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Winter Wine Tour Wrap-Up
WOMEN IN CONSTRUCTION
2021 Winter Wine Tour Wrap-Up
On 4 June 2021 the Women in Construction Group hosted a Winter Wine Tour. The first stop was Four Winds Vineyard where attendees enjoyed delicious woodfire pizza and sampled some of the finest wine in the region as well as their new gin offering.
Guests then travelled to Tallagandra Hill Winery where they were greeted with an incredible grazing platter. The winery owners ran us through a wonderful tasting, that showed how you can enjoy a wine with every sense.
Thank you to our program partners Harvey Norman Commercial and Snedden Hall & Gallop.
Welcome aboard to Shaw Building Group and Master Builders Insurance Brokers.
NEW MEMBER FEATURE:
Element Building Delivers A Sustainable Vision
Element Building became MBA members earlier this year, but the company’s progression has been 10 years in the making.
Married duo, Dennis and Aldona Stravopodis, started Element Building back in 2011, with Dennis operating as the director and Aldona as the Marketing, People and Culture Manager. They started the business with a shared passion for delivering beautiful, environmentally friendly homes. The family owned and operated business has a vision to, “inspire, innovate and lead our industry in designing and building quality, energy efficient and comfortable homes that are accessible to everyone,” Aldona said.
Creating stunning, sustainable homes is a natural part of the process for the Element Building team, “Designing and building energy efficient, sustainable homes that hold up to the rigors of our climate extremities in Canberra is just part of what we do. As builders, we need to take the elements into account if we are to effectively and responsibly build energy efficient homes that will benefit our clients, as well as the environment,” Dennis said. But what do they mean by sustainable homes? Dennis explains, “When we use the word “sustainable” we mean homes that are designed to reduce the overall environmental impact during and after construction in such a way that we can meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” When you look at the incredible Jasmine Display Home in Strathnairn created by the Element Building team, your first thought isn’t about how will the building process affect future generations, but it’s an added bonus of working with a sustainably focused builder.”
While Element Building make the design and building process simple for their clients, there is great thought that goes into maximising the energy efficiency of the home. In a climate like Canberra’s where there are freezing cold winters and boiling hot summers, Dennis believes it is an important focus in the design process saying, “Well-designed energy efficient homes should take into account the climate in which they are being built and use natural heating and cooling methods, insulation, ventilation, shading and glazing based on this to optimise comfort.”
This year Element Building are celebrating their 10th birthday, a celebration which has been interrupted by the latest Canberra lockdown. But the team has had the chance to reflect on the incredible homes they have created in the last decade, “10 years ago when our Element Building Projects journey began, energy efficient building and design principles in Canberra were pretty light on. Having had the opportunity to build six times for our own family, as well as for our many
clients over the past 10 years, we continually experiment with new ideas and materials to see what else is possible to improve everyday comfort of living,” Aldona said.
But in the booming Canberra housing market the idea of a sustainable home can have homeowners seeing dollar signs. The Element Building team believe you need to get the core elements of the building process right before even looking into sustainable technological additions. This is why they released a free guide called The 10 Elements to Building a Sustainable Home.
They have broken the process into 10 key areas:
1. Location and Orientation
2. Building smaller can be better
3. Remember to insulate
4. Sustainable building materials
5. Use the sun
6. Eco-friendly lighting
7. Programmable thermostat
8. Passive solar design
9. Thermal performance
10. Building a healthy house By building a home with the environment in my mind, the homeowners will reap the rewards in the long run. “A more energy efficient home means lower energy bills, as there’s a reduced need for artificial cooling and less electricity being wasted by inefficient light fittings or appliances,” Dennis explained. For Dennis and Aldona, it is important to deliver a home for their clients that doesn’t just work for now but will function for their clients into the future. We look forward to seeing more beautiful homes from the Element Building team as new members of the MBA family.
MEMBER MILESTONE 40 YEARS
40 YEARS ON AND Hindmarsh is a Force of Nature
Hindmarsh is proud to create the leading communities, sustainable buildings, and social infrastructure of the future across Australia.
Hindmarsh understands that being committed to sustainability extends across all facets of our business. Over the last 40 years, Hindmarsh has worked in partnership with project stakeholders, driving construction best practice and integrating environmentally friendly design where possible.
Our approach to sustainability embraces environmental, social, and economic accountability across the entire project life cycle, driven by robust environmental systems. Our strategy typically includes the following key areas:
> Reducing resource consumption via detailed design. > Design driven use and support of recyclable resources. > Application of life cycle costing, with a focus on
Environmentally Sustainable Design (ESD). > Stringent SQE systems, accredited to ISO14001:2015, to protect the natural environment. > Elimination of toxic substance/material use.
> Focus on longevity and quality, not cost. > Waste-management & recycling post project, with an aim to reuse where possible. Several of our Australia National University (ANU) projects included energy saving best practice initiatives, to meet GBCA 5-Star Green Star design criteria or higher. These ESD projects included:
> Centralised plant facilities providing hot and chilled water to service each precinct, and adjoining buildings where possible. > Adaptive air conditioning. > Blackwater treatment to recycle wastewater for re-use. > Rainwater harvesting and recycling for use as irrigation and other associated services.
> Adaptive ‘smart’ lighting control systems including sensors, timers, and low energy units with electronic ballasts. By focusing on complex construction projects, real estate development, retirement services and capital management, Hindmarsh has witnessed steady expansion, founded on a continued commitment to high quality, integrity, innovation, and teamwork.
Today, Hindmarsh delivers high-quality services, offering the highest standards of operation for a wide range of clients. The Hindmarsh story is underpinned by a proven track record of over $5 billion worth of completed projects and communityfocused solutions.
2021 Member Milestones
45
CORDELL
40
BLACKETT HOMES
30
CANBERRA CONTRACTORS PTY LTD ACT DOORLAND MEIER DEVELOPMENTS PTY LTD KAPPELLE PTY LTD MCINNES WILSON LAWYERS M HOMES PTY LIMITED ABLE LANDSCAPING PTY LTD SIMEONOV CIVIL ENGINEERING PTY LTD GUIDELINE ACT PTY LTD MUNNS SLY MOORE ARCHITECTS PTY LTD
25
M & S KITCHENS AUSTRALIA DAN & DAN LANDSCAPING CONSOLIDATED BUILDERS LIMITED HERZOG STEEL CANBERRA SAND & GRAVEL PTY LTD AUSTRAL CLAY BRICKS & PAVERS ACT INTERIORS RENAISSANCE HOMES
20
FUSION CONSTRUCTION GROUP PTY LTD COBUL CONSTRUCTIONS PTY LTD HARVEY NORMAN COMMERCIAL LONERGAN SURVEYING REECE PLUMBING CENTRES CAPCORP CONSTRUCTIONS PTY LTD CAPITAL LANDSCAPE CONTRACTORS PTY LTD CLAY RIDLEY MR BUILDING SERVICES PTY LTD EASIER LIVING SERVICES PTY LTD BAXTER ENGINEERING (ACT) PTY LTD NORTHSIDE COMMERCIAL DAVID RYAN HOMES KASPAREK ARCHITECTS PTY LTD LIANGIS INVESTMENTS PTY LTD PREFERRED BUILDERS ACCLAIM CONTRACTORS PTY LTD THE PLAYGROUND PEOPLE CORD CIVIL PTY LTD CHC AFFORDABLE HOUSING SELECT STRUCTURE PTY LTD ROSIN BROS BLD ENTERPRISES PTY LTD TILING IMPRESSIONS PTY LTD STYLECON PTY LTD GRAYTON BUILDING SERVICES EXISTENZ BUILDERS PTY LTD EMPIRE GLOBAL PTY LTD COMPLEX CO. PTY LTD WALDREN CONSTRUCTIONS PTY LTD INTRAVISION PTY LTD FOXY’S LANDSCAPES AUSTRALIA PTY LTD
