughout organisations.

The document management capability within IFS Applications™, for example, allows all project documentation to be managed, including revision control, document deliverables and approval workflow, with full support for mobile devices.

Using the IFS Mobile App, we have customers whose board members and others can click on and approve documents no matter where they are, even while they are on holidays if that is required.

Investing for now and the future Most construction firms could improve their competitiveness with modern, integrated enterprise software. The key to success is starting with solutions offering clear benefits to companies and staff, and building up from there.

Investing in the right enterprise system can meet current needs to improve competitiveness, support the latest technology and promote cultural change,

build up data assets to leverage emerging technologies, and provide a roadmap for the future.

Construction companies do not have to be at the “bleeding edge” of innovation to survive in a digital world. But they cannot afford to remain technology laggards either.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Rob Stummer is the Managing Director, Australia and New Zealand for global enterprise applications company IFS. He has held this position for the past ten years, continually achieving significant growth annually in both revenues and EBIT. Rob holds several degrees, including a Masters from Melbourne University. For further information on IFS, please visit: www.ifsworld.com/au

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Construction Engineering Australia • April/May 2018

13

COVER FEATURE

“AROUND $200 MILLION WAS JOINTLY INVESTED IN WORLD-CLASS SPORTING INFRASTRUCTURE. ” CITY OF GOLD COAST MAYOR, TOM TATE

GOLD COAST

INFRASTRUCTURE

BONANZA LEAVES HOST CITY GLEAMING Fast facts

• The City of Gold Coast is the second largest local government in Australia and the first regional city to host the Commonwealth Games.

• More than 6600 athletes and officials from 71 Commonwealth nations and territories took part in 11 days of competition from 4 to 15 April 2018.

• More than 1 million ticketed spectators attended 11 days of competition.

• With a resident population of around 600,000 the city welcomed more than 670,000 visitors.

14

Construction Engineering Australia • April/May 2018

T

he XXI Commonwealth Games hosted on the Gold Coast was the first large-scale multisport spectacle to be hosted in Australia for over a decade and the first in a regional city.

The City of Gold Coast embraced transformative civic projects like never before, with more than $13.5 billion in major infrastructure projects changing the face of the city.

In preparation for the global sporting event, the City carried out an extensive

range of infrastructure projects that will benefit the community and boost the economy for many years to come.

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate said it was a once-in-a-generation opportunity for the city to shine.

“We focused on delivering projects that we knew would leave a positive legacy for our city well beyond the closing ceremony.

“Infrastructure projects were the bedrock for our Games success, positioning us proudly as a world-class cosmopolitan city,” he said.

COVER FEATURE

The Gold Coast Aquatic Centre

Coolangatta beachfront Beach Volleyball venue

“Never before has our city had that level of international exposure and we’ve created ongoing opportunities for a stronger city through the joint delivery of a highly successful Commonwealth Games.

“The investment in our city’s sports venues started paying dividends early on - earning back $50 million of the $200 million investment in their upgrades before the Games had even started.

“It was important to inspire our community to get involved, and with 15,000 volunteers we know we achieved that. The Gold Coast is now well and truly on the map as a premier event destination and we will continue to reap the benefits of our infrastructure investment for years to come.”

Infrastructure investment boosts economy and visitor numbers Games events were hosted at 17 worldclass facilities located on the Gold Coast and in Brisbane, Cairns and Townsville. The majority of competitions were held on the Gold Coast in a mix of new or upgraded, existing and temporary venues.

Gold Coast Aquatic Centre, Southport Originally built in the 1960s, the Aquatic Centre in Southport had a $42 million upgrade as a GC2018 legacy project with joint funding from the Queensland Government and the City of Gold Coast.

The world-class swimming and diving facility is fitted with a 312 kilowatt array of 1100 solar panels, reducing annual running costs by $100,000 and supplying all of the Aquatic Centre’s energy needs.

Gold Coast Sports and Leisure Centre, Carrara Purpose-built to world-class competition and training standards the Gold Coast Sports and Leisure Centre hosted the badminton, para powerlifting, weightlifting and wrestling competitions during the Games and is already attracting international sporting events and elite high-performance training camps to the Gold Coast. The $105 million construction project was jointly funded by the City of Gold Coast, Queensland Government and Australian Government.

The Gold Coast Sports and Leisure Centre

“Back in November 2011 we celebrated the news that we were the host city for the 21st Commonwealth Games but we knew we had a lot of work ahead of us. We had six years to make the most of this exciting opportunity to transform our city.”

“We set up our dedicated Commonwealth Games Unit to drive the majority of activities and liaise with our partners.

“Our transport network needed to cater for unprecedented demand during the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games (GC2018), and across the city we invested in everything from road upgrades to bike racks and high-speed fibre optic networks.

“We wanted to create a memorable experience for the athletes and our visitors while creating a positive legacy for the city to build on in the future.

Construction Engineering Australia • April/May 2018

15

COVER FEATURE

NEW TRAFFIC AND TRANSPORT

INFRASTRUCTURE GETS PEOPLE MOVING

More than $166 million of road network improvement projects were funded by the City of Gold Coast and the Queensland Government.

The Gold Coast’s transport network needed to prepare for a big spike in visitors.

Following extensive planning to identify traffic movements during GC2018, the City carried out a number of road infrastructure upgrades to support the transport network.

The Gold Coast is a car centric city so encouraging active travel and public transport was fundamental to moving large numbers of people around. Host venues were connected to various modes 16

Construction Engineering Australia • April/May 2018

of transport, making it easier for people to walk, cycle and catch public transport to the venues.

The City of Gold Coast and the Queensland Government invested over $14 million in active transport improvements connecting major public precincts such as Broadbeach, Surfers Paradise and Southport.

Shared paths connecting the city The City completed 14 kilometres of new pedestrian and cycle paths ahead of the Games to make active travel a safer and more viable travel option for residents and visitors, including improvements for

accessibility. Providing quality off-road pathway infrastructure encourages walking and cycling as legitimate travel options.

A $3.5 million shared path on Boulton Drive and Nerang-Broadbeach Road was completed to link the Nerang Railway Station to the Gold Coast Sports Precinct in Carrara.

The new 1.3 kilometre shared pathway provided active travel options for Games spectators attending events at the Gold Coast Sports and Leisure Centre, and will be a lasting legacy for patrons attending Suns games at Metricon Stadium.

Funding for the section of pathway, from Lakeview Drive to Nerang station, was jointly provided by the City of Gold Coast and the Queensland Government under

COVER FEATURE

plates to assist vision impaired users. The signs are a modulated system that allow for individual panels to be replaced with LED screens in the future.

Gold Coast Light Rail Stage 2

Shared paths connecting the city

the Public Domain Improvement Program (PDIP) and the Cycle Network Local Government Grant Program (CNLGG).

The City also delivered $5.7 million of road rehabilitation and reconstruction projects in preparation for GC2018 with the program of works brought forward for roads in key locations within the Games precincts.

Bike share scheme leaves a healthy legacy Pedal power was added to the City’s active transport arsenal with the Gold Coast’s first bike-share scheme. The scheme came at no cost to ratepayers and was launched in partnership with Mobike, Good Cycles and transit specialist Transit Australia Group.

The bike share scheme allows residents and visitors to unlock and lock their bike using a mobile phone app. The bikes leave a social wellbeing legacy by supporting health and fitness and providing an affordable means of transportation while reducing congestion and air pollution.

With 1000 bikes in circulation and 12,500 registered users, the scheme is proving popular.

“We know that, on average, every dollar we invest in cycling infrastructure will return nearly five dollars in economic benefit to Queensland with improved health outcomes, reduced traffic congestion, and lower transport costs,” said Mayor Tom Tate.

The bikes were rolled out strategically with the number of bikes increased to meet demand in the lead up to GC2018.

monitoring and incident management for our road network. Two new permanent Variable Messaging Signs (VMS) were also installed next to the Gold Coast Highway in Southport and Main Beach. Mounted in a steel gantry that overhangs the road carriageway, the LED digital messaging boards were used to inform road users of changes to the road network during the Games.

Wayfinding signs enhance visitor experience New active transport wayfinding signage was installed to make it easier for residents and visitors to navigate through central city areas. The signs and markers were specifically designed using clear written and visual messaging and include braille

Gold Coast Light Rail Stage 2 was accelerated by approximately five years because of GC2018.

Connecting the CBDs of Queensland’s two largest cities - Brisbane and the Gold Coast - Stage 2 delivered the critical 7.3 kilometre section between Helensvale station and Gold Coast University Hospital station.

The project included two new park ‘n’ ride facilities and additional car parks at Helensvale station (400) and Parkwood station (1000). The $420 million project was delivered with a $270 million contribution from the Queensland Government, $95 million from the Australian Government and up to $55 million from the City of Gold Coast.

More than 100,000 spectators used the Gold Coast’s light rail system each day during the Games, which is 3-4 times the usual daily patronage. Stage 2 of the Gold Coast light rail is a major legacy project helping to transform the city into a modern and accessible destination.

New CCTV cameras improve traffic monitoring and road safety Additional road safety CCTV cameras were installed in key locations to improve traffic

Gold Coast Light Rail

Construction Engineering Australia • April/May 2018

17

AQUATIC FACILITIES

Geoff Ninnes Fong & Partners Excellence in Engineering Geoff Ninnes Fong & Partners (GNFP) has gained an enviable reputation as a leading structural, civil and aquatic engineering practice, both throughout Australia and beyond.

Building on this reputation for excellence, Geoff Ninnes Fong & Partners Pty Ltd are proud to have been associated with the Gold Coast Aquatic Centre redevelopment which was completed in 2015.

GNFP were initially commissioned

by Cox Raynor Architects to undertake the structural design of the building structures for the Gold Coast Aquatic centre redevelopment for the Queensland Government. After a period of concept design and design development, the design team was novated to Watpac who constructed and delivered the project, to undertake detailed design and construction services.

Gold Coast Aquatic Centre GNFP designed the building structures for the centre, which included: • Two storey steel framed building with a post tensioned suspended concrete slab to support gymnasium, gym amenities.

• One storey suspended post-tensioned concrete roof slabs over amenities and pool plantroom to the east and west of the new 50m pool. These structures have the capacity to support large temporary grandstand seating and a temporary roof structure in Games mode or event modes.

• Steel framed one storey building over new a Learners Pool incorporating a Dry 18

Construction Engineering Australia • April/May 2018

dive facility and mechanical plantrooms with suspended mechanical plantroom.

• Single storey buildings for amenities and change rooms, consultation rooms, cafe, kitchen, crèche, function rooms and storage and control rooms.

Features of the building structures include: • Extensive use of post tensioned flat plate concrete slabs designed for simplicity of formwork, speed of construction and aesthetics. GNFP designed the post tensioning in house.

• Cantilever steel roof structures designed for high wind loads.

• Extensive use of precast concrete walls using marine grade concrete designed for exposure to salt water due to close proximity to the ocean.

• Use of large timber façade vertical blade elements requiring exacting control of steel rafter precambers to maintain correct levels.

• A high performance paint system and special purlin coatings to protect steelwork in the highly corrosive indoor pool environment.

Designing for Corrosion Protection in buildings GNFP recognise that structural design requirements are not the only thing to play a major role in structures. When exposed to highly corrosive environments such as an indoor swimming pool or next to the ocean, structures have to be designed to last, and need be protected from these corrosive elements.

Building owners are increasingly aware of the cost of maintenance and downtime required to fix corrosion issues that often plague poorly designed buildings or structures.

GNFP has extensive experience designing structures capable of withstanding highly corrosive conditions.

GNFP’s vast experience in pool structures, means they pay particular attention to corrosion resistance across all aspects of their projects, including selecting construction materials, coatings and fixings based on the type of structure, the location and compatibility with each other.

GNFP’s knowledge of the causes of corrosion in aquatic centres can play a major role in assisting clients and architects to minimise the risk of corrosion caused by the selection of inappropriate construction materials, inadequate air handling, poor structural detailing, and inadequate specifications for finishes and coatings.

GNFP also recognise that using the correctly specified concrete and cover is of prime importance to the longevity of concrete structures in these corrosive environments. As such, GNFP also places an emphasis on ensuring that both the design of the concrete components and the constituents of concrete mix will provide superior corrosion resistance to normal concrete.

Client: Queensland Government and Gold Coast City Council Head Contractor : Watpac Architect: Cox Raynor Structural Engineer: Geoff Ninnes Fong & Partners Services: Arup

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S T R U C T U R A L & AQ U AT I C E N G I N E E R I N G

Centenary Sports Precinct Pymble Ladies College, Sydney

AQUATIC FACILITIES

Report shows health benefits of aquatic facilities A report by Royal Life Saving Society Australia shows that the average visit to Australia’s public pools leads to health benefits worth nearly $27, underlining the importance of ensuring universal access to public swimming pools.

The report shows the social cost of physical inactivity in the Australian population, especially among the 40% of Australians who are classified as “inactive”. Currently, only 1% of Australians meet the standard for “high physical activity” as set by the World Health Organization. Even one extra visit to a public swimming pool each week would be enough to shift most “inactive” Australians up to “low activity”, cutting their risk of lifestyle-related disease by 16% and saving more than $4,500 per person in the form of better health, reduced medical costs and improved work attendance each year.

These potential health gains mean that the average pool visit might cost $6 to $8, but is worth nearly $27 to Australian society in health gains alone, with the average aquatic facility producing $2.72 million worth of health benefits annually.

“We’re just starting to understand the full range of benefits that come from ensuring access to public swimming pools for water 20

Construction Engineering Australia • April/May 2018

safety, exercise and recreation,” says Justin Scarr, Royal Life Saving Society - Australia CEO. “Public swimming pools help to keep Australians safe, healthy and happy and we need to remember just how much good they can do when thinking about funding for new facilities and much needed upgrades.”

The report, titled 'Economic Benefits of Australia’s Public Aquatic Facilities', outlines the economic burden of physical inactivity in Australia, which costs the health system $3.7 billion each year and leads to death and disability costing $48 billion – accounting for 5% of the overall burden of death and disability in Australia.

Data on Australians’ exercise habits shows that nearly 40% of the population is currently classified as “physically inactive”

by World Health Organization standards, as they manage less than 60 minutes of vigorous exercise each week - leading to increased risk of Type II Diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

Economic analysis carried out by Royal Life Saving Society – Australia shows that an additional weekly visit to a public swimming pool would be enough to lift most Australians out of the “physically inactive” category, leading to improved health outcomes, reduced health system costs and better attendance at work.

Research released by Royal Life Saving Society - Australia shows that every visit to a public swimming pool creates health benefits worth $26.39, meaning that the average aquatic facility creates improved health outcomes worth $2.72 million each year to Australian society, over and above their value as sources of recreation, community and aquatic education.

The report underlines the importance of providing all Australians with access to safe, high quality aquatic facilities, not just for much-needed recreation and to help them learn about water safety, but to help them remain active and healthy as well.

Dr. Paul Barnsley, the study’s author, said: “We knew going in, that swimming was a great way of keeping active, but we were shocked to find out just how effective even a single weekly swimming pool visit can be in cutting the costs of physical inactivity.”

“Now we need to make sure that everyone is in a position to take advantage of those benefits – if we don’t find the money for pools we’ll end up paying for it via the health system,” he said.

“We want to encourage all Australians to make full use of their local public swimming pool, not only this summer, but throughout the year, and to enjoy the health benefits of swimming,” Justin Scarr added.

AQUATIC FACILITIES

Smart swimming pools to trial energy saving technology and manage peak demand The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) recently announced $2.5 million in funding to Pooled Energy for a pilotscale demonstration of its technology that dramatically reduces energy consumption of household swimming pools and unlocks the potential for demand response.

The $5 million project will see Sydney energy retailer Pooled Energy expand the trial of their technology from 400 to 5,000 residential swimming pools in NSW. Sydney households who join the 5MW trial will have an intelligent pool control system installed that automates and optimises the energy use as well as chemical use and water quality of their swimming pool.

Swimming pools typically use 40 per cent of the average Australian pool owners’ total energy use. Pooled Energy’s world-first technology reduces a pool’s energy consumption to 10 per cent of the household’s total energy use.

The trial will also demonstrate how a large fleet of swimming pools can be coordinated to collectively deliver demand response using a cloud-based system.

By curbing their consumption during peak times or when power surges, demand response can prevent outages during extreme peaks such as summer heatwaves or can provide grid stability.

ARENA CEO Ivor Frischknecht said the pilot project will demonstrate Pooled Energy’s ability to use pools to manage demand.

“Household swimming pools take up a very large load on the electricity network and can contribute to high energy bills for families,” he said.

“Pooled Energy’s technology will now be able to test turning that load into a significant contribution in providing low cost demand response in significant volume, alongside making significant productivity improvements.” Mr Frischknecht said.

Pooled Energy co-founder and chairman John Riedl said: “We are delighted to work with ARENA to demonstrate how pools can be harnessed to assist the grid with no inconvenience to customers.”

“There are more than 1.4 million swimming pools in Australia, and pools use approximately 10 per cent of the average demand on the residential grid.

If all the pool pump and filters were on at once, they would use up to 3.7 GW of energy - the equivalent of two Liddell-sized power stations running at capacity - so there is huge potential to both reduce the amount of energy used and better manage pools for the wider benefit,” Mr Riedl said.

“This technology also reduces a household’s total energy usage by approximately 30 per cent,” he said.

For further information, please visit www.arena.gov.au and www.pooledenergy.com.au

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21

SPECIAL REPORT

Modular Construction

Helping to Future Proof Construction

by Jeremy Oaks, MACE How can we ensure that the Australian construction industry is fit for the future? Mace’s Jeremy Oakes explores how modular construction could help deliver real change.

All over the world, the construction industry is facing skills shortages, productivity problems and concerns about sustainability and safety.

Increasingly, the sector is turning to offsite and modular construction; where much of the actual ‘building’ takes place in a factory environment and is transported to the construction site.

The benefits will go beyond just productivity and cost. Factory construction is safer and more sustainable, as less packaging is used to carry goods to site and workers are doing complex physical tasks in a climate controlled and enclosed environment.

Workforce issues are also addressed. A fixed factory location and a minimal site workforce means that construction labour becomes more stable and less iterant, while improving wellbeing amongst employees. That should mean we keep people in the industry longer, and that the skills we invest in stay in one place.

Modular will also allow us to future proof our buildings. It means flexible structures that are easier to upgrade and alter as the needs of end-users change and develop.

What rooms and uses will we need in hospitals and schools in 20 or 30 years? It’s not always easy to predict, but with a modular construction methodology it’s much easier to alter floor plans to meet unexpected needs.

22

Construction Engineering Australia • April/May 2018

In Australia, offsite and modular methods have seemed to be on the verge of becoming standard practise for years, but have never quite made it through to the mainstream.

The mining sector, for example, is one that has led the way on modular construction, where the benefits of quick and easy installation and removal, often in remote areas, have always been obvious.

For more standard residential and commercial builds in urban environments, however, modular and offsite have always been attractive in theory but in practise they haven’t delivered the cost benefits required to ensure mass adoption.

It is becoming increasingly clear, however, that this has to change – in order to keep our construction sector productive enough to support wider national economic development, we need to change how we build.

In order to make it viable for everyone, we need to bring economies of scale to the market; to encourage companies to build or leverage factory capacity to reduce costs and increase reliability.

As elsewhere around the world, it appears that it is the public sector that is likely to step in and make this happen as they have access to the economies of scale The public sector in Australia has already begun a number of modular and offsite construction pilot schemes, exploring the viability of building everything from schools to hospitals in modules.

For years, the education sector has happily used temporary modular units to meet short term space demands in schools – so it should be no surprise that they are an early adopter of complete modular solutions.

The improvement of modular technology has made this adoption easier. One common complaint was always that it was obvious when modular construction methods had been used – that the technique resulted in boring, repetitive design.

Now it has become much easier to deliver structures with custom cladding and design elements that allow for sympathetic architectural design and unique learning environments despite the factory origins of the modules themselves.

By leveraging the sheer scale of public procurement, the public sector will be able to build huge demand for offsite and modular builds.

Beyond the wider impact on the sector, driving down costs and building the skills required to deliver a fundamental shift in construction methods, a push towards modular will also help to build the huge educational capacity we need cheaply without losing out on quality.

We know that the schools in Australia – particularly in New South Wales – are facing a massive enrolment challenges in the coming years. We’re already working closely with the sector to help address that need; but using standard construction methods it’s hard to see how we can build all the classrooms we need.

Modular is the solution – and Government can be the catalyst to change the whole sector.

In the UK, there has been pressure for years for a move wholesale to offsite and modular construction, but the industry has been slow to react and apart from a few notable investments things have remained largely static – at least until recently.

In their Industrial Strategy, published in late 2017, the UK Government has mandated modular construction methodology for the transport, justice and education departments by 2019.

In all of those sectors modular construction is already being adopted – but the mandate will supercharge those efforts.

I would argue that a similar approach from the Australian Government would be a huge step forward; helping to bring our construction sector into the future while reducing public sector construction costs and improving efficiency.

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OH&S

Safety and Leadership

By Doug Wright The definition of safety leadership often confuses people because the terms ‘leadership’ and ‘management’ are often thought of as synonymous. In fact, managers are part of an organisation’s structural hierarchy and so their role is to formally control their subordinates. In contrast, a safety leader sets and monitors the standards of safe behaviour within their organisation in order to effect positive change and influence co-workers.

Safety leaders can be found at all levels of an organisation, from senior executives, through to middle level such as site managers, and on to front-line supervisors.

However, it’s likely that senior management is not aware of, or the most conversant with the dangers of a specific task or job. Rather, their role is to ensure that the workforce is aware that safety leaders will exhibit and explain the actions that keep everyone protected from workplace threats and hazards. Safety leaders do not rule by authority; instead, their conduct influences co-workers to improve their own standards.

In the past, safety management has been driven from the top, with a tendency for it to become stuck at the front-line management level. This means that those workers most likely to engage in unsafe behaviour or to be injured have traditionally been unconnected from the safety improvement process.

Safety leadership overcomes this by working with those most likely to be hurt.

The leaders become actively engaged in working to eliminate the incidences of unsafe behaviours. Without a widespread workforce involvement, any commitment to safety management will be ineffective.

Anyone in an organisation can make the 24

Construction Engineering Australia • April/May 2018

choice to be a safety leader. In reality, for an organisation to have a strong safety culture and performance, there must be safety leaders at every job site, every department, and in every work team. Their behaviour will influence co-workers by: • Their attention to the rules; • Demonstrating constant awareness of the dangers of the job; • Reporting all safety hazards, violations, and incidents; • Communicating with management and co-workers about safety concerns; • Helping to implement change to improve safety and working conditions; • Encouraging and expecting co-workers to practise safe behaviours; • Expressing appreciation for a safe job well done; • Keeping co-workers aware that unsafe behaviour and rule-bending is unacceptable; • Being involved in safety initiatives and committees.

Research shows that a safety leader’s effect on company culture is critical for the prevention or minimisation of a disaster. In order to achieve efficient process safety, any organisation must attend to the following: • Anticipate, recognise and act on any weaknesses that have the potential for disaster; • Ensure the right questions are asked and accurate analyses are carried out; • Implement and use systems as they are designed to be used with regard to safety; • Encourage all workers to show willingness to intervene when issues are small and so prevent them from becoming unmanageable.

These four basics must be developed and maintained over time, often when conflicting priorities seem more urgent.

It’s important to recognise that effective safety leaders do not themselves have to be safety experts, but they must know when to ask the right questions and assess information. To do this, they should have good communication and feedback skills, credibility and effective collaboration. And, of course, the ability to influence people.

It’s important to create a sustainable safety culture that gives any workforce the right skill sets, mindsets and tools, rather than by paying lip service by setting more rules or paper trails in place. Safe Work Australia suggests the following ways for management to engage and consult in a two-way process: • Talk to each other about health and safety matters; • Listen to their concerns and raise yours; • Seek and share views and information; • Consider what your workers say before you make decisions; • Share relevant work health and safety information with workers; • Give workers a reasonable opportunity to express their views and raise health or safety issues; • Give workers a reasonable opportunity to contribute to the decision-making process relating to the health and safety matter; • Take account of workers’ views; • Tell workers about the outcomes of any consultation and in a timely matter.

Management should support the above processes and decisions made by safety leaders and empower them to guide the workforce to strong safety performance.

Western Australia’s Department of Mines,

OH&S

Industry Regulations and Safety suggests the following strategies to further develop safety leadership: Encourage all levels of the management team to show their commitment to a safe workplace through their actions as well as their words. Ways to do this include: • Chairing safety meetings; • Taking responsibility for maintaining the safety management system (SMS) by participating in risk assessments and incident investigations to ensure the system is reviewed and updated as required; • Being involved in reviews and training; • Taking time to talk with work teams in both formal (e.g. site inspections) and informal (e.g. lunch breaks) settings about their safety and health experiences; • Setting an example at all times by paying attention at inductions, following all safety procedures, asking when unsure, and using the correct personal protective equipment (PPE) and clothing.

Encourage people to take personal responsibility for safety by consulting with site groups such as senior, middle and front-line management, and workers to set commonly accepted safety and health expectations linked to clear goals within the control of that group. Raise awareness and promote the exchange of ideas by: • Providing safety leadership training so that safety leadership becomes a corporate value; • Providing appropriate risk management training so that leaders are more knowledgeable about safety and health on their operations, and have a common language with line management.

Safety leadership is more than a way to prevent and mitigate untoward events.

There are also well-known documented benefits that spring from efficient safety leadership. These may not be immediately obvious to the organisation. Have you considered the following advantages of an excellent safety culture?

• The organisation’s reputation and standing is improved amongst clients and suppliers; • Business continuity is improved due to avoidance of incidents, accidents, breakdowns and process failures; • Lost time, frequency of minor injuries, ‘near misses’ and property damage are all reduced;

• Less time is spent recording and investigating incidents; • Insurance premiums may be reduced; • There is an improvement in the workforce’s safety behaviour (by an estimated 85%); • The organisation has a better overall economic performance.

So how does an organisation ensure a robust risk or safety management system?

What procedures should be included?

Consider these aspects of systems and monitoring: • Preventive maintenance; • Operational procedures; • Inspections; • Permit-to-work systems; • Safety talks; • Safety committees; • Risk assessments; • Near-miss reporting; • Training; • Management of change; • Risk management plans.

Encourage people to take personal responsibility for safety by setting expectations for each layer (senior, middle, front-line management, and employees) and link these to the organisation’s goals.

Safety leadership should become a corporate value: emphasise this with safety leadership training.

Ensure that the organisation does not foster a ‘blame the victim’ culture. Incidents and near-misses are unlikely to be reported when there are negative connotations for those involved. If the workforce trusts the system, individuals will be more likely to report accidents, safety hazards, violations, and incidents. In fact, there is likely to be an increased rate of reporting of defects, unsafe conditions and unsafe practices as the improved systems become embedded in the organisational culture.

What are the important qualities a safety leader should have?

First, emotional resilience. The safety leader must be able to deal with stress and negativity. Without it, interpersonal relationships may become difficult or strained, and it may become difficult to convince others of the need for safe practices.

Conscientiousness means details will be attended to. At its extreme, however, the leader may become ground down in trivial details to the detriment of the bigger

picture. Those who lack conscientiousness might have great ideas but lack the credibility to ensure they are followed through.

Compassion refers to the leader’s interest in, and sensitivity to, the needs and feelings of others. This attribute is motivating for others as long as it demands enough of them with regard to safety practices.

Finally, sociability, which includes warmth, outgoingness, assertiveness and a strong activity level. These leaders enjoy the company of others and so do not hesitate to communicate safety needs.

At the other end of the scale, however, they may not be approachable or make themselves available to others when necessary.

Becoming a safety leader is not always an easy choice, particularly when workplace safety has not previously been a priority for the organisation. There may be resistance, opposition or any of a raft of non-compliant behaviours. When faced with such challenges, safety leaders must stand their ground and work smarter with a ‘never give up attitude’ apparent to the resistors. The best safety leaders develop their practices over time, learning from others along the way. Resistance is often part of the learning curve.

Safety leadership can be a challenge at times. But as long as the leader continues to push, he or she will continue to influence the workforce and ultimately, the industry.

For further information, please visit: www.willnevergiveup.com

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Doug Wright is a transformed survivor of a headon near-death vehicle collision.

Passionate about helping people overcome their innermost fears, especially when recovering from trauma, Doug has survived to share his courageous story … his motto is “never give up”. Away from his everyday activities, Doug invests his spare time playing his electric guitar, knocking out an eclectic mix of Eagles hits and fishing for coral trout in Airlie Beach, Northern Queensland.

Construction Engineering Australia • April/May 2018

25

Aussie’s cast iron, hydraulic drive semi trash pump provides pressure and flow for batter spray and dust suppression.

EQUIPMENT SPOTLIGHT

PUMPED UP PROJECTS Every time we pick up the newspaper these days, we read about some new massive government or private investor funded infrastructure program!

Melbourne and Sydney are leading the way with major highway projects and urban tunnelling hitting the headlines.

One major project that is new on the scene is the scheme to build another tunnel under the Sydney harbour to ease traffic congestion in the tunnel and the harbour bridge; value… $14 billion.

Sydney’s growth projections of $8 million people by 2030 are exciting, alarming, and to many urban dwellers, frightening!

On the other hand, big construction companies and suppliers of steel and concrete, are applauding these progressive moves to take the pressure off the four big cities by bringing our infrastructure up to world standards.

One company, Australian Pump, is geared to support the infrastructure boom by developing products which are specifically suited to the tough environment of a construction site.

“It’s not as simple as it used to be,” said Aussie Pumps’ Chief Engineer, John Hales.

“The old days are gone where nobody cared about dust, noise or the inconvenience to pedestrians or traffic,” he said.

Hales says it’s a different world today with the population centres demanding construction sites not impact the liveability of the cities they’re in. John Hales’ classic example of this is the evolution water carts and assorted vehicles.

Water carts were traditionally used just to provide ‘dribble’ feed on roadworks to aid 26

Construction Engineering Australia • April/May 2018

compaction. Today, they are required to provide a wide range of duties but particularly are focused on dust suppression. Australian Pump has developed a wide range of selfpriming centrifugal pumps ideal for this application.

“We started out just building high volume pumps designed to fill tankers fast, and empty them by metering water out onto the site through dribble bars,” John Hales said.

“Today, we have pumps that are specific to this application and in many respects represent a world first,” he said.

The Aussie GMP range of cast iron high pressure tanker pumps, series G3TMK-A/HYD are powered by a hydraulic motor and offer features uniquely suited to this demanding application. The pumps are made from close grained cast iron and big open style impellers that enables small solids in suspension to pass through without damage to the pump.

Built in a semi trash configuration, they also are fitted with stainless steel wear plates to protect the pump’s body from erosion.

Pressures of up to 75 psi and flows of up to 1,500 lpm mean that the pumps can run side mounted spray heads, over a spray range of up to 50 metres width.

Having the self-priming feature enables the tanker to reload where necessary from rivers, dams and streams. These Aussie pumps will prime through a vertical lift of as much as 8.4 metres.

HYDRAULIC DRIVE OPTION - REDUCED MAINTENANCE. The good news for operators is that the pumps are now available with a hydraulic motor with a

completely sealed drive system.

“Using a PTO hydraulic driven pump off the tanker truck’s engine means unlimited power to the spray pump and a sealed system against dust,” John Hales said.

The hydraulic system means the elimination of petrol or diesel engines on the back of the vehicle. That constitutes the removal of a major service issue and no more ‘dusted engines’.

Another advantage is the spray pump can be mounted wherever the vehicle designer chooses, bearing in mind that the drive line is no longer related to shafts but rather to flexible hydraulic lines.

An additional feature of Aussie’s new GMP tanker pumps is a front mounted clean out port. That clean out port means that in the event of the pump chamber getting blocked, it can be cleaned without having to disconnect pipework.

The hydraulic drive pumps are also used in drill rigs, street sweeping machines and vacuum pump out systems.

“This is a big application for us with tank manufacturers,” John Hales said.

“We’re finding Councils are now moving to hydraulics because they like the idea of low maintenance as well as the versatility of the self-priming function,” he added.

Further information, including a free document with hydraulic pump selection information is readily available from Australian Pump Industries.

Further information on Aussie GMP pumps is available from: www.aussiepumps.com.au or authorised Aussie Pump distributors natinwide.

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In that time, the company has gained an enviable reputation for excellence – in terms of both customer service, and for producing innovative equipment with a focus on quality and performance.

Conveyor Industries operate a complete in-house design service using the latest in 3D modelling software and design tools. This enables them to purpose-design solutions to meet the client’s needs in a virtual environment before fabrication. The 3D drawings and regular online meetings during the project design and development phase enables the client to envision what the finished project will look like, how the machinery fits alongside existing infrastructure, and where any modifications may be required. This cooperative approach ensures that the client gets the purpose-designed equipment they need and streamlines the installation and equipment commissioning process.

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SPECIAL REPORT

Post Tensioning Concrete in Winter

By Paul Uno The art of post-tensioning concrete is a common practice on many medium and high-rise building sites today. PT floors can be made thinner and span greater distances compared to conventional reinforced concrete.

The process involves feeding steel strands through thin galvanised metal ducts. The ducts are profiled on site (usually parabolic draping) to balance applied loads and bending moments. Concrete of grade 32MPa or higher is then poured around the ducts and around the projecting splayed cables (called onions) at the dead ends.

The next day the prestressing strands are tensioned (at the live end) to an initial force about 25% of the total jacking force which equates to 46 kN for 12.7mm diameter strands. This is done to control any concrete shrinkage cracking that may occur during the first 24 hours. The concrete must have a minimum compressive strength of 7MPa, or else localised crushing of the concrete may occur during stressing.

Once the concrete has reached a minimum air-cured compressive strength of 22MPa, the final force is applied to the strand (usually about 85% of the ultimate tensile strength ie UTS) which equates to 156 kN (based upon an ultimate tensile strand stress of 1870MPa).

The reason for the 22MPa concrete strength minimum is to ensure that the concrete does not fail around the anchor block during stressing. It must be noted that the values of 7MPa and 22MPa only apply to 12.7mm strand. These values rise to 9MPa and 25MPa respectively when 15.2mm diameter (250 kN UTS) steel strand is used.

Even though test cylinder strengths are based on standard water bath curing 30

Construction Engineering Australia • April/May 2018

procedures when dealing with premixed concrete jobs, the use of air-cured cylinders is more appropriate for post-tensioned concrete. The reason is that a water-cured sample will achieve a higher compressive strength due to the favourable conditions of being in a water tank al 23±2°C (which promotes an ideal cement hydration and curing regime). This may then over-estimate the strength of the concrete on site – not the best option where prestressing failure is concerned.

Quite often the extremes of cold weather in the winter months does not allow the concrete on site to cure enough before post tensioning occurs. This is of particular concern during winter conditions where morning temperatures can approach zero in some parts of Australia.

Research has shown that standard concrete after three days at 23°C, will achieve about 50% of its 28-day strength; however, when the temperature drops to 13°C, the three-day strength falls to about 30% of the 28-day value.

For a 40MPa characteristic strength mix at 28-days, the mean strength could be about 44MPa which translates to a three-day strength of about 22MPa (the value required to limit anchorage failure).

The photograph shows what happened on a project in Australia when tendons were stressed on a morning where the temperature was 6°C and the average ambient temperature for the three days prior to the pour had been 8°C. With temperatures in the range of 6°C to 8°C, the concrete would have only achieved about 20% of its 28-day strength. For our 40MPa example earlier, this translates to about 8-9MPa.

This emphasises the need to leave cylinders ‘air-curing’ on site before they are brought back to the laboratory for testing. This period is from the time the concrete is placed on site to the time of tensioning the strands, thereby ensuring a minimum 22MPa cylinder strength is achieved (when using 12.7mm strand).

It must also be noted here that just nominating a higher grade 28-day strength (eg 40 MPa instead of 32MPa) will not ensure an equivalent 22MPa @ 3 to 5 days after placement when most final tensioning is carried out.

Unless otherwise instructed, most concrete mixes these days will contain supplementary cementitious materials (SCM}, such as flyash. These materials are primarily added to ensure better workability, better long-term durability, better resistance to sulphate and AAR attack - but they may not assist in providing enough early age strength if prestressing during cold weather conditions.

It takes time for the cement grains to react with the flyash particles, in a pozzolanic manner, to result in a better composite material. Strengths in excess of the 28 day nominated characteristic strength are achieved using flyash blends but these higher strength do not always assist when carrying out early age prestressing operations.

In fact, some concrete suppliers in the eastern states are now using two SCMs (primarily flyash and slag) in their standard premixed concrete designs, so the need to nominate a ‘strength at the time of tensioning’ is paramount.

It must be noted here that the use of flyash (as per AS3582.1) is conditional in that flyash from NSW and QLD power stations is usually of better quality due to its reactivity than flyash from other Australian States (eg VIC and WA).

Concrete suppliers can easily modify the amount of all these SCMs to provide the appropriate 3, 4 or 5 day concrete strengths required prior to posttensioning.

Written and verbal communication between the structural design engineer and the concrete supplier prior to tensioning is therefore crucial to ensure the problems associated with prestressing during the cold weather months is minimised.

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CONCRETE INSTITUTE NEWS

CIA CELEBRATING 50 YEARS The Concrete Institute of Australia officially came into existence on the 17th April 1970, when the organization was registered as a company limited by guarantee and with the signing of the Memorandum of Association and Articles of Association.

To celebrate this momentous occasion the Concrete Institute of Australia is proud to announce the launch of its Golden Jubilee 50 Year Celebrations that will take place in 2020.

Did You Know?

The Institute was originally formed when members of the Australian Prestressed Concrete Group proposed a change in 1968 where it was resolved to adopt the name Concrete Institute of Australia. This occurred in May 1969 and the first meeting of Council was then held in July 1969 which was chaired

by Mr William (Bill) Brown who was elected as the first National President. Following this, the Institute was officially registered as a company limited by guarantee with approved Memorandum and Articles of Association on 17th April 1970.

The original subscribers to those documents were: • William Gordon BARNES • Edward Miles BIRKETT • Frank Alexander BLAKEY • William Piper BROWN • Denison CAMPBELL- ALLEN • Nicholas CARIS • Kevin John CAVANAGH • Geoffrey Page COOK • William Raeburn COPELAND • Albert FRIED • George Robert GOFFIN • Phillip Daryl ISAACS 32

Construction Engineering Australia • April/May 2018

• Charles John McMONAGLE • James Selby ROBSON-SCOTT

Events To mark this occasion there will be a nationwide celebration held on Friday 17th April 2020 in all the state branch capital cities.

At these events medallions will be presented to recognise those who have made significant contribution to the formation, growth, and development of the Concrete Institute Australia over its first 50 years.

There will also be many other activities included in the jubilee that will honour and recognise not only the Institute but the concrete industry in Australia.

Share in the Fun The Institute is inviting all our Members to share their stories and anecdotes, as well any old photos and documents. These memories will be used for recording our history in a book to mark the occasion, as well as to retain these archives for safe keeping. You may also wish to assist our Steering Committee and Task Groups.

If you would like to contribute, you can send any information you may have to CEO, David Millar, by email at: history@concreteinstitute.com.au, by post (or in person) at Level 4, 53 Walker Street North Sydney, NSW, 2060, or by phone on (02) 9955 1744.

CONCRETE INSTITUTE NEWS

The Congress, to be held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, will feature a 4-day technical program with over 400 papers and presentations, covering 25 general concrete topics that will focus on developing trends and research in design, construction and materials.

Together with an impressive list of local and international sponsors and exhibitors, a social program that includes a Gala Dinner to honour international concrete structures of excellence, and an opportunity to connect with the “world of concrete” on our door step, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to be amongst the best of the concrete industry.

The Concrete Institute of Australia is privileged to be hosting this most prestigious event, and accordingly invite both the fib and CIA families to join us in Melbourne for what we hope will be the biggest concrete event ever on our soil. For more details read on, or please visit: www.fibcongress2018.com

fib 2018 CONGRESS Memo to Concrete Institute of Australia Members & Industry Colleagues – put the 7th to 11th October 2018 down in your diary and make sure you are in Melbourne that week. That’s when the biggest congregation of concrete experts from around the world will gather as one in Australia, when the International Federation of Structural Concrete will hold its 5th International fib Congress!

represents them in this country. This allows the Institute to bring much of the work being done by fib to the Members of the Concrete Institute, and to provide worldwide codes of practices to our shores that can be considered and compared for local needs.

Why should I attend?

Frequently Asked Questions Who is fib?

The International Federation for Structural Concrete (also known in French as Fédération internationale du béton - fib) is formed by 45 National Member Groups around the world, along with over 1000 individual and corporate members. The objectives of the fib are to develop at an international level the study of scientific and practical matters capable of advancing the technical, economic, aesthetic and environmental performance of concrete construction.

Why is the Concrete Institute of Australia hosting the Congress?

CIA is the Australian National Member Group for fib and as such

The Congress will bring together concrete industry members from all over Australia and the world. It will offer you the opportunity to present your work if you have submitted a paper, meet key industry leaders in specific areas of interest, and create invaluable connections with local and global colleagues and peers. This professional and educational development opportunity is a genuine once in a working life time. Attendance at the conference will put you in front of our key note and invited speakers, and introduce to global trends, research and innovation.

How many people are expected?

The Congress is expected to attract more than 700 people, including many hundreds from overseas. With over 600 abstracts submitted from authors representing more than 60 countries, the diversity of the conference delegation will be incredible. In particular, there is expected to be large contingent from Germany, Japan, and China, where there is a considerable amount of research and innovation going on in concrete.

Construction Engineering Australia • April/May 2018

33

CONCRETE INSTITUTE NEWS

Can I sponsor and exhibit at the Congress?

Do I need to be a member of fib?

No! Whilst fib and CIA members do receive member rates, the Congress is open to everyone and anyone with an interest in concrete. To see the registration rates go to: http://fibcongress2018.com/registration/

Are there special rates for students and recent graduates?

The Congress will present a great opportunity for anyone actively involved in the building and construction industry to present their products and services. There are many attractive sponsorship and advertising opportunities available to increase the visibility of any company’s brand to their key target markets ranging from small to high level packages.

Further information on these opportunities can be found at: http://fibcongress2018.com/sponsorship-exhibition/

How long is early bird registration open for?

Early bird registration is open NOW and will close on 6th July 2018.

Yes! Registration is discounted significantly for students and young professionals.

Can I earn CPD hours?

Yes, as a conference related to the civil and/or structural engineering discipline the Congress will allow you to rack up CPD hours. As a four day congress covering over 400 technical papers both civil and structural engineering disciplines will be covered in depth.

CONGRESS NEWS Watch this space – special session on tall towers Dr Andy Davids, is one of only a handful of world experts in the design of super tall towers. With a CV that includes complete design responsibility for the Burj Khalifa (tallest building in the world) and the J220 Sky City (at 838 metres it is the tallest building in China), as well as completed projects such as Emirates Towers in Dubai (355 metres), Sun Sky Towers in Abu Dhabi (80 levels) and the Central Bank of Kuwait (40 stories) he is worth the price of Congress admission alone.

We’re looking forward to announcing a special session on tall buildings that will be chaired by Dr Davids, who is also the lead Key Note Speaker at the Congress. Keep an eye on the website for the latest information.

fib delegates at the 2017 symposium in Maastricht, the Netherlands.

Key Note Speaker Delivers at ACI Key note speaker at fib 2018 Congress, Professor Koichi Maekawa, was the American Concrete Institute’s invited speaker for their International Lunch at the recent ACI Spring Convention in Salt Lake City.

Professor Maekawa gave a presentation on “Road to New Transport Infrastructure - Super Professor Koichi Maekawa Express Maglev and Extended Airport” providing an overview of the Maglev super-express train and ocean-extended Tokyo International Airport as national challenges to a new transport infrastructure. The presentation was extremely well received by the delegates, many of whom were looking forward to meeting up with Professor Maekawa again in Melbourne at the fib Congress.

fib Awards for Outstanding Concrete Structures announced

Burj Khalifa – The world’s tallest building

34

Construction Engineering Australia • April/May 2018

The Congress will see the winners of the 2018 fib Awards for Outstanding Concrete Structures announced at the Gala Dinner to be held at the Rod Laver Tennis Arena in Melbourne. These awards are only presented every 4 years at fib Congresses and provide international recognition to structures that demonstrate the versatility of concrete as a structural medium.

The award includes a plaque that will be placed on the winning project to recognise its position as an outstanding concrete structure.

CONCRETE INSTITUTE NEWS

Look at our sponsors!

2014 fib award winner, Pont de Terenez in France.

The Congress is attracting interest from all over the world, and we’re pleased to announce that Dywidag Systems International (DSI) and the Australasian Certification Authority for Reinforcing and Structural Steels (ACRS) are on board as Gold Sponsors, with Ancon taking up Silver sponsorship. With a comprehensive exhibition of local and overseas companies it will be a great opportunity for delegates to connect.

PROGRAM: BIGGER-SMARTERSTRONGER

2014 fib award winner, the Centro Ovale in Switzerland

With over 600 abstracts submitted by authors all around the world, all of them striving for concrete excellence with a view to the Congress theme, “Better – Smarter – Stronger”, it is going to be a quality program. Final papers are coming in thick and fast so the program can be completed but here is a snap shot of what to expect: • Several presentations will look at the use of European Codes with respect topics such as fire design, creep and shrinkage, shear and torsion, and other structural engineering requirements.

• A number of presentations on large and challenging projects by construction companies from around the world such as Bouygues Construction and VINCI Construction (France), and Sumitomo Mitsui Construction (Japan).

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CONCRETE INSTITUTE NEWS

• Papers submitted from global consulting companies such as Aurecon, Atkins, AECOM and Arcadis on topics varying from bridge structures to modelling and design.

• Research and forensic work on resilience topics, as well as a special session on seismic activity and findings in New Zealand following the Christchurch earthquakes.

• A number of durability sessions following on from Concrete2017 including concrete deterioration mechanisms, condition assessment, modelling and design, and reinforcement corrosion.

• Several papers on design and construction that will cover global infrastructure experiences with bridges, roads, highways, tall buildings, drainage, wind turbines, cooling towers, viaducts and railways.

• Innovation topics and themes including the construction of 3D printed houses in China.

Dr Stuart Matthews presenting on the fib Model Code 2020 at Concrete 2017.

• Challenges in road, rail and pedestrian bridge design and construction from Australia, USA, Europe and Asia.

• Concrete research and innovation from many of the world’s leading research facilities, both locally and internationally.

• Technical papers on topics not traditionally covered at CIA conferences such as underground and foundation structures, global codes and standards, composite and hybrid structures.

BE PART OF THE CONCRETE MIX There’s never been a better time to be part of the Concrete Institute of Australia!

With over 2,000 members in Australia, the Institute is the country’s leading professional association in the concrete construction industry. The exclusive, members-only benefits that the Institute offer include free electronic access to recommended practices, current practice notes and past conference proceedings, as well as discounted event registrations to the many local technical and networking events, as well as the biennial conference.

Membership also opens up international doors. CIA members are able to access fib Technical Bulletins, free of charge, and can join the American Concrete Institute at heavily subsidised rates!

CIA members today also have access to an ever-increasing electronic portal of educational resources through our eConcrete platform. These on-line presentations and learning forums are all discounted, or free of charge, to Institute members. Added to this the Institute recently launched its online forum on LinkedIn that is exclusive to members only, 36

Construction Engineering Australia • April/May 2018

providing a dedicated area for concrete related discussion, information sharing, and connection.

CIA membership will expand your professional horizon. Dedicated to excellence in concrete, it is our mission to promote and develop concrete research,

technology, application, design and construction – with you!

For more information on how to become part of the concrete mix contact the Institute at membership@concreteinstitute. com.au or check out the website: www.concreteinstitute.com.au/Membership

CONCRETE INSTITUTE NEWS

CIA IN SALT LAKE CITY The Concrete Institute of Australia was prominent at the recent ACI Spring Convention held in Salt Lake City. Past President Michael van Koeverden was involved early on at the convention, presenting at the International Forum on behalf of the Institute.

His presentation informed ACI members and guests about the Institute’s conferences and the international recognition these have, including the upcoming fib Congress in Melbourne.

Institute Life Member and Past President, Daksh Baweja, was also heavily involved, attending several technical committee meetings including ACI 201 (Durability) as well as meeting several executive members of ACI to discuss opportunities for involvement in Concrete 2019 (watch this space).

CIA Councillor, Dr James Aldred, was also there and he updated the ACI 365 technical committee (Service Life Prediction) on the activities being undertaken by the Institute on durability, as well as attending several other technical committee meetings.

The Concrete Institute of Australia has had a long and prosperous relationship with ACI and this has been further strengthened by the activities of our dignitaries who attended the recent convention.

CIA Members in Salt Lake City (L-R): Gianluca Ranzi, James Aldred, Michael van Koeverden, Daksh Baweja

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NATIONAL PRECAST FEATURE

TECH TALK:

A LOOK AT PRECAST PIPES AND THEIR COMPLIANCE WITH AS/NZS 4058 At National Precast, we strive to educate and provide assistance to professionals within the construction industry. Our Tech Talk series has been developed to address some of the common queries within the precast concrete space. In this issue, we look at the importance of ensuring concrete pipes are manufactured and tested to AS/NZS 4058.

Australian Standards are in place to ensure that all suppliers are manufacturing and testing their products in accordance to strict guidelines, and in the construction industry, compliance with relevant Standards is paramount. It is vital that all asset owners, both in the private and public realm, have confidence that the products they are buying and installing meet the requirements of the relevant Australian Standard. When it comes to precast concrete pipes, that Standard is AS/NZS 4058:2007 Precast concrete pipes (pressure and non-pressure), or more commonly referred to as AS/NZS 4058. The required testing for a concrete pipe is outlined in AS/NZS 4058 Section 4, whereby the verification of Finished 38

Construction Engineering Australia • April/May 2018

Product Compliance includes Proof Load Test and Ultimate Load Test.

Proof Load Test: pipes shall sustain a proof load without developing a crack of width greater than the relevant test crack and certificates supplied should show testing results for the batch of pipe supplied.

Ultimate Load Test: the maximum load sustained by the pipe before loss of load shall not be less than the test ultimate load (only if specified).

AS/NSZ 4058 - A JOINT STANDARD The main purpose of AS/NZS 4058 is to provide manufacturers with a series of guidelines that allows them to manufacture an appropriate size concrete pipe to the required strength class that will comply with the serviceability requirements outlined in the Standard. One of the key requirements within this Standard is to ensure all pipes supplied will deliver a 100-year in-service design life.

AS/NZS 4058 was prepared and published in 2007 by the joint Standards Australia/Standards

New Zealand Committee, WS-006, to supersede two respective Australian and New Zealand Standards. Those two Standards were AS 4058:1992 Precast concrete pipes (pressure and nonpressure) and NZS 3107:1978 Specification for precast concrete drainage and pressure pipes.

100-YEAR LIFE TO MINIMISE RISK A 100-year design life can be expected when pipes are manufactured in accordance with AS/NZS 4058 and installed in a ‘normal’ or ‘marine’ environment. ‘Other’ environments that are more aggressive should be assessed for suitability using appropriate engineering judgement. There are risks associated with pipes that do not meet these requirements.

They may be of a lesser quality and could lead to line failures on site.

MARKINGS TO VERIFY COMPLIANCE To confirm that compliant pipes are being supplied, the initial step to take is to ensure they are visibly marked with the information required

by AS/NZS 4058.

NATIONAL PRECAST FEATURE

Example of marked pipe. Note: the date and precaster name has been removed.

As outlined in Section 1.5 Marking of the Standard, the information to be marked includes: • the manufacturer’s name or registered trademark and the location of manufacture • the date on which the pipe was cast • the nominal diameter and load class e.g. DN750/3 • where an elliptical reinforcement cage has been incorporated in the pipe, the word ‘TOP’ indicating the correct laying position of the pipe with respect to the direction of the vertical loading and the orientation of the

reinforcement • the maximum mass in kilograms of pipe for the particular pipe class • the number of the Australian Standard the pipes are manufactured to, i.e. AS/NZS 4058.

The above information should be clearly and indelibly marked in a visible location on each pipe.

Not only is this a requirement, but it also allows the supplier to have traceability of their product from manufacture through in-service.

If pipes are being used that are not marked with the above information, it could be that the pipes are not made and tested in line with the Australian Standard. In this case, you can ask the pipe supplier for proof of the required testing in line with the standard for the batch of pipes supplied. The test results should be dated to reflect the batch of pipes supplied.

RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH NON-COMPLIANT PIPES Using non-compliant precast products may unnecessarily increase the risk of serious safety,

health, economic, legal and social events. The installation of pipes that do not comply with AS/NZS 4058 are no exception. Failure to comply can lead to a reduction in life span (reduced durability), resulting in additional works to replace defected pipes. Additionally, pipes that are not load tested in accordance with the Standard may fail under normal operational loads. The financial repercussions of replacing non-compliant pipes can be extreme and cost momentously more than it would have to ensure the product was manufactured correctly to begin with. If you are in any doubt as to whether your pipes are compliant, request a manufacturer’s certificate of compliance, to guarantee compliance with AS/NZS 4058.

HOW TO FIND OUT MORE For more information on concrete pipes and their compliance to AS/NZS 4058, or for advanced knowledge of design, manufacture and the use of precast concrete, contact National Precast on (08) 8294 0833 or at www.nationalprecast.com.au

Construction Engineering Australia • April/May 2018

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NATIONAL PRECAST FEATURE

NATIONAL PRECAST MEMBERS IMPROVING DESIGNS AND REDUCING COSTS While some precasters merely manufacture, supply and, on occasion, install prefabricated concrete elements, National Precast members – when they have the opportunity – can offer much more to a project’s deliverables.

Over the decades, these companies have become specialist suppliers with extensive experience. Today, they are multi-disciplined and highly skilled outfits that undertake multi-faceted tasks that extend beyond their conventional manufacture, supply and install roles. Very often, their expertise sees them being called in early during the tender process to collaborate with the design team, the head contractor and other key trades, to ensure that design and product choices are maximised.

It is these early discussions that have become an important part of a modern project team’s research process. Many precast packages undertaken by these leading precasters not only include the manufacture of bespoke precast elements, but also their detail, design, delivery and installation. National Precast members can provide solutions that help the architect achieve a desired shape or finish, help the engineer achieve better structural solutions, or help the builder with safer, faster and more costeffective building.

THE PRECASTER’S ROLE IN DESIGN The precaster’s work takes place primarily off site, while contractors and project managers concentrate on site activities. Here, internal manufacturing details are prepared after completion of any external design and detailing.

These include the drawings of individual units for mould-making and casting purposes, reinforcement calculations, cage drawings, bar bending schedules, and preparation of manufacturing schedules.

Precasters can offer detailed expertise that allows for the development of a structure’s design with engineering innovations and scheduling improvements. As well, they work to enhance aesthetics and control budgets from conceptual design to project completion. Each element can be made as cost-effective as possible, taking advantage of the inherent performance characteristics of precast concrete. The precaster can contribute design and detailing suggestions to ensure that maximum efficiency is achieved at the lowest erected cost. What results is a functional and visually pleasant structure that exceeds project expectations.

EXTERNAL DESIGN Engineers have an integral role to play in designing a structure. Spans, loads, connections and temporary supports are all in the realm of the engineer.

Engineers also have a role to play in temporary works design, taking on the Erection Designer role per the revised Standard AS 3850 Prefabricated Concrete Elements.

In the case of architects, knowledge of the many options that are on offer from the precast industry is imperative in order to maximise creativity and design outcomes. It’s about the architect knowing the possibilities for any particular project.

Increasingly used as the building material of choice, precast concrete is a designer’s dream. High-tech and high quality precast is manufactured in purpose-built factories, enabling greater flexibility in terms of what can be achieved as an end result - but how would an architect or engineer know the possibilities if the precaster isn’t engaged at a project’s conception?

From complex geometric patterns and ridges, to curves and waves, to stone and brick patterns, the possibilities on offer are exhaustive. Combine these with integrally-coloured precast that incorporates colour pigments in its mix, or with staining that can be factory-applied after the concrete is cured, and one can only begin to imagine the possibilities.

Whether it be assisting with design, structure, or aesthetics, the broad scope of National Precast members’ projects exemplifies the value adds a member can offer.

THE NEW GENERATION ROLLINGSTOCK TRAIN MAINTENANCE FACILITY The New Generation Rollingstock Train Maintenance Facility is a state-ofthe-art facility that is seeing a significant increase in southeast Queensland’s train fleet and has been designed to maintain the current train fleet, as well as future-proof for the additional train capacity.

Precast Concrete Products was contracted for the precast manufacture.

With more than 40 years’ experience in the precast industry, and with six dedicated production factories, the precaster had the proven track record required for such an important project.

While the original design specified insitu concrete, the precaster’s team worked with the builder, Laing O’Rourke, to redesign the project as a more effective precast solution. Precast Concrete Products’ General Manager, Colin Ginger, says the lead time his company had was key to the project’s success.

“Because we were awarded the job at the outset, that meant we could get the drawings done, start designing and manufacturing ahead of time while the earthworks and site preparation were underway. That meant we didn’t keep the builder waiting,” he details.

WAT DHAMMADHARO THAI BUDDHIST TEMPLE

The New Generation Rollingstock Train Maintenance Facility.

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With a majestic and otherworldly exterior, the Wat Dhammadharo Thai Buddhist Temple in Canberra exhibits impressive precast Glass Reinforced Concrete (GRC) elements. The temple features the only pagoda in the southern hemisphere that is consistent with traditional Thai architecture.

Asurco Contracting was contracted to collaborate on design and engineering as well as supply and install the precast GRC elements.

Wat Dhammadharo Thai Buddhist Temple.

NATIONAL PRECAST FEATURE

in the GRC are typically sufficient to reinforce the concrete, but because of the ambitious design, the GRC was supported, in some cases, by lightweight and heavier steel frames. Asurco’s owner, Des Pawelski, says “this was a very satisfying job, because we made something from nothing and the end result is quite beautiful.”

SOUTHERN METROPOLITAN TAFE, MURDOCH Southern Metropolitan TAFE, Murdoch.

The GRC elements of the temple were manufactured over a nine-month timeframe, with the majority of moulds designed by Asurco. The glass fibres

Delta Corporation, in collaboration with the designers, was invited to develop a cost-effective precast concrete screen façade for the Challenger Institute of Technology’s Stage 4 building at the Southern Metropolitan TAFE in Murdoch.

It’s a striking screen that has a dual function—to simultaneously provide shade to the glass curtain wall and to stand out as an architectural feature.

In order to form the complex shapes, Delta invested a significant amount of resources into the research and development of the materials and the manufacturing process—all while maintaining the high-quality finish demanded by the architect.

The intricate design of the screen façade alongside the need for a high-quality concrete finish posed a challenge during the initial manufacturing phase. The multiple shapes and thin walls that define the screen meant that the panels could not be reinforced with conventional reinforcement. The precaster provided a solution that hinged on the use of stainless steel fibre for the reinforcement. Delta and the design team’s solution resulted in the panels meeting the design requirements while also having sufficient structural strength.

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www.mi-mep.com.au Construction Engineering Australia • April/May 2018

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NATIONAL PRECAST FEATURE

CELEBRATING 50 YEARS IN PRECAST 2018 marks 50 successful years in Australia’s precast concrete industry for Matt Perrella, Executive Director of Delta Corporation Ltd. The Western Australian precast manufacturer is an inaugural member of the National Precast Concrete Association of Australia and Mr Perrella’s half-century feat is a testament to his commitment and the high regard he is held in by not only the precast sector, but also the wider construction industry.

Though Mr Perrella is formally celebrating the milestone this year, his legacy unofficially begins in the early 1960’s when, as a 15-yearold, he would help his father, along with his brothers, making concrete paving slabs in their family backyard. His enterprising father, Giovanni Perrella, saw a future in precast, founding Delta Concrete in 1966 and two years later, in February 1968, Matt Perrella joined the fledgling company.

Mr Perrella commenced as a worker on the factory floor, learning all aspects of the precast business including estimating and sales. His professional career has seen him serve many years as Delta’s General Manager, building and leading a professional and successful team before moving into his current Executive Director role.

In the early 1970’s Mr Perrella became involved with the Cement and Concrete 42

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Products Association of Western Australia.

Here, he served on the executive committee before being President from 1979 through to 1981.

A pivotal part of Delta’s development came in 1980, when the company became a wholly owned subsidiary of Perth-based publicly listed company, Schaffer Corporation, formally Calsil Ltd. Over the subsequent decades, Delta continued to expand its product offering, manufacturing primarily for the Western Australian construction industry. Delta now produces a wide range of structural and architectural precast products for commercial, civil, resource and government projects.

Projects that Mr Perrella has been involved with include multi-storey apartments, high rise office buildings, civil infrastructure, bridges, marine jetties and a myriad of government buildings.

Throughout the years, Delta has supplied its precast products to a number of high profile projects in the construction market, including the Central Park Office Tower, Commonwealth and Family Law Courts, Garden City Shopping Centre, Saint Mary’s Cathedral, the Fiona Stanley Hospital, Perth to Bunbury (Forrest) Highway, Gateway Western Australia Project,

Perth Convention Centre and the newly completed Perth Stadium (just to name a few).

Mr Perrella’s achievements aren’t merely limited to Delta in Herne Hill WA, nor the state of Western Australia. In 1991, he played an integral role in founding National Precast, alongside other nation-wide precast manufacturers. He served as President for two years from 2002 to 2004 and instigated a number of directional changes including the publication of the Precast Concrete Handbook and raising the profile of the precast industry.

26 years on, Mr Perrella remains on the Association’s Board of Directors and that period has seen National Precast evolve into an energetic and vibrant organisation. The Association has grown to become the precast industry’s peak body, continuing to represent its members and work to promote precast as a best practice sustainable construction solution.

Mr Perrella can be proud of the reputation and expertise that both he and Delta Corporation have earned as they continue to provide high quality products and services for clients throughout the country.

PICTURED ABOVE: National Precast CEO, Sarah Bachmann, congratulating Matt Perrella on his 50th year in the precast industry.

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NATIONAL PRECAST FEATURE

SUICIDE: MAKING A DIFFERENCE Nothing stands in the way of breaking the stigma associated with suicide for Peter Webb—Hawkesbury’s 2018 Citizen of the Year and National Precast Individual Member.

Suicide rates in the construction industry are 71 per cent higher than that of other employed men, according to the Suicide in the Construction Industry report from suicide prevention group, MATES in Construction (MIC). The report found 2,554 construction workers died by suicide between 2001 and 2013, which equates to one suicide every second day.

Suicide is common around the world, but the report reveals that in many OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) countries it has a much greater effect. While the report found that Queensland suicide rates fell from 46.1 in 100,000 in 2001 and 2002 to around 13.8 in 100,000 in 2012 and 2013 (suggesting a considerable decline), suicide rates among construction workers remain above the average.

Mental health and suicide are prominent issues that need addressing both within and outside of Australia’s construction sector. As just one example of a man making his mark, Mr Webb works tirelessly to make a positive difference to the communities around him.

National Precast President, Kevin Crompton, congratulating Peter Webb on being awarded Hawkesbury's 2018 Citizen of the Year.

Working within the construction industry on a daily basis, Mr Webb has a long history with National Precast. He has worked for member company Hanson Precast for many years, served on the Association’s Board of Directors and has been engaged as a consultant for the Association.

The Hawkesbury Council’s Australia Day Award Ceremony at Governor Park in Windsor (NSW) in January saw Mr Webb named and celebrated for his outstanding work across a variety of mental health projects. His volunteering as a Rotarian for 20 years, his role on the management team of a vibrant Community Centre and his current four-year stint on Council’s Human Services Advisory team has helped Mr Webb raise awareness and drive campaigns in his local community.

In particular, Mr Webb helped to co-ordinate the Hawkesbury Surviving Suicide Support Group.

Joining the Western Sydney Suicide Prevention and Support Network in 2012 marked the start of an extensive repertoire of work for Mr Webb.

Since then, he has been helping to establish local partnerships in the area, raising awareness of services to assist suicide prevention, advocating for support for people affected by suicide, and helping to organise several RUOK Day Campaigns.

Initiatives like these are great examples of how just one person can make a difference.

Mr Webb’s ultimate goal is suicide prevention, and while there isn’t an overnight solution, his daily work of supporting and educating his community is certainly prompting gradual cultural change. His work shows that if we all strive to make a difference, great results can be achieved.

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IPWEA NSW NEWS

IPWEA (NSW) launches Public Infrastructure Directory IPWEA NSW is a registered charity with the purpose of advancing public works excellence in Australia, particularly in NSW by providing research, influencing government agencies at all levels and providing high quality and thought-provoking forums to engage in best practice.

For government agencies responsible for the design, construction and maintenance of public infrastructure, irrespective of level or tier of government, the process of identification of suppliers and procurement of goods and services has become very prescriptive in terms of both governance and standards. IPWEA (NSW) is regularly called upon to assist public works professionals identify new solutions to manage the vast array of public infrastructure and community assets.

To be able to identify innovation, emerging technologies, new products and services, can be very challenging for engineers, designers and procurement personnel.

In response, IPWEA (NSW) has created the Public Infrastructure Directory, an online resource that will provide a new communication and resource tool for public works professionals and suppliers alike. As well as providing a searchable directory of suppliers incorporated into the tool, the Directory also offers a unique project management tool free of charge.

Backed by a comprehensive news service, suppliers are also able to keep up-to-date with emerging technology, new products and industry updates. Practitioners are continually seeking examples and learning through cases studies of successful projects, innovation and sustainable outcomes, and IPWEA (NSW) is building a technical resource library into the Directory.

The Public Infrastructure Directory has been developed in consultation with and as a 46

Construction Engineering Australia • April/May 2018

result of feedback from the sector. This tool will provide a free to access, simple to navigate online solution for all public work practitioners, with a bounty of information and best practice solutions in a single location - accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, no matter where you are located.

“This is the only service available where you can find every supplier you need with the click of one button,” said The Directory’s Managing Editor, Sean Burke.

Whether you’re building a bridge, constructing a freeway, installing a pipeline or erecting a skyscraper – or something smaller – The Directory will automatically shortlist the most suitable local suppliers for you,” he said.

“And once you’ve identified your preferred suppliers, The Directory allows you to manage them from the start of your project to the finish,” Sean added.

When a supplier is chosen, it can then be linked to a personal project that is set-up on the user’s on-line dashboard. Once linked, the user can make notes, add specifications, attach quotes and communicate directly with one or all suppliers attached to a project.

The Directory allows users to set-up multiple projects, to share projects and, when completed, to archive them for future use.

“We believe this is a unique platform to assist everyone involved in the planning, designing, constructing, funding and management of infrastructure,” Sean Burke said. “Embracing latest technology, The Directory is poised to take local suppliers to a national stage.”

Check out The Directory at: www.publicinfrastructure.com.au.

IPWEA (NSW) Regional Forums 100th Anniversary For nine consecutive years IPWEA (NSW) has conducted Regional Forums across the State - informing thousands of public works professionals, creating networks across the industry, helping to maintain and grow networks, as well as assisting in bringing innovative, cost effective and efficient products and solutions to all corners of New South Wales.

IPWEA (NSW)’s Regional Forums are a state-wide program delivered to rural, regional

Opening Address at Regional Forum in Orange

by Mr Philip Donato MP, Member for Orange.

Opening Address by Mayor David West at Regional Forum in Diamond Beach.

Site tour of the Lismore Regional Gallery at the Regional Forum in Lismore.

and metropolitan public works practitioners.

They are usually held across 11 different locations throughout the State, but in 2018 we added one in the ACT and hosted number 100 at the Maritime Museum in Sydney to celebrate the success of these events that offer a dynamic program focussing on current issues and key technical information.

These one-day events offer a comprehensive program including, informative presentations, with plenty of discussions throughout the day and concludes with a local site inspection and a relaxed dinner creating the opportunity to catch up with old friends, make new ones as well as share knowledge and discuss the points of interest with Presenters, Partners and other Stakeholders.

The presentations at this year’s Regional Forums were delivered by Boral, Roads & Maritime Services, Vantage Pipes, Food Recycle, the Roads & Transport Directorate, Concrete Masonry Association Australia, Slasherteck and Local Government Procurement, and were very well received. We also had a number of Ministers and Mayors addressing the delegates at each forum including the Hon. Catherine Cusack MLC, Mr Philip Donato MP and Mr Jonathan O’Dea MP, Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier and Treasurer on behalf of the NSW Premier who addressed guests during the dinner at the 100th Anniversary Regional Forum.

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IPWEA NSW NEWS

Emerging Technologies Local Roads Congress Conference 2018 The Institute of Public Works Engineering (NSW) 2nd Emerging Technologies Conference will be held at the Intercontinental Hotel Sydney on 14-15 June 2018. This year we welcome the Hon Paul Fletcher, Minister for Urban Infrastructure and Cities and Hon Keith Pitt MP Assistant Minister to the Deputy Prime Minister to the program.

Hosted by Michael Pascoe, experts will present case studies and provide demonstrations on the transformative sector as we go beyond today and focus on the high-tech world of drones, 3D mapping, virtual reality, solar bins, water and energy. Highlights include presentations on the Western City Deal as David Borger Western Sydney Director of the Sydney Business Chamber will discuss the planning and execution of the iconic deal.

A panel of experts will also talk about “Building Resilient Communities” and how new technology is having a huge impact. Panellists include Roderick Simpson, Environment Commissioner, Greater Sydney Commission, Suzanne Campbell of Vennu and Amanda Rose of Western Sydney Advisory. Furthermore, we target the hot topic on autonomous cars with Rita Excell, Executive Director, Australia & NZ Driverless Vehicles Initiative as our keynote speaker who will talk on Future Transport Technologies with Jaguar Australia’s Managing Director, Matthew Wiesner talking about if we as a city are ready for this new technology of autonomous cars and a panel of experts continue the discussion. This industry relevant conference will run for 2 days.

Register now for your chance to be a part of this revolutionary conference showcasing the technology of the future.

For registrations and details, please visit: www.infrastructureconference.com.au

This year the Roads and Transport Directorate’s Local Roads Congress will take place at the Intercontinental Hotel Sydney on Monday 4 June with the theme Roads as Critical Infrastructure.

Mr Rob Carlton will again be facilitating the day session and dinner in the evening. The Hon Melinda Pavey MP, Minister for Roads, Maritime and Freight will be addressing the audience amongst other Government Officials and Industry experts.

The Congress provides an annual forum for all involved in the management of road and freight networks to discuss better outcomes for the safe and efficient movement of passengers and freight across our vast network of local and regional roads in NSW. Many important issues are discussed and there is a significant responsibility to address road safety and that there needs to be an integrated approach to Road safety and the efficient and safe movement of passengers and freight around New South Wales, during the day delegates will debate and adopt a formal communique.

Registration will open soon, so keep an eye out on our website: www.ipwea.org/nsw

IPWEA (NSW) State Conference 2018 IPWEA (NSW) would like to invite you to participate in the IPWEA (NSW) State Conference 2018 to be held again this year at Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley on Wednesday 7th - Friday 9th November.

Held annually, the IPWEA (NSW) State Conference is NSW's leading forum for the public works and engineering sector and relevant for all levels of public works professionals.

Call for Papers The Conference Committee is calling for original papers to be provided for presentation at the ever growing IPWEA (NSW) State Conference.

It is important that we all continue to learn from 50

Construction Engineering Australia • April/May 2018

our peers and find out what we can be doing better – this is done by you sharing and getting involved.

DATES TO NOTE: Submission Forms due: Monday 18th June 2018 Notification of acceptance into the program: Monday 23rd July 2018 State Conference 2018: Wednesday 7th - 9th November 2018 The Conference provides an excellent opportunity for Members, Regional Groups, Contractors, Consultants and Government Agencies to present papers on a diverse range of technical and management issues that impact on public works professionals, the communities we serve and most importantly the future of NSW. Public Works is advancing in a new era of technology and innovation, and we must continue to look at smarter and different ways of doing things. We must continue to recognise emerging issues and technologies, develop, build and retain skills, communicate with our communities on environmental matters, sustainability, road safety, asset management and technical innovation.

For more details and submission form, please visit the IPWEA (NSW) events page: www.ipwea.org/newsouthwales/nswevents/ nswstateconference

Call for Awards Nominations IPWEA (NSW) presents the Engineering Excellence Awards each year to promote and recognise excellence of Local Government and Public Works Projects. This is achieved through inspiration, innovation, development and completion of projects and technical management by our Members. Each project nominated for an award showcases the individual and team aspirations to improve the community in which we live.

DATES TO NOTE: Award Nominations Forms due: Monday 23rd April 2018 Award Project Submissions due: Monday 21st May 2018 Engineering Excellence Awards Gala Dinner: Thursday 8th November 2018

Why should you enter?

There are many benefits to submitting a nomination for the IPWEA (NSW) Engineering Excellence Awards; we recommend you consider nominating your projects and programs in 2018.

Whilst you may feel that many of the projects you undertake during the year are ‘just routine’ they may nevertheless, be an example of industry best practice and the recognition through the Awards might assist a fellow Engineer, Works Officer or Road Safety Officer in undertaking projects that may not happen otherwise.

For more details and nomination form, please visit the IPWEA (NSW) website: www.ipwea.org/newsouthwales/home

Powering a Sustainable Future

Mr John Roydhouse, CEO IPWEA (NSW) celebrates 10 years of service On 22nd February the IPWEA (NSW) team and Board presented Mr John Roydhouse with a celebratory plaque to show their sincere appreciation of his passion and dedication in promoting excellence in Public Works Engineering for 10 years.

John started with IPWEA (NSW) in 2008 as the Executive Officer and then was successfully appointed as the Chief Executive Officer in 2013. During those 10 years, John has been prominent in driving strategic direction, business development, project and risk management, governance, financial management, communications and marketing, public advocacy and promoting the representations of Institute members to a diverse audience ranging from grass root stakeholders to industry and governments of all levels. His management approach has built a strong team united in a value-based approach. It has also earned him a great deal of respect and loyalty from staff members.

He has built a talented and diversified team that are committed to their work and go out of their way to progress the Institute.

The CEO’s position carries the responsibility for administration of the Institute’s affairs on behalf of the Board of nine Directors who are directly elected from the membership. It is obvious that John's long-term goal is to make a significant contribution to the growth, influence and success of the Institute through successful stakeholder engagement, leadership, advocacy, strategic planning, financial management and service delivery.

John is passionate and committed to the Institute's mission.

He demonstrates availability to Board members beyond the norm, recognising that they are fully employed professionals in their day jobs. John has restructured and rebuilt the organisation with a 'can do' approach, and everyone pitches in when needed. The Institute is a small organisation and accordingly John has recognised the key role in direct engagement with members and partners.

John’s leadership, service and dedication to IPWEA (NSW) was further recognised by his reappointment as Chief Executive Officer in late 2016 for a further five years.

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Construction Engineering Australia • April/May 2018

51

ACA CORROSION FEATURE

Insufficient hoop reinforcement in the silo walls had resulted in extensive vertical cracking and led to restriction in grain loading and operation. As the silos are also located in a temperate marine location, 40 years of chloride ingress had also led to significant corrosion to the embedded reinforcement resulting in widespread delamination and spalling.

PROJECT SUMMARY

GERALDTON CONCRETE SILOS REMEDIATION: A case study in the structural strengthening and concrete repair practices utilised for the ongoing operational efficiency and durability of concrete silos.

J Barry, S Robertson & A Mesic, Freyssinet Australia Pty Ltd

PROJECT OVERVIEW The CBH Group is one of Australia’s leading grain organisations, a co-operative with operations including grain storage, handling and transport, to marketing shipping and processing, based in Western Australia. It has been established for 80 years and is owned and controlled by more than 4,500 grain growers.

The CBH Geraldton base is located in the north of the state’s growing region and consists of receival and administration facilities, along with port terminals for export. As part of this receival facility, Geraldton has 24 reinforced concrete grain silos which were constructed from slip formed concrete in the mid 1960’s. These silos were constructed as circular grouped silos in a bank of 8x3 interconnected/adjoining silos, each measuring 36m in height and 13m in diameter, resulting in a plan layout of 100 metres long and approximately 40 metres wide. This layout formed internal star cells between the main silos which are used to store boutique grain. The walls of the silos are around 200mm thick and the wall reinforcement consists only of a centrally placed single mat.

In more recent years, evidence of extensive vertical cracking was noted throughout the walls of these silos and this lead to various investigations and structural assessments.

As is typically found for circular grain storage facilities of this type and age, it was concluded that the original design understanding was inadequate to cater for the peak loads occurring during grain outflow. The resulting structural cracking reflected this structural inadequacy and, given the marine environment in which the silos are located, also raised concern in regard to the long-term durability of this structure.

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Following on from failed attempts at remediation during the early 2000’s by others, Freyssinet were invited to put forward solutions for strengthening and remediation as a result of successful completion of numerous similar projects throughout Europe and the Middle East. This approach was largely one of providing a complete design and construct solution.

Previous structural assessment reports were assessed and further grain testing and load modelling was undertaken by recognised specialist organisations. Freyssinet then completed a full in-house structural design for strengthening which included sophisticated finite element analysis and design to current Australian Standards.

In addition to this, a durability assessment was undertaken by concrete sampling as well as a corrosion survey using half-cell potential mapping. Solutions for long term repair and protection were based on the results from these investigations.

The original 1960’s design allowed for only static loading to the structures and failed to account for the ‘funnel’ effect during the emptying of the silos with insufficient hoop reinforcement in place to deal with such live loads. The most common design errors were bending of circular walls caused by eccentric withdrawal, large non-symmetric pressure caused from inserts, ignoring flow patterns and materials properties concerning temperature and moisture, corrosion of steel reinforcing bars in the concrete and improper reinforcement.

Forty years later their condition had declined to an extreme state rendering them in need of extensive structural strengthening and specialist concrete repair works which included ultra-high pressure hydro demolition and dry process gunite reinstatement.

Leading on from these investigations and designs, Freyssinet was engaged to carry out initial prototype repairs and strengthening to an initial three silos in order to verify and refine work methods and scope for the remainder of the structure. These works were undertaken from a series of special purpose mast climbers which provided for access platforms contoured to the silo geometry.

Repairs were undertaken using techniques commonly used throughout the Freyssinet group internationally, including a combination of hydro-demolition and dry process shotcrete.

Staging of the repairs was originally not anticipated, but was found to be necessary given the very large scale of these works, with this structural assessment undertaken internally by Freyssinet.

Structural strengthening was undertaken using proprietary Freyssinet external post tensioning including 1R15 anchorages, with successful completion of these initial works confirming the design assumptions. The prototype was completed over a twelve month period. Based on the extensive learning and verification made possible during this initial prototype, along with the inclusion of certain methods preferred by the client, the scope of ongoing work was refined and re-valued.

In order to verify the Freyssinet techniques for repair and strengthening, initial works included the construction of a

ACA CORROSION FEATURE

UNDERSTANDING THE PROBLEM Initial site inspections gave a clear indication of the level of cracking on the silos. Extensive areas were visible where corrosion was evident due to delamination of the concrete and pimples/lateral deformations on some silo walls, as a result of the ‘funnel effect’ during the operational use of the silos.

Some remediation works had been carried out previously on the cracking with Kevlar tape placed over each crack to try and stem the cracking and also seal the cracks from the elements. The extent of the cracking exposed can be clearly seen in Figure 4 following removal of the tape as part of the initial repair process.

Figure 1 – Construction of prototype

Figure 2 – Cored tendon placement holes

prototype off site to confirm the accuracy of coring of the interconnecting diaphragm between silos as shown in Figure 1.

Coring of primary 90mm diameter holes through the 4500mm long diaphragms was completed with secondary core holes drilled to intercept these, allowing tendons to pass around the full circumference of each circular cell as shown in Figure 2.

Works on site commenced in 2008 on the first three silos as part of the initial 18 month ‘prototype’ phase. This phase was then followed by the ‘full scale works’ whereby the overall works package was split into four distinct separable portions (SP1 – SP4) with each addressed as sequential independent schemes as illustrated in Figure 3.

Figure 1 – Construction of prototype.

Figure 2 – Cored tendon placement holes

WAREHOUSE

Figure 4 – After Kevlar tape removal from side of Silo 7.8

INDICATES PROTOTYPE COMPLETE

INDICATES SEPERABLE PORTION 2 DURATION – 10 MONTHS

INDICATES SEPERABLE PORTION 1 DURATION – 11 MONTHS

INDICATES SEPERABLE PORTION 3 DURATION – 9 MONTHS

INDICATES SEPERABLE PORTION 4 DURATION – 6 MONTHS

Figure 3 –3Breakup of each phase of worksphase of works.

Figure – Breakup of each

30 Construction Engineering Australia • April/May 2018

Coring of primary 90mm diameter

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ACA CORROSION FEATURE

A corrosion survey was undertaken by potential mapping using half-cell testing equipment. After detailed hammer surveys, coupled with exploratory breakout ‘windows’, areas of concern were identified, catalogued and each silo mapped accordingly which allowed for a repair scheme to be formulated in what became known as the ‘prototype’ phase of the works.

The ‘prototype’ phase of the works utilised separate twin profiled mast climber systems for access to carry out the surveys and the repair works as shown in Figure 5.

Out of the ‘prototype’ phase of the works a defined project scope of works and access requirements were developed for each silo’s remediation.

ACCESS SYSTEMS During the ‘prototype’ phase of the works profiled mast climbers were utilised to access the repair areas. However, it quickly became apparent that this access system was not the best solution for a project of this magnitude. With such large areas of repair to be completed, the mast climber system didn’t allow for the autonomy required to work on multiple work fronts at any given time. Also because of the lower safe working load (S.W.L) of the mast climbers a traditional scaffold access system (Figure 6) was utilised for SP1 – SP4.

Figure 5 – ‘Prototype’ phase profiled mast climber system

Internal 3D scanning of the worst affected silo (3.1) was carried out noting the ‘full thickness’ cracking that was affecting this particular silo wall. These cracks coincided with areas of the wall that appeared to be ‘bulging’ outwards. The 3D scanning mapped the extent of the internal cracking and also the profile of the lateral deformation in the wall.

For this case a methodology for a full depth repair was required and developed.

These initial trials led to development of a structural repair and strengthening solution comprising of the Freyssinet 1X15 external post tensioning system being utilised as the structural strengthening component to combat the insufficient hoop reinforcement, together with varying different concrete repairs techniques to combat the extensive cracking, delaminated concrete and lateral deformation affecting one of the silo structures. Due to the facilities proximity to the coast the cracking also contributed to widespread chloride induced corrosion of the existing reinforcement embedded within the structure.

Figure 6 – Typical scaffold access on site (prior to encapsulation)

Another unique challenge was the access system for the internal star cells. Access into these areas was a difficult challenge due to the confined space nature of the works. Access doors at the base of each cell allowed for scaffold material to be passed into each cell and a scaffold ‘donut’ platform (Figure 7) to be constructed to suit the cells configuration. Side guides/ rollers and a winch system was used to traverse the ‘donut’ up and down the star cell walls.

Emergency access was by means of rope access system in/out of the escape hatch at the top of each cell created by removal of each silos grain feed chutes.

REPAIR SOLUTIONS After the ‘prototype’ phase, Freyssinet Australia was engaged on a full design and construct contract to remediate the remaining 21 interconnected silos and the 14 star cells. Execution of the rehabilitation solution involving various different concrete repair techniques and structural strengthening, discussed in detail hereafter, which ensured the ongoing operational efficiency and durability of the concrete storage facility.

The original contract estimate for repair area was set at 3,000m². However, over the course of the project with better access to carry out detailed surveys the final repair area grew to over 4,400m².

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Construction Engineering Australia • April/May 2018

Figure 7 – Star cell scaffold platform

ACA CORROSION FEATURE

OUTLINE SCOPE OF WORKS The following repair sequence was utilised across all silos: 1. Conduct a Hammer Survey to identify areas of defective/ delaminated concrete.

2. Remove defective/ delaminated concrete using a combination of both hydro-demolition and hand breakout techniques, and trim original concrete to give access behind (by a ‘gloved hand’/ ≥25mm) the existing reinforcement.

3. Remove existing horizontal reinforcement and replace with new galvanized steel.

4. Blast and treat the existing vertical steel with a zinc-rich epoxy primer (Nitoprime Zincrich) to protect the steel reinforcement within the repair areas.

5. Apply concrete repairs to areas requiring reinstatement using a high strength (45 MPa), high strength, low shrinkage dry-spray gunite (Guncrete E) repair application (>600m³).

6. Carry out crack repairs to any remaining structural cracks.

7. Apply a 3-coat high performance water based protective façade coating system to the silo external surfaces (EmerClad).

8. Install an external post tensioning system using diaphragm cored holes to pass each cables external ducting which house the greased and sheathed 15.7mm strand through and around each silo at a pre-determined location (>26km strand). Stainless steel pins were used to support the tendons.

In addition to the silos, the internal ‘Star Cells’ which made up the voids between the interconnecting silos and were also used for grain storage, required some works as part of the overall remediation project. The following repair sequence was utilised across all star cells: 1. Install stressing anchor to receive the external post tensioning cable.

2. Following completion of the post tensioning works, anchor steel mesh to face of each Star Cell wall.

3. Apply 80mm thick strengthening skin of wet-spray shotcrete (Guncrete E) onto steel mesh and finish smooth.

4. Reinstate all infrastructure for each cell – fumigation pipes, chutes etc.

Silo 3.1 required special attention in the overall repair scheme due to the lateral deformation in its mid-section as identified by the 3D mapping and also from the visible penetration through the silo wall. Once access was established, a full depth repair to an area approximately 30m2 was required. Briefed with the 3D mapping information and as-built drawings, a structural finite element analysis (FEA) was carried out to ascertain the structural integrity of the Silo 3.1 and the extent of the necessary repairs.

The results of the FEA confirmed that the silo could still function even with the lateral deformation/ ‘bulge’ left in place. This FEA analysis outcome allowed for the minimum possible area of full depth concrete repair to be addressed.

The results of the accompanying site investigations also highlighted the need for the extensive cracking around the full depth repair area to be treated so that the substrate would act in a homogenous manner during the stressing works, along with the need for stainless steel dowel pins to be installed to the segmented ‘blocks’ of concrete which had been created by the cracking.

CONCLUSIONS The concrete remediation techniques and practices adopted on the Geraldton Grain Silos project were both varied and challenging making it a unique project within the Concrete Engineering

field. The large-scale application of dry spray gunite, wet spray shotcrete, reinforcement treatment and replacement, waterproof substrate coating and external post-tensioning to the silo structures, required dedicated expertise across and range of engineering disciplines.

The successful execution of these works was also greatly reliant upon the collaborative approach adopted by both the asset owner and contractor. Without this forward thinking approach, solutions to additional problems such as Silo 3.1’s full depth repair may not have been so readily derived and successfully implemented.

Moreover, the use of a prototype phase in order to establish the correct application techniques and quality management, helped contribute towards a ‘right first time’ culture that lasted the duration of the repair works, whilst enabling the facility to remain operational.

Not only did execution of the project allow CBH’s grain terminal operations to continue without significant loss in capacity, but the overall finished product is set to provide the structure with a further 40 years of serviceable life.

The completed project value was $26M.

KEY SUBCONTRACTORS AND SUPPLIERS • • • • •

Hydro Demolition: UHP Solutions Concrete Coring: Diacore Surveying: Hile Thompson & Delfos Concrete Hand Breakout: DIAB Engineering Concrete Repair Materials: Parchem Construction Supplies

PROJECT AWARDS • Concrete Institute of Australia (CIA) – Industry Excellence Award in 2014 - ‘My Concrete Rules Repair Category’ • Australasian Concrete Repair Association (ACRA) – Award for Excellence in 2014 – ‘Mega Projects over $10m – Geraldton Grain Silo Remediation’ • ACRA – Award for Excellence in 2014 – ‘Repair Industry Excellence Award – Geraldton Grain Silo Remediation’

REFERENCES • Freyssinet Australia End of Job Report – AF-Q-REP-410-revA • Freyssinet Prestressing Brochure - The system of the inventor of prestressed concrete (Sept 2011) • Robert Bird Group – ‘Assessment of Wall Deformation in the No. 3-1 Silo’ o Document #: 13294N-AF-RPTAssessment-ECE-140319

AUTHOR DETAILS John Barry is the WA Construction Manager with Freyssinet Australia.

Stuart Robertson was the Project Manager directly involved and responsible for the delivery of phase 3 & 4 of the Geraldton Concrete Silo project over a period of 18 months.

Anthony Mesic was the WA Remedial Manager from June 2012 to April 2014 when stages 3 & 4 were being completed on the Geraldton Concrete Repair Project. Anthony was directly involved in overseeing the projects delivery, establishing the full depth repair techniques and troubleshooting new construction requirements throughout the life-cycle of the repair project.

Construction Engineering Australia • April/May 2018

55

ACA CORROSION FEATURE

NEW CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER FOR THE ACA The Australasian Corrosion Association (ACA) is pleased to announce that it recently appointed Richard Reilly to the position of Chief Executive Officer for the organisation.

Based in Melbourne, Richard brings executive experience to the role, having been the chief executive of the Federation of Automotive Products Manufacturers for over six years. He also spent nine years at professional services firm Deloitte in the Global Investment and Innovation Incentive group, delivering tax services to clients.

“Corrosion is an enormous cost to the national economy. I’m looking forward to working with members to Richard Reilly, CEO, help address Australasian Corrosion this challenge Association

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Construction Engineering Australia • April/May 2018

and ensure that the association continues to meet the needs of its members and of the industry through training, membership, communication and governance,” said Mr Reilly.

Richard is very experienced working with stakeholders in a membership-based organisation, providing advocacy and liaising with key industry and government bodies.

His professional background and experience are an excellent fit for the ACA. According to Dean Wall, ACA ‘s Chairman, “Richard will be responsible for delivering key outcomes contained in the ACA’s strategic plan and I am sure you will enjoy working with him to further the interests of companies and individuals in the Australasian corrosion mitigation sector and related industries.”

Richard is passionate about delivering value to members and is well qualified to lead our organisation, with Bachelor Degrees in Arts and Commerce from the University

of Melbourne and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the Melbourne Business School, University of Melbourne. He is also a graduate of the Company Directors’ course from the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

ABOUT THE AUSTRALASIAN CORROSION ASSOCIATION The Australasian Corrosion Association Incorporated (ACA) is a not-for-profit, membership association, that disseminates information on corrosion and its prevention through the provision of training courses, seminars, conferences, publications and other activities.

The vision of the ACA is that corrosion is managed sustainably and cost effectively to ensure the health and safety of the community and protection of the environment.

For further information, please visit: www.corrosion.com.au

7–11 October

Congress Dates

The 5th International Federation of Structural Concrete (fib) Congress is coming to Australia in 2018.

7–11 October 2018

The Congress, focusing on the theme “Better – Smarter – Stronger”, is dedicated to bringing together leaders and practitioners in the concrete industry from all over the world.

The multidisciplinary theme of the Congress provides an excellent forum to share knowledge, and to learn about advances in the concrete world.

With over 580 abstracts submitted from over 50 countries and across 25 themes, there is something for everybody!

Registration Now Open

Features include: • 4 day technical program with over 350 presentations • 5 excellent key note speakers from around the globe • Exhibitors of concrete products & services from all over the world • fib Awards for Outstanding Concrete Structures Gala Dinner • Opportunities to connect with world leading concrete practitioners A Conference of this type is a once in a life time opportunity for the Australian concrete industry to show the world what we can do in our own backyard. Head to our website to secure your registration and find out more.

Professor Stephen Foster Congress Chair

www.fibcongress2018.com

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