Construcciones Yamaro, by Armando Iachini

The National Precast Concrete Association Australia is calling on construction stakeholders to improve efficiency and reduce waste by seeking smarter ways to build. While the construction industry in Australia is a major contributor to the economy, it faces an intractable labour productivity challenge. Further, the industry is a major contributor to waste across Australia, and National Precast Concrete Association Australia’s (National Precast) Chief Executive Officer Sarah Bachmann says things need to change. Using precast concrete minimises site waste because exact, complete elements are delivered and installed. At a macro level, using precast delivers productivity benefits for the construction industry. Being manufactured in purpose-built factories, it inherently has all the benefits associated with offsite manufacture, such as improved quality, safer working conditions, less cluttered and safer sites, faster construction and cost savings. Importantly, waste produced during the...

John Holland has been awarded the tender as Managing Contractor for Stage 1 of the new $1.3 billion Toowoomba Hospital. Queensland Premier Annastascia Palaszczuk said new and upgraded hospitals play a key role in Queensland’s Big Build – the state’s $89 billion suite of infrastructure projects. The new Toowoomba Hospital – the first of three new hospitals to be awarded under the Queensland Health and Hospitals Plan ’s $9.78 billion Capacity Expansion Program – will provide an additional 118 beds across medical, surgical, maternity, coronary and intensive care units. Located on the site of the Baillie Henderson Hospital campus, it will provide emergency department treatment spaces, outpatient consultation rooms and diagnostic rooms and include medical imaging, pharmacy, and pathology services as well as administration, education and training facilities for hospital staff. Related stories: Queensland Budget 2023-24 includes Big Build investment Queensland Government reinforces s...

Lauren Campbell started her career in the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) space with building services company A.G. Coombs QLD straight out of school, and now she has a trade and multiple achievements under her belt at just 24 years of age. As an Air Conditioning Service Technician at A.G. Coombs QLD, Lauren Campbell works on an extensive range of commercial buildings, from small shopping centres to large-scale universities. Providing ongoing servicing of HVAC equipment, as well as covering HVAC breakdowns and repairs, Campbell has excelled in her role, completing her Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Apprenticeship in 2020. Her career journey has been full of experiences since joining A.G. Coombs QLD in 2017 – including a lot of firsts, she says. “Gaining my first full-time job has allowed me to take my first flight, travel for the first time to places like Melbourne, Sydney and Port Douglas and also achieve smaller firsts such as backing a trailer and composing...

Queensland Treasurer Cameron Dick handed down the state’s 2023-24 Budget on Tuesday, which included major investments in infrastructure. A $20.321 billion Big Build capital investment in Queensland’s 2023-24 Budget will support the delivery of the state’s biggest transformational projects as well as essential services for Queenslanders. Steven Miles, Queensland’s Deputy Premier, said the state is in its golden decade of opportunity. “Queensland is the fastest growing state, with more population growth than we’ve seen in a long time,” he said. “Our $20.321 billion Big Build capital investment in the 2023-24 State Budget is supporting transformational projects.” “Our regions’ infrastructure needs are being supported with a new $3.611 million investment in this year’s budget, towards Regional Infrastructure Plans, a key element of the State Infrastructure Strategy. “A significant capital boost of $9.785 billion over six years for our health system is delivering around 2,200 additiona...

Construction of the Paula Fox Melanoma and Cancer Centre in Victoria has topped out and is reaching its final stages. Visiting the site of the new $152 million cancer and research centre earlier this week, Minister for Health Mary-Anne Thomas said the landmark project will put comprehensive and convenient care, with all the support patients need available under one roof. “With such a large number of Victorians diagnosed with melanoma every year, it’s critical that we invest in finding new ways to treat and prevent this condition and spare countless families the pain of losing a loved one,” said Minister Thomas. “Victoria is a global leader in medical research and this new centre will help us to continue to drive breakthroughs in skin cancer research ultimately saving the lives of Victorians.” Located next to The Alfred Hospital on St Kilda Road, the new centre will provide skin cancer patients with access to expert care from skin cancer specialists and multi-disciplinary teams. R...

Multiplex has completed the second and final stage of NEXTDC’s S3 Sydney Data Centre on Sydney’s Lower North Shore. Located at 2 Broadcast Way, Artarmon, S3 is the third data centre delivered by Multiplex for NEXTDC. It further caters to the rising demand for data centres which are both Tier IV certified and government certified as strategic to manage and secure Australia’s critical digital infrastructure. Multiplex commenced the Stage Two works in January 2022 and has reached completion two months ahead of schedule. “We are delighted to continue our partnership with NEXTDC and complete this highly technical project,” said Regional Managing Director of Multiplex NSW, David Ghannoum. “This strategic collaboration delivered on our shared vision to provide an innovative, world-class space for the rapidly evolving tech sector.” Designed by Greenbox architects, NEXTDC’s S3 Sydney features more than 26,000 square metres of data halls and ancillary infrastructure across nine levels, deli...

Research from Bond University found the construction industry needs to embrace new technologies and strategies to reduce waste and reuse materials as the world shifts towards sustainable development. Applying a circular economy approach would increase competition, drive innovative solutions, and boost the economy, according to the research by Senior Teaching Fellow in Bond’s Comparative Construction Research Centre Bode Ogunmakinde and his colleagues. The industry could become a key player in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) , Dr Ogunmakinde said. “The construction industry generates vast amounts of waste and has been criticised in the past for hindering sustainable development goals,” he said. Australia generated 12.7 million tonnes of construction waste in 2018, according to the 2020 report Waste Account, Australia, Experimental Estimates  by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. “When these waste products end up in landfill, they pose risk...