NSW/ACT Branch Update EOFY 2024
The NSW/ACT branch committee has continued working hard in 2024 to deliver informative CPD presentations as well as useful resources to the membership. Discussion within committee meetings have addressed issues such as mental wellbeing, university engagement, reconciliation and regional practice.
Membership continues to be strong. Our members engage regularly with our presentations and provide useful feedback to assist the committee in developing future events and resources.
NEW COMMITTEE MEMBERS
The committee would like to introduce our new members Michael Kitmiridis from Sydney, Christopher Lal as our second representative from the ACT and Brent Dunn from the South Coast of NSW as our Regional representative. We welcome and look forward to working further with our new committee members.
Also see the Meet the NSW/ACT Committee article for more on our branch committee members, their interests and goals with the ACA.
EVENTS
We kicked off the year with a combined webinar in early March. Jonathan Lynch of the NSW Building Commission presented on the findings of the DBP Audit and Richard Choy from Natspec on 5 Key Australian standards for Architects.
Another March webinar was presented by Russell Harris, Technical manager of the Australian Glass and Window Association titled Optimising Window selection for 7 star homes.
The following brief reviews of recent webinars were provided by committee members:
Navigating Duty of Care under the DBP Act
Webinar 1 May 2024, review by David Springett
Ms Sharon Levy from legal firm Bartier Perry gave a comprehensive presentation on recent and current legal cases dealing with the NSW Design Building Practitioners Act and regulations. There have been legal cases that have extended the remit of this legislation to have a wider coverage than what is stipulated. Ms Levy has developed an understanding of what our obligations are under the DBP Act, as designers/architects, the definition of construction work under the Act, and who the duty of care applies to.
Any designer or architect in this area of work needs to view this webinar, which is available as CPD On Demand.
Renovate rather than Rebuild
Webinar 28 May 2024, review by Steve Pearse
Jenny Edwards and Duncan Hall from Lighthouse Architecture and Science delivered a very passionate and informed presentation. The presentation was structured around their delivery of bespoke and highly personalised solutions to homes in Canberra, but the advice was applicable nationally.
The informative discussion showed how to lower our carbon footprints in home design and what tools are best to assist in the process. Our speakers explored the tools, rules and design outcomes in delivering energy efficient housing from small to medium size, with Duncan and Jenny walking us through several case studies.
The talk achieved a great balance between technical/scientific analysis and calculations and construction knowledge and the aesthetic, with insights into the space-saving use of the multi room, corridors for learning and work, and working to a budget. There were plenty of questions and interaction in the Q&A session.
I look forward to the next one and maybe a debate on the best tools for the job. NatHERS versus the rest.
Renovate rather than Rebuild is available as CPD On Demand.
Tools – Detailing and Construction Series – Threshold drainage
Webinar 19 June 2024, review by Jennifer Crawford
The ACA NSW/ACT branch proudly hosted a lunchtime webinar presented by Jerry Tyrell of Tools on Threshold drainage as part of the Defect-free detailing and Construction series to an online audience of approximately 70 architects.
Jerry’s presentation highlighted that with something as fundamental as threshold design, finding specific guidance in the NCC can be difficult and frustrating. Jerry also highlighted the lack of any national authority or method to collect defects data in building construction.
Jerry introduced the fundamental principles that inform well-designed thresholds. These include using set-downs and water stops with combinations of the two along with installation of waterproofing membranes and strip drains in thresholds. These thresholds can have steps or be designed to have level access for accessibility reasons.
Jerry introduced examples from the Tools graphic database that show the correct installation of these items in a 3d graphical form. The nature of these graphics makes the sometimes complex Australian Standards or NCC much clearer and easier to understand and communicate with trades on site. An interesting, brief Q&A session followed that highlighted the nature of competing requirements from various Australian Standards that can impact final detailing on a project.
The informative session was appreciated by attendees and the ACA NSW/ACT branch looks forward to hosting more of these useful webinars in future.
Cost-Plus Contract Webinar
Webinar 17 July 2024, Review by Agi Sterling
This timely webinar was organised in response to the current climate of rising costs, including materials cost, the labour shortage, and an uncertain market. Many building companies have gone out of business due to a combination of these factors and having fixed price contracts. Due to this, many builders prefer to work on a cost-plus basis.
The webinar featured speaker Christopher Larcos, Special Counsel for Moray & Agnew Lawyers and one of the ACA’s valued legal advisors. Christopher addressed the possible advantages and pitfalls of the use of cost-plus contracts. He explained how working with cost-plus contracts can result in cost savings to the client where there are considerable unknowns in a project. In a lump sum context, the builder incorporates monetary contingencies to cover the potential costs should those unknowns result in more work than might otherwise have been anticipated. The same is not true in a cost-plus scenario. Since the builder is compensated for all costs properly incurred, and there is no fixed contract sum, there is no need for contingencies.
Of course, working in a cost-plus structure has a different set of contract administration issues, particularly monitoring costs and accurately anticipating where the ultimate contract price will end up. Here, in all but the most straightforward of projects, a quantity surveyor’s involvement is important.
At the end of the presentation there was a Q&A session with many interesting questions. This informative webinar was well attended with just over 120 architects. We thank Christopher for his presentation and ongoing support to the ACA.
WORKING GROUPS
Reconciliation Action Plan Working Group Update
Steve Pearse, the Chair of the ACA RAP Working Group, provides the following update:
As part of our commitment to CPD across all areas of business, last month the NSW/ACT committee supported our RAP working group and NAIDOC week program by generously funding ACA National to facilitate a CPD event.
‘Acknowledgment of Country: Making yours Meaningful’ was extremely successful, with over 220 registrations, 180+ active screens on the day and between 250 to 300 viewers/participants due to group views in several offices across Australia.
The presentation covered the meaning, relevance and power of personal interpretation around the acknowledgement of country. The presenters, Rhys and Emma from Acknowledge This, delivered a very dynamic and refreshing approach to the topic, its relevance, history, sensitivities, and realities of the acknowledgement.
The CPD webinar will be available to access for six months for those who missed it on the day.
Upcoming Events
The committee has further events planned for the remainder of the year. Please add these future events to your calendar to save the dates.
- Wednesday 14 August, 1pm. Online: Succession Planning with Danny Chung from Macquarie Bank
- Friday 13 September, 5.30-7.30pm. BoSP (Business of Small Practice) with Kate Fitzgerald from Whispering Smith. Location to be advised for this face-to-face presentation and networking event.
- Wednesday 9 October, morning session. Online: Bartier Perry discussion on the NSW Land & Environment Court.