Where are They Now Excellence Awards Edition

At Master Builders ACT we have been graced with many stunning Excellence Awards entries, including the 2016 winner of the CustomBuilt Home: Less Than 150M² category by The Mill Architecture + Design and 360 Building Solutions. It was a memorable experience for Shannon Battisson from the Mill Architecture + Design; it was her first year of MBA membership, her first Excellence Awards win and her first time designing her own home.

We sat down with the newly elected National President Elect of the Australian Institute of Architects to find out more…

SHANNON BATTISSON, DIRECTOR OF THE MILL ARCHITECTURE + DESIGN AND PRESIDENT OF THE AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS

PHOTO FROM 2016 OF THE CUSTOM-BUILT HOME: LESS THAN 150M2 WINNER

Q. WHAT WAS YOUR FAVOURITE PART OF WORKING ON THIS PROJECT IN 2016?

S: It was about designing a home for my family which was really fun. It was the first time I got to design my own family home but we also had no money so we were trying to achieve something really special for a really small amount of money – we built the house for $300,000. To build an 8-star house for that kind of money was exciting and a great challenge. We were then able to use winning the award to help promote that good architecture and good building outcomes do not need a huge budget, you can achieve a lot if you’re prepared to think about it and get it right from the start and then work with a good builder to carry it through.

Q. WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVOURITE PROJECTS YOU HAVE WORKED ON?

S: We are lucky we do a big variety of projects and we have some incredible clients who make it fun to do what we do. We are in the process of finishing the next house for my family and are engaging the same builder that we won our very first award with (360 Building). This has been exciting and challenging in a whole different way, but it is a rewarding thing to do and having built so many projects now with the team at 360, it is a great process to go through when you know each other very well.

We’ve being doing a lot of renovations to beautiful, old mid-century Canberra Houses that are a big part of our architectural legacy but often perform terribly in our climate, so they are freezing in winter and boiling in summer. Some of our favourite projects recently have been taking those old houses and integrating the same environmental credentials that we build into our new builds and retrofitting them in so that the house gets to live another day, and be far more enjoyable to live in.

Q. WHAT IS THE BEST CAREER ADVICE YOU HAVE EVER RECEIVED?

S: I think for all of us but particularly for architects and for designers it’s to never stop learning, we never finish learning you don’t get your degree and never have to think about it again, building techniques are always changing. Construction is such a massive contributor to the climate crisis and whilst that’s sobering it’s also empowering, we are so well placed to make a massive impact on how our climate recovers and so that ability to always learn and adapt your thinking to grow as a professional is the best advice. I still work every week with a mentor to help me grow as a designer, and I have colleagues in different firms around Canberra who I work with from a business standpoint when I have questions.

PRESENT DAY PHOTO OF THE HOME

Q. HOW CAN WE COLLECTIVELY ENCOURAGE MORE WOMEN TO JOIN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY?

S: It’s such a great industry to be a part of and I think one of the best parts about it for a woman is that it’s so varied, there’s not one set path. I’m so excited that when I go on site, I see more of our trades are women. I spend all of my days inside at my computer so when I visit a building site and see women on the tools, there’s no way I could do that yet here’s this woman out there doing something she loves, good on her. It’s really impressive that people find a part of our industry that they love and the fact that it might not be traditionally a role a woman did, they don’t let it stop them. Don’t let the fear of being one of only a few women doing something stop you.

We have such an incredible breadth of experience and culture in our industry and it’s only going to be better through diversity. The best thing we can do to encourage more women into the industry is to say Just because we might be outnumbered now, don’t let any kind of hesitation stop you from pursuing something that interests you. It’s great to get up every day and do something that you like doing.

For Shannon, her respect of the industry in all its facets is a winning attitude all on its own, “It’s a team thing, the construction industry. One of the things I love most about being a part of it and about the different building companies and architectural companies that we work with and collaborate with is that genuine desire to work as part of a team for a great result for a client and I think that’s one of the best parts about being part of organisations like the MBA.”

MEMBER MILESTONE 30 YEARS

GUIDELINE ACT MEMBER MILESTONE: A Venture Down The Road Less Travelled

For the last 30 years of MBA membership, Guideline ACT have carved themselves a pathway lined with incredible projects, award wins and an outstanding reputation amongst other members of the Civil Construction sector. Guideline ACT are a Civil Engineering Construction company that began in 1985 and have gone on to complete over 520 projects over the years. The company’s four key priorities are: safety, environment, quality and productivity.

Guideline ACT Managing Director, Nick Zardo, is an important figure in the Canberra Civil industry. He is the President of the ACT Civil Contractors Federation (CCF) and sits on the National CCF Board as Treasurer. When Nick thinks about his favourite part of being an MBA member he thinks of his ongoing advocacy efforts, “Being actively involved on various boards now, I have to say taking industry issues up to government and coming away with some wins now and then is very satisfying. I enjoy catching up with fellow contractors and participating with the Civil Sector, celebrating its achievements at the ACT CCF Awards too.” Nick acknowledges the contribution former Guideline ACT Directors Gavan McArdle and David Jones made to the industry, explaining, “They both instilled a sense of value in an Industry voice and the MBA in me.”

Over the decades of outstanding projects, one that Nick still holds dear is the Cotter Dam Remedial Works Project in 1999, “It was a hands-on role for me, delivering the project as the site engineer and at times, site foreman. The dam that was originally built in 1912 has now been swallowed up by the new Cotter Dam. Simply, it was an incredible one-off local experience.” Nick made special mentions of other projects including the Isabella Weir upgrade (2018), Constitution Avenue Upgrade (2016) and the Central Valley Earthworks at the National Arboretum (2010).

Guideline ACT is very involved with the children’s charity, Variety, which supports Australian kids with disabilities, chronic illness or are faced with financial or geographical hardship. Their journey with Variety began in 2013 when Nick and Jack (retired workshop manager) decided to participate in the NSW Variety Bash with a sunny yellow 1971 HG Holden Ute, travelling through NSW country towns. In 2021 Guideline ACT will enter “Team Tonka” in its eighth consecutive bash and it’s a big year for the ute, celebrating its 50th Birthday and still going strong. Over the last eight consecutive NSW Bashes, ‘Team Tonka’ has travelled over 26,000 kilometres through dust and mud visiting schools and communities, bringing smiles to the kids. In that time and through the generous efforts of the community, ‘Team Tonka’ has raised over $98,000 for The Children’s Charity. Nick is grateful for the overwhelming support from the Canberra Civil Industry in particular saying, “I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our past and ongoing supporters”.

Along with their years of involvement with the Variety Bash, Guideline ACT are supporters of many local charities including: The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Canberra Hospital, the Australian Cancer Research Foundation and various local sporting clubs including The Monaro Panthers Soccer Club and The Wests Rugby Club.

With many outstanding achievements under their belt, Guideline ACT are looking at how they can improve their Corporate Social Responsibility, “An exciting and proactive project we are currently undertaking is to understand our real environmental footprint and how this can be practically reduced across the entire business. I believe Guideline ACT has a social responsibility to be as sustainable as possible,” Nick says.

Guideline ACT was one of the first companies to join the inaugural Women in Civil Construction program which provides practical and theoretical experience for women looking to join the civil sector. But despite these programs, Nick says unfortunately the numbers aren’t translating, “The inclusion of women in the Civil Construction Industry across every role is something I am particularly passionate about. It’s a no brainer, however, remains elusive.” While the involvement of females in the construction sector still remains low generally, Nick has seen tremendous success firsthand through the Women in Civil Construction program, “Two years on, this has proven to be an incredible success story for Guideline ACT as we have five women with us all progressing very well, with a few making career progression moves within the organisation.”

We look forward to continuing to build female representation in the civil construction sector with Guideline ACT.

Guideline ACT was one of the first companies to join the inaugural Women in Civil Construction program.