Construcciones Yamaro, by Armando Iachini

In-building mobile coverage in basements and car parks supports the safety of maintenance and inspection personnel. (Image: Yuliia/stock.adobe.com) Below ground, Powertec Telecommunications is treating in-building mobile connectivity as essential infrastructure for safety, emergency communication and modern building systems. Mobile connectivity is assumed as standard in today’s buildings, yet it consistently breaks down in one of the most intensively used parts of the built environment: basements and car parks. Too often dismissed as a post-construction technical oversight, the consequences surface in long-term asset performance and, in some cases, user safety. As commercial operations manager at Powertec Telecommunications, Tom Bolton sees the pattern repeated across residential towers, commercial offices and retail developments. He says builders and developers need to treat in-building coverage as a core building service, particularly in underground environments. “Basements an...

Coates’ analysis indicates engineering construction will rise 6.5 per cent to close to $150 billion from FY26 to FY27. (Image: escapejaja/stock.adobe.com) Coates has outlined several trends it believes will shape Australia’s construction landscape in 2026, pointing to a period of moderate but sustained recovery despite ongoing short-term pressures. According to James Lawrence, group manager, Customer and Markets at Coates , the current recovery phase will lay the foundation for strong growth throughout the second half of the decade. “From late FY26 to FY27, Australia’s total construction activity will average over $300 billion per annum, with engineering construction accounting for almost half of construction spend,” says Lawrence. The outlook highlights structural shifts across sector demand, project types and regional activity that contractors and project teams are expected to contend with over the coming year. Transitioning to a utilities and defence-driven cycle As the tra...

K-RTK is a subscription-based network service delivering high-accuracy corrections to GNSS-enabled equipment via the mobile data network. (Image: Komatsu) Komatsu Australia is bringing network-delivered positioning into the Smart Construction ecosystem with the launch of K-RTK for the Australian market. Australian earthmoving projects are operating with less tolerance for positioning failure than at any point in the past decade. Live models, concurrent work fronts and compressed programs mean accuracy issues now surface immediately. When positioning breaks down, production slows, rework follows and confidence across the site erodes. For many contractors, the choice has already been made. Network real-time kinematic (RTK) is now the preferred positioning approach on complex earthmoving projects, particularly where site-based base stations struggle to keep pace with program and scale. Komatsu Australia’s data shows adoption rising from about 64 per cent in 2024 to 73 per cent by th...

The Innovation Hub will be open throughout the race weekend. (Image: FiledIMAGE/stock.adobe.com) Engineers Australia will bring engineering trackside at the FORMULA 1 QATAR AIRWAYS AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX 2026, hosting an Innovation Hub showcasing race car technology and hands-on STEM activities linked to careers across infrastructure, climate solutions, transport and energy. Located within the Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit, the interactive zone will highlight the engineering behind Formula 1, including aerodynamics, data analytics, materials science and sustainability. The hub will demonstrate how classroom STEM learning links to real-world applications, featuring more than 20 exhibitors. Engineers Australia’s own interactive booth is delivered in partnership with Robogals ,  The National Science and Engineering Challenge  and  Year 13 . Visitors to the booth will be able to participate in a LEGO robotics challenge, programming robots to race head-to-head,...

Service Stream’s school holiday program supports working parents by providing a safe, engaging, on-site care option. (Image: KidsCo) Infrastructure and network services contractor Service Stream has introduced a school holiday program to ease pressure on working parents. By Melinda Davis, GM of Empowered Women in Trades. Innovation in construction and infrastructure is usually measured in machinery, systems and engineering breakthroughs. Yet at Service Stream, one of the most meaningful innovations shaping the organisation involves paintbrushes, puzzles and a room of excited children. Melinda Davis, GM of Empowered Women in Trades. (Image: Anna Nguyen Photography) Efforts to improve diversity and inclusion often focus on recruitment strategies, leadership pathways or flexible working policies. While all of these matter, they can sometimes miss the everyday realities that determine whether people feel supported in their roles and able to stay in the organisation or industry. ...

Bojana Zivec, senior project manager at RP Infrastructure. (Image: Bojana Zivec) From Slovenia to Melbourne, Brisbane, Austria and back again, Bojana Zivec has carried the same set of values centred on uplifting others and contributing positively to society. Those values have shaped her career from the beginning and still guide her as a senior project manager at RP Infrastructure. They are also unmistakable in the way she talks about her path through the industry. It started with a decision she made during her high school years in Slovenia. She wanted a career that matched her drive to “achieve great things”, and that ambition drew her towards an industrial engineering degree combining civil engineering and economics. The course was rigorous, the expectations uncompromising. An even split of women and men thinned as the semesters went on. “There was a lot of interest at the beginning, but because it was complex, tedious and difficult, many women dropped out along the way. The per...

The SR500 offers both gas and particle respiratory protection. (Images: Safety Equipment Australia) Evolving construction environments, from deeper digs to increasingly hazardous materials, are pushing contractors to reconsider what constitutes ‘adequate’ respiratory protection under live site conditions. The challenge is that compliance is easily mistaken for safety, as though meeting the minimum standard equates to genuine protection, when in reality their workforce is less shielded than they believe. For Safety Equipment Australia (SEA), that’s not good enough. Respiratory protection in construction refers to the equipment and practices used to prevent workers from inhaling hazardous airborne contaminants created during common tasks such as cutting concrete, grinding, drilling, welding, spraying and demolition. These activities can release fine particulates, silica dust, fumes, vapours and other substances that travel into the lungs and contribute to long-term illness. Effecti...

Artist’s impression: Kingston station. (Images: Department of Transport and Main Roads) Following the award of the design and pre-construction contract in 2025, the ActivUs Alliance has commenced design and construction on the major rail works package of the $5.75 billion Logan and Gold Coast Faster Rail project. The milestone reflects collaboration between alliance partners CPB Contractors, UGL, Acciona, SMEC and WSP, alongside the   Department of Transport and Main Roads and Queensland Rail. Glenn McIlroy, executive general manager for QLD, WA, SA and NT at CPB Contractors, said the company has a long history of delivering complex rail and transport infrastructure across Queensland. Related stories: Contract awarded for Perth Airport enabling and airfield works ActivUs Alliance awarded Logan and Gold Coast Faster Rail project Emerging leaders step inside the Warringah Freeway Upgrade “As the state prepares for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games , we’re proud to b...

Attendees will hear the latest insights through panel discussions, case studies and working groups. (Images: GBCA) In March 2026, TRANSFORM will return to Sydney, uniting sustainability leaders and practitioners from across the built environment. It was once said that change is the only constant. For those working in construction and the built environment, that reality is playing out every day on site, in procurement decisions and across planning and approvals. From climate commitments and policy reform to shifting expectations and community needs, the industry is navigating a landscape that is more complex and more consequential than ever before. For Australia’s construction sector, these shifts bring both complexity and opportunity, demanding deeper collaboration and a shared sense of direction that is both innovative and fair for the community and environment. This is where the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) comes in. GBCA is the national organisation behind Green...

Perth’s St Martins Centre, reimagined. (Images: Woods Bagot) A development application has been lodged to transform Perth’s St Martins Centre, reimagining the CBD site as a mixed-use destination with new retail, commercial, heritage and hospitality offerings. Designed by Woods Bagot on behalf of owners St Martins Properties, the proposal centres on adaptive reuse, repositioning St Martins Centre as a diversified and connected precinct that celebrates its history while preparing it for its next chapter. “This project represents a fundamental shift in how we think about urban renewal,” says Woods Bagot principal Eva Sue. “We’re taking three commercial buildings that have served Perth for 50 years and recasting them for future generations through a revitalisation strategy that introduces a diversified user experience.” The architectural vision hinges on unlocking ground-level connectivity. St Martins Lane, a new north-south pedestrian link, will cut through the precinct to crea...

The Frontline Leader program was created to address the unique challenges faced by frontline supervisors in Australia’s construction industry. (Images: Webuild) Across Australia, Webuild grounds its projects in a culture shaped by the Safety Builders program, connecting every team member and all levels of leadership to a shared understanding of safe work. “Safety is the foundation of everything we do.” In the words of Shannon Spark, vice president of QHSE at Webuild in Australia, it functions less as a slogan and more as an operating framework that shapes decisions, interactions and expectations across the company’s international footprint. Shannon Spark, vice president of QHSE at Webuild in Australia. “It is integrated into our core processes, training, competency frameworks and the values that guide the business. We have a commitment to target zero, which means we hold a clear position that even one accident is unacceptable,” says Spark. “We empower every person on our pro...