News bulletin-24: 19 Jun 2018

The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) has announced the winners of its 2018 Tall Buildings Awards, with Australians featuring heavily as both winners and finalists.
 
Probuild has commenced construction of a 22 metre 172 metre long concrete wall in Brisbane to prevent flooding of the Queen’s Wharf resort’s car parks and foundations along the Brisbane River-edged site.

Watpac has been appointed to deliver the construction management contract for the Adelaide Airport Terminal Expansion project, which is expected to be completed in three years’ time.

A compact, concrete ‘tiny house’ with a 70 sqm floor plan and made of recyclable materials has been designed and built in Perth.

Construction has commenced on a new building for the Deakin Law School in Melbourne that will have fluted concrete surfaces to capture light and shadows.

The Australian Road Research Board (ARRB) has awarded two Swinburne University researchers the 2018 Research Impact Award for their work on strengthening bridges with carbon fibre reinforced polymers.

Image: (L-R) Oasia Hotel Downtown, Singapore, has been named the Best Tall Building Worldwide and in the Asia and Australasia category by the CTBUH while the EY Centre in Sydney won the Construction Award. Images: Patrick Bingham-Hall, and FJMT.

Melbourne to build largest art gallery in Australia14 Jun 2018

It includes upgrades to theatres at the Arts Centre, an expanded Australian Music Vault, a new centre for small-to-medium arts organisations, a new pedestrian corridor with bars and restaurants, and bike tracks and more green space on Southbank Boulevard. More...

News bulletin-23: 12 Jun 2018

Rocla’s concrete sleeper plant in Mittagong in NSW’s Southern Highlands has sent its first delivery by train of 9000 sleepers for the first stage of the Inland Rail project. 200,000 sleepers will be produced for the company’s $20 million contract and will be delivered over the next six months.

The largest concrete beams ever made in the Northern Territory – 36.5 metre T-beams weighing 78.5 tonnes are being transported in a convoy from Darwin to Western Australia.

Turkey has completed construction of a 764 km concrete wall along its border with Syria, with 564 km of it built by the country’s housing developer Toki.

The court case featuring the falsified concrete tests on the Hong Kong-Macao-Zhuhai Bridge is now in full swing with a senior lab technician admitting defrauding authorities by signing off tests on concrete that were faked.

Insulated concrete forms are preferred by architects and designers for their advantages that include reduced build time, labour savings and thermal efficiency, however, their acoustic properties have been largely overlooked until now.

Japanese studio Akihisa Hirata Architecture Office has completed a mixed-use building in Tokyo featuring a jumbled composition of concrete rooms that create spaces for small balconies and gardens.

Rocla’s concrete sleepers. Source: ARTC
 

Riddle of cement’s structure is finally solved7 Jun 2018

(CSH) — a continuous solid, like metal or stone, or is it an aggregate of small particles. As basic as that question is, it had never been definitively answered. In a paper published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a team of researchers at MIT, Georgetown University, and France’s CNRS (together with other universities in the U.S., France, and U.K.) say they have solved that riddle and identified key factors in the structure of CSH that could help researchers work out better formulations for producing more durable concrete....More

News bulletin-22: 5 Jun 2018

 
An innovative hybrid fiberglass-concrete-steel bridge construction technique created by engineers at The University of Queensland engineers can reduce major urban bridgeworks’ projects from months or years down to a matter of days, according to the team.

Georgiou Group has announced the appointment of a new CEO, effective from August this year, who will take over from CEO John Georgiou. The company has also revealed changes to the board along with internal promotions.
 
The Queensland Major Projects Pipeline report has been released by Queensland Major Contractors Association (QMCA), Construction Skills Queensland (CSQ) and the Infrastructure Association of Queensland (IAQ).

The first of five 3D-printed concrete houses will be built this year in the Netherlands as part of Project Milestone and will be occupied as part of the city of Eindhoven’s expansion. The first house will be single storey with the other four to be multi-storey dwellings (pictured).

Queensland engineering firm Fibercon has developed a technology that enables it to use recycled polypropylene plastic to reinforce concrete instead of steel.

The construction of a bank in Jordan has included the use of Lucem Lichtbeton, a type of concrete with translucent properties, for the first time worldwide. When backlit with LEDs or under sunlight, the concrete panels present a “stunning display of light and shadow”.
 

World’s most slender tower proposed for Melbourne31 May 2018

The proposal would see a 362-metre-tall, high-end residential tower built on the site, which will house 60 whole-floor apartments, the sale of which would create an endowment fund for the RSV.

Decibel Architecture spent the past three years working with structure and wind engineers, financial experts, developers, planners and heritage consultants to test the proposal’s viability.

News bulletin-21: 29 May 2018

It has been announced that the chief executive of Infrastructure Australia has chosen not to renew his contract and will depart the organisation in the next few months.

Engineering NZ engineer Brian Wilson worked on the Auckland Harbour Bridge from 1955-1959 and has written an opinion piece reviewing discrepancies about the bridge he has identified in a 2017 article in Engineering Insight magazine. 

Western Australia’s Public Transport Authority has released a tender for the Mount Claremont bus depot, with construction planned for later this year.

A review of the security of payment laws in the building and construction industry reveals more protection is needed for subcontractors regardless of state or territory, according to the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman.

John Holland has won the $543 million contract to construct Victoria’s first dedicated heart hospital at a cost of $543 million and says it is a “significant win” for its new national building business.
 
NSW’s Roads and Maritime Services has released the names of the two joint ventures vying for the construction contract on the WestConnex Rozelle Interchange and Iron Cove Link (M4-M5) in Sydney.

Bendable concrete will make US infrastructure safer, extend its service life and reduce maintenance costs and resource use, according to The Conversation in the US.

Image: John Holland will build Victoria’s heart hospital. Source: JH

Standards Australia Publication: HB 84:201825 May 2018

This Standard serves as reference for a Guide to Concrete Repair and Protection. 
 

News bulletin-20: 22 May 2018

One hundred-year old engineering firm, Hansen Yuncken, has been named as the main contractor to deliver the $330 million Adelaide Casino expansion by SkyCity Entertainment Group. Construction is set to begin in June.

Boral has agreed to sell its North American concrete and quarrying business to Brannan Sand and Gravel for AU$169 million.

A proposal has been submitted to the City of Sydney for a marble and scalloped-concrete 13-storey building for the city’s CBD that will be integrated with the adjacent heritage-listed building, the former Bank of New South Wales headquarters.

It has been announced that Fulton Hogan has agreed to buy the quarrying and concrete plant assets of Auckland’s century-old Stevenson Group.

Axedale Holdings, the firm behind Shaw’s Cartage Contractors, has been fined $160,000 over the death of two construction workers due to falling concrete tilt-up panels at a construction site.

Just when you thought you’d seen everything a civil or structural engineer could use on a daily basis, take a look at this.


An illustration of the extension to Adelaide Casino. Source: SkyCit

How to inflate a huge hardened concrete shell17 May 2018

A very resource efficient alternative construction method called "Pneumatic Forming of Hardened Concrete (PFHC)" was invented at TU Wien by Dr. Benjamin Kromoser and Prof. Johann Kollegger at the Institute of Structural Engineering.

Dried sewage sludge could be an alternative cement material for concrete, researchers in Malaysia have found.17 May 2018

While studies show that the volume of sludge is expected to rise, disposal options for domestic waste sludge are limited due to stricter environmental regulations including a ban on burying sludge in soil due to its high heavy metal content that could cause adverse impacts to the environment.

The team dried and burnt wet sludge cake to remove moisture, and then ground and sieved the dried sludge cake to make DWSP.
 

News bulletin-19: 15 May 2018

Property developers in the ACT have been challenged by the territory government’s minister for climate change and sustainability to build the first ‘net zero’ emissions commercial or large scale residential building.

The University of Sydney has asked engineering alumnus Ken Wheeler how he overcame the challenges in creating Sydney’s Anzac Bridge with its 345-metre span and 120-metre tall diamond-shaped pylons.

View a snapshot of construction that is currently happening in Melbourne. Includes Moonee Ponds, Yarra One, 311 Spencer St, 72-82 Collins St, Capitol Grand, 601 St Kilda Road, and Premier Tower.

Check out the list for construction tenders for May 2018 in Western Australia. The list includes the tenderers and projects – in Perth and regionally - as well as the closing date and contact emails.

A New York-based architecture firm has designed a housing proposal that can survive 1.8 metres of sea level rise with a complex made of 19 cylindrical apartment towers ranging 96 to 455 feet high. The proposal is for Manhattan’s Pier 40 which extends 250 metres over the Hudson River.


Image: New York housing proposal to combat future flooding. Source: Via The Structural Engineer
 

New Platinum Member - mateenbar -10 May 2018

In addition to the highly valued support of our Platinum Members ramsetreid and Wagstaff Piling, we welcome mateenbar into the CIA family. mateenbar^TM is a composite reinforcement bar used in bridge, tunnel, road, marine, electromagnetic and other civil infrastructure. We thank all our Platinum Members for their support and encourage you to check out what they do and how they might provide value for what you do. 

News bulletin-18: 8 May 2018

The April Performance of Construction Index has been released, revealing an expansion for the 15^th consecutive month with a slight easing in growth momentum from March. Commercial construction was the strongest performer while engineering construction expanded at a slower rate.
 
A $3.8 billion development 3 km from Perth’s CBD is set to go ahead seven years after the plan for the proposal at Belmont Park was first unveiled.
 
Victoria’s Government has opened an Expression of Interest process (closes 21 May) to identify local contractors to tender for the $47.8 million Ballarat GovHub that will revitalise the Civic Hall site. The project is part of the biggest infrastructure investment ever for the city, with more than $500 million worth of projects underway.

Carbicrete is a Canadian-based start-up that has developed a method of making concrete without cement. Its creators say that not only does the process avoid cement emissions, but the chemical reaction involved consumes carbon dioxide, further reducing the net carbon impact of the process.

The Northern Territory Government is promising $1.45 billion investment in infrastructure in the 2018 Budget. $626.4 million will be distributed for roads, while other funding will go to hospitals, schools, community infrastructure and aerodrome works.

Western Australia is also planning major infrastructure projects with $3.2 billion of the 2018-19 Commonwealth Budget to facilitate $5.4 billion in infrastructure development including roads, hospitals, rail and the Myalup-Wellington Dam project.

Austroads has released a report on proposed future directions for long-term pavement performance (LTPP) studies in Australasia based on the results of a 2017 survey.


Image: Illustration of proposed Belmont Park development. Source: Hassell
 

News bulletin-17: 1 May 2018

Graphene has been incorporated into traditional concrete production by researchers at the University of Exeter, resulting in a low-cost composite material they say is twice as strong and four times more water-resistant than existing concrete and without defects.

The ACT Government has put the construction industry on notice in response to community feedback about building quality. It has introduced changes to licensing requirements for builders who have had regular complaints made against them, and from 2019 up to 20% will need to pass a test to renew their licences.

Structural engineer Jenny Burridge talks about minimising the environmental impact of concrete and focusing on the use of cement now and in future practice.

The NSW Government has introduced a pilot program of its State Design Review Panel (SDRP) made up of 40 members. The panel will assist the Government Architect and Department of Planning and Environment with design and planning advice on projects that are State Significant Developments.

Take a look at 87 Weston St, a bespoke building in London with a concrete shell with load bearing walls that create a stepped series of eight interlocking apartments much like a 3D puzzle.

Austroads has released a report following on from the investigations into the development and implementation of a national automated bridge assessment framework, outlining the ongoing validation works and recommended activities to assist in its deployment.

Image: 87 Weston St, bespoke concrete building with stepped interlocking apartments via Concrete Quarterly.
 

News bulletin-16: 24 Apr 2018

Georgiou Group has been awarded the New England Highway Upgrade by Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) at Bolivia Hill in NSW, valued at $40 million, will involve the construction of 2.1 km of new road, a new 320-metre long bridge, wider lanes in each direction and widened road shoulders.

Check out these four building projects that were recognised at the ACSE Annual Excellence in Structural Engineering Awards, including an amazing installation at Sydney’s Wynyard Station.

Fulton Hogan has commenced work on Hobart’s Tasman Highway Memorial Bridge project which is scheduled for completion in November. The design is four metres-wide by 200 metres-long and two lanes are set at over 6.5 metres-high for over-sized vehicles, with a minimum of 5.4 metres over all other lanes.

Researchers at Glasgow University have tested nine different hole and groove designs of concrete tiles at four locations. The concrete mimicked the rough textures of lost coastal habitats to attract animals and encourage barnacles to protect the concrete from the elements. More testing is planned for sea defences to be designed in this way, with the assistance of Concrete Scotland.

Images of a 51-storey tower designed for New York featuring a prefabricated concrete system and scooped facade have been released.

Image: the 11 Hoyt development in Brooklyn, New York, featuring prefabricated concrete. Source: Binyan via Dezeen.
 

Four Of The World's Most Innovative Modular Construction Projects24 Apr 2018

The advantages of modular construction include shorter construction times, greater cost certainty and superior sustainability benefits, Shan Kumar: Chief Engineer & Head of Engineering Innovations and R&D for the Hickory Group, who features on this prestigious list. Shan will be presenting at the Institutes National Seminar in April/May 2018 ... More

News bulletin-15: 17 Apr 2018

Researchers from New Zealand’s University of Waikato have announced a ‘world-first’ with nanotechnology creating a self-healing bio-concrete using “solid-state fermentation” that shows it is more durable than traditional concrete as well as cost-effective.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics has released construction data showing the best year in a decade for construction, according to the Master Builders Australia.

A report has been released by the WA Government on feedback for the development of Westport: Ports and Environs Strategy including future port facilities.

China is about to open the 55 kilometre-long Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge – the world’s longest sea bridge - to traffic after eight years of construction.

Jacobs and McConnell Dowell have designed and constructed a first-of-its-kind wharf for Rio Tinto in far North Queensland with input and oversight by Bechtel.

CPD has produced a League Table that ranks 13 of the largest, high-emitting cement companies and assesses which companies are preparing for a transition to a low carbon economy.

Image: Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (photo via ABC News)
 

Chinese construction firm erects 57-storey skyscraper in 19 days13 Apr 2018

Broad Sustainable Building, a prefab construction firm, put up the rectangular, glass and steel Mini Sky City in the Hunan provincial capital of Changsha, assembling three floors a day using a modular method, the vice-president, Xiao Changgeng, said. More...

News bulletin-14: 10 Apr 2018

Five major infrastructure projects for Dubbo have been allocated almost $200 million to improve connectivity for the city. These include a new Dubbo Bridge; two upgrades each for the Newell Highway and Mitchell Highway; and L.H. Ford bridge improvements.

Multiplex has been appointed to construct the 200 metre-high 50-storey Quay Quarter Tower at 50 Bridge Street Sydney after more than five years of planning and approvals by AMP Capital.
 
Austroads is presenting a free live webinar and Q&A on 1 May on the use of geopolymer concrete in structural and non-structural applications. The webinar will outline the findings of a four-year project and a current update of its use, monitoring and specification by VicRoads over the past nine years. Presenters are Fred Andrews-Phaedonas and Dr Ahmad Shayan. Register for the live webinar or get the link to the recording.
 
A Technology Roadmap has been released as an update of the Cement Technology Roadmap 2009: Carbon Emissions Reductions up to 2050 by the Cement Sustainability Initiative of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. It sets out a strategy for the sector to improve energy efficiency, switch less carbon intensive fuels, reduce clinker to cement ratio, and implement innovative technologies.

A tall, narrow concrete house perched on a cliff facing a sea lion reserve on Chile’s Coliumo Peninsula has been completed by architects Mauricio Pezo and Sofia von Ellrichshasen.

Nigeria plans to build concrete roads in the country “so that anytime we build a road, we do not have to go back to repair after the third raining season” and to provide easier travelling and connectivity across regions. The longest concrete road project is underway by AG-Dangote Construction Company with 22 km concrete pavement already completed.

Image: Illustration of how Quay Quarter Tower will look at Circular Quay. Source: Multiplex

New bendable concrete 5 Apr 2018

This innovation allows the creation of slim precast pavement slabs for quick installation, thus halving the time needed for road works and new pavements. It is also more sustainable, requiring less maintenance.

NTU Professor Chu Jian, Interim Co-Director of the NTU-JTC I³C, said, "We developed a new type of concrete that can greatly reduce the thickness and weight of precast pavement slabs, hence enabling speedy plug-and-play installation, where new concrete slabs prepared off-site can easily replace worn out ones."...   More

News bulletin-13: 3 Apr 2018

The Australian Government has announced a review of Australia’s measurement laws in the face of “rapid developments in science, technology, industrial production and innovation”. Submissions close 30 June.

The Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering has rejected comments by the NSW Minister of Education that STEM is a fad.

Infrastructure Australia has identified $55 billion in “nation-shaping” projects in its latest Infrastructure Priority List.

Feedback is invited on the draft corridors for four major future road and rail infrastructure corridors released by the NSW Government to help establish Western Sydney Parklands. Have your say by 18 May 2018 to help inform technical investigations.

The UNSW School of Civil & Environmental Engineering has congratulated alumnus Dr Collette Burke on becoming Victoria’s first Chief Engineer whose role it will be to oversee the state’s infrastructure pipeline.

Design and consultancy firm Arcadis has appointed Greg Harrison as Business Leader for Advisory and Sustainability in Australia. And in recognition of “increasing pressure on road infrastructure”, Aurecon has appointed Nial O’Brien as Global Service Leader – Roads.

In the US, Fairmont State University’s student chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers has won a regional Concrete Canoe competition with a vessel designed in AutoCAD and made with the “consistency of Play-Doh and Cool Whip”.
 
Image: Melbourne Metro – one of Infrastructure Australia’s listed projects now being constructed. Source: Melbourne Metro Rail Authorit

News bulletin-12: 27 Mar 2018

Austroads has released an updated Guide to Bridge Technology to align with the recently revised AS 5100 and changes in industry practice. The organisation has also released a summary of the long-term pavement performance (LTPP) monitoring project activities undertaken in 2016–17.

Funding has been approved for the Haughton River Floodplain Upgrade in Queensland that will include construction of an upgraded Haughton River Bridge, two overpasses and 13 other bridges, upgrading nine rural intersections, widening the road and installation of wide centre-line treatment installed along the full length of the project.

The Victorian Government has announced that early works on the new $711 million Monash Freeway Upgrade Stage 2 will be fast-tracked to begin at the end of this year. The project will add 36 km of new lanes. Stage 1 is currently under construction, to be completed later this year.

Laing O’Rourke has been awarded the $955 million contract to transform Sydney’s Central Station that includes building new Sydney Metro underground platforms and a 19 metre-wide underground concourse for the Sydney Metro City & Southwest project.

Western Sydney Airport (WSA Co) has released Requests for Tender for the Early Earthworks Package to 12 companies selected through a Registration of Interest process. The project will include the movement of more than 1.8 million cubic metres of earth as well as road and drainage works.

More than 11,461 cubic metres of concrete have already been used on diaphragm walls and construction of the Redcliffe Station site in the Forrestfield-Airport Link in WA (pictured). To date, 7500 cubic metres of spoil has already been removed from the station box, 18% of the total 41,500 cubic metres to be excavated.

 

A ‘sensing skin’ for concrete23 Mar 2018

In 2009, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) assigned a grade of “D” to the overall quality of infrastructure in the United States, saying that ongoing evaluation and maintenance of structures was necessary to improve that grade.

Since then, federal stimulus funds have made it possible for communities to repair some infrastructure, but high-tech, affordable methods for continual monitoring remain in their infancy. Instead, most evaluation of bridges, dams, schools and other structures is still done by visual inspection, which is slow, expensive, cumbersome and in some cases, dangerous...More

Iconic modular apartment complex celebrates 50th anniversary21 Mar 2018

Habitat 67, designed by Israeli-Canadian architect Moshe Safdie, was presented at the 1967 World Expo as an experiment in the possibilities of prefabricated modular units for high-quality housing in dense urban environments.  Though most Expo pavilions are disassembled upon the Expo’s completion, Habitat 67 retained its original purpose and continues to serve as a successful housing complex... More

News bulletin-11: 20 Mar 2018

GHD, in a joint venture with Stantec has been awarded a $14.5 million concept design contract to raise Warragamba Dam that was constructed in 1960 to reduce flood risk in the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley. GHD designed the enlarged Cotter Dam that was featured in the June 2014 issue of Concrete in Australia magazine.
 
Global construction groups are expected to have more confidence in hiring local engineers as Victoria joins Queensland in proposing mandatory qualification checks. The Engineers Registration Bill is currently in Victoria’s Parliament.
 
Infrastructure Australia has released its ‘Future Cities: Planning For Our Growing Population’ paper that provides advice to Australian governments about improving the liveability and productivity of this country’s largest cities as they grow over the coming three decades.

British engineers have concluded laser scanning is a viable structural safety technique to detect the damaging effects of fire on concrete.
 
 
Image: Warragamba Dam courtesy of GHD
 

2nd Round of Public Comment & Ballot - AS 3600 Opens14 Mar 2018

If you wish to comment on AS 3600 - Concrete structures. You can view the draft and any incoming comments here after entering your Standards Hub login details. 

 

Data-driven approach to concrete pavement management lowers greenhouse gas emissions14 Mar 2018

For the recent paper, CSHub researchers Arghavan Louhghalam and Mehdi Akbarian, and Professor Franz-Josef Ulm, the CSHub faculty director, studied over 5,000 lane-miles of Virginia’s interstate highway system.

“We found that the maintenance of just a few lane miles allows for significant performance improvement, along with lowered environmental impact, across the entire network,” explains Louhghalam, the paper’s lead author. “Maintaining just 1.5 percent of the roadway network would lead to a reduction of 10 percent in greenhouse gas emissions statewide.”...More

News bulletin-10: 13 Mar 2018

The Australian Government has launched the $272 million Regional Growth Fund which is now open to applications across Australia for infrastructure project funding to transform regional areas.

The Victorian Government has revealed the details of a new Engineers Registration Bill after a second reading in parliament, which means engineers will have to provide proof of qualifications in this state in addition to Queensland.

Master Builders Association says if state governments ease zoning restrictions 20,000 extra homes could be built over the next five years, which could create construction work and ease house prices in Sydney.
 
France is taking a big interest in the concrete industry in India as Vicat Group invests 223 million euros in the sub-continent’s industry, with brownfield expansions and greenfield projects. Vicat Group chairman was part of a group of French industrialists who visited Delhi along with President Emmanuel Macron to put pen to paper.

A faceted concrete shell with openings of various sizes wraps around this angular dwelling, known as The Window House, in Kuala Lumpur (image above).

With China’s demand for cement and concrete additives growing at a fast pace this past decade, the next 10 years will see production and demand continue to grow. A new report based on current and historical data offers long-term forecasts to 2022 and 2027 with major producer profiles included.

 

Fungi Can Help Concrete Heal Its Own Cracks9 Mar 2018

Infrastructure supports and facilitates our daily lives—think of the roads we drive on, the bridges and tunnels that help transport people and freight, the office buildings where we work and the dams that provide the water we drink. But it’s no secret that American infrastructure is aging and in desperate need of rehabilitation...More

Innovative Award Winning Projects - 7 Mar 2018

The Innovative Award Winning seminar attracted over 90 attendees and was a great start to 2018 with La Trobe Tower, Clifftop House, Jubilee Bridge and Southpoint Stage B all very interesting projects on review.

News bulletin-9: 6 Mar 2018

Timely research is being carried out on ‘heated concrete’ that could reduce the recent problems caused by snow and ice on roads in the UK and across Europe. The benefits of geothermic piles that are used to heat and power large buildings through plumbed underground pipes, is being studied at the University of Dundee, Scotland.

SMEC geotechnical/civil engineer Thomas Miller discusses the challenges of Sydney’s Metro Northwest especially those associated with separating the piles from the ground in the vicinity of the tunnels.

The early design of the M12 Motorway that will connect to the new Western Sydney Airport and other areas in Western Sydney has been released along with a video.

The Raffles City Chongqing skyscraper is currently under construction in China that includes a 300 metre-long horizontal skyscraper atop four 250 metre-high towers.

While recycling carbon fibre goods remains challenging, research at Washington State University shows it may soon be possible to grind up carbon fibre waste and use it in “new-and-improved pervious concrete”.

The global cement market is expected to reach over US$725 billion within seven years and it’s anticipated that huge demand from the APAC construction industry will drive new growth. Details of this are featured in a new Global Cement Market (2017-2025) report that shows size, share, application analysis, growth trends, key players and competitive strategies.

The University of South Florida has revealed Pablo Picasso’s plans to build the world’s tallest concrete sculpture on the campus was approved in 1973 but never agreed to fund the $10 million project.
 

World’s Largest Pile Driven2 Mar 2018

The massive pile is 30 meters in diameter, 34 meters long and weighs over 600 metric tons. The previous record pile, 22 meters in diameter, was driven by APE’s Octakong on the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Seaway Project in 2011... More

News bulletin-8: 27 Feb 2018

Expressions of interest are invited for the $300 million 9km Mordialloc Bypass project on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria. It includes two bridges, four intersections and off-road pedestrian/cycling paths.

Piling works have commenced on the fourth Pioneer River bridge – a 670m-long structure - in Mackay as part of the Mackay Ring Road project. This bridge will be the largest of 13 bridges and overpasses.

WSP’s civil and structural teams are collaborating with architect Blight Rayner on the 91-level 30 Albert Street tower in Brisbane. Cardno helped obtain development approval.

Australia could lead the world on zero carbon cement with the Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia’s (ISCA) Infrastructure Sustainability (IS) rating scheme, according to the Beyond Zero Emissions’ (BZE) Rethinking Cement report. ISCA says the report shows how Australia could develop the world’s first zero carbon cement industry, helping to wipe out 8% of all global emissions caused by making cement.

Cement manufacturers the world over are seeking cheaper and more reliable renewable energy. Austrian company Fronius has been part of a project that developed a smart solar system for a cement manufacturer that has generated 2953MWh annually and feeds back into the grid.

Image source: Fronius

Western Harbour Tunnel and Beaches Link26 Feb 2018

The Western Harbour Tunnel will connect to WestConnex at the Rozelle Interchange, cross under Sydney Harbour between the Birchgrove and Waverton areas and connect with the Warringah Freeway at North Sydney...More

Probing the mysteries of cracks and stresses22 Feb 2018

Diving into a pool from a few feet up allows you to enter the water smoothly and painlessly, but jumping from a bridge can lead to a fatal impact. The water is the same in each case, so why is the effect of hitting its surface so different?

This seemingly basic question is at the heart of complex research by a team in MIT’s Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering (NSE) that studied how materials react to stresses, including impacts. The findings could ultimately help explain phenomena as varied as the breakdown of concrete under sudden stress and the effects of corrosion on various metal surfaces. More...

New Standard (Methods of testing concrete)21 Feb 2018

This Standard sets out a method for the securing, preparing and testing of cylindrical core specimens (cores) from hardened concrete for the determination of compressive strength and mass per unit volume.
 

News bulletin-7: 20 Feb 2018

Meinhardt has welcomed Glenn Platt, a civil engineer with more than 28 years’ experience, as its new state manager and national infrastructure leader in Victoria. Another people move is Gus Elliot, whose experience in infrastructure and project delivery, has led to his appointment as chief operating officer project support for BGC Contracting.

And McConnell Dowell has announced changes to its executive team and operating model with the internal appointment of Vito Trantino to the newly created position of executive general manager engineer, technology and innovation.

Other news out of McConnell Dowell this week is the company was awarded a $40 million contract by the South Australia Government for detailed design, planning and site inspections ahead of bridge, culvert, road widening and intersection upgrades across regional SA.

Hansen Yuncken has been awarded the City Art Gallery Project that will form part of the City of Gold Coast’s Cultural Precinct Development.

Researchers at Tomsk Polytechnic University along with specialists from NTC Tekhnika have proposed thermal non-destructive testing to inspect reinforced concrete supports to enable efficient detection of corrosion of steel reinforcement hidden behind the concrete shell of supporting rail structures.

The church of Saint Jacques de la Lande, featuring a sculptural composition of intersecting concrete forms, is the first to be built in Brittany (France) in the 21st century. It was designed by 84-year-old Portuguese architect Álvaro Siza Vieira.


Image: Saint Jacques de la Lande in France.  Photographer: João Morgado.

Concrete pipes offer space for microhome tube housing of the future16 Feb 2018

The tubes are designed to accommodate one or two people, including a living room with a bench that converts into a bed, a mini-fridge, a bathroom, a shower and storage space for clothes and personal items. whilst extremely heavy, perhaps the main USP is that they require little in terms of installation and can be easily secured to one another, reducing installation costs and offering an efficient way to constructing new builds... More

Construction prototype for ultra-thin concrete roof14 Feb 2018

A prototype for an ultra-thin, sinuous concrete roof using innovative design and fabrication methods has been designed and built by researchers from the ETH Zürich. The shell is part of a roof-top apartment unit called HiLo that is planned to be built next year on the NEST, the living lab building of Empa and Eawag in Dübendorf...More

News bulletin-6: 13 Feb 2018

Life cycle engineers at Lehigh University have incorporated, for the first time, the three most common failure modes for bridges vulnerable to floods, hurricanes and tsunamis, into a risk assessment framework to optimise retrofitting strategies.

Roma Agrawal, an engineer from the UK says “structural engineers are unsung heroes” and believes her type of job doesn’t get the credit it deserves: “People appreciate that they live in a warm building or have bridges to cross, but they don’t appreciate how they came to be there.”

Researchers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research and Kuwait University have created a material that mixes pulverised volcanic rock with traditional cement. The material, based on calculations published online this week in the Journal of Cleaner Production, would take 16% less energy to construct a neighbourhood of 26 concrete buildings.

Enjoy images from an exhibition at Chicago's Gallery 400 titled 'Félix Candela's Concrete Shells: An Engineered Architecture for México and Chicago', based on the research of Juan Ignacio del Cueto.

Image source: www.archdaily.com
 

Kingdom Tower: The structural system and how it was developed9 Feb 2018

The architectural constraints, most particularly the building program and use, are primary drivers for any structural system selection. During the early stages of the competition phase, it became clear that as matter of risk management for this first-of-its-kind tower, the structural system should fundamentally build on the success of the recently completed Burj Khalifa, but refining and improving on those elements of the system proved to be more problematical during the construction and realization of the Dubai tower....More

News bulletin-5: 6 Feb 2018

John Holland has tackled the issue of gender pay equity by adjusting the salary of 15% of women employees that were identified as being paid less than their male colleagues across the business. CEO Joe Barr said the employees’ incomes had been increased immediately. He added that John Holland intends to lead the way in the construction sector in eliminating the pay gap and by including flexibility and wellbeing in its work practices.

A development application has been approved for construction of a $347 million medical specialist rehab centre in Brisbane’s north. The preferred tenderer is Australian Unity and it will be built in partnership with the Queensland Government. The centre is part of the $1.1 billion Herston Quarter redevelopment.

Institute Bronze Member AECOM has released a global report, The Future of Infrastructure, which is the result of a survey of 509 civil infrastructure professionals across Asia-Pacific, Europe and North America. Results of the survey included rethinking project design and delivery; changes in legislation and innovative funding models; and future proofing networks and systems.

CPB Contractors has been selected to design and construct the Gunyama Park Aquatic and Recreation Centre in inner Sydney. Construction is expected to commence this year and conclude in 2019.


Image: John Holland is tackling the gender pay gap. Source J

Can concrete conquer air pollution?5 Feb 2018

In 2014, the Stony Brook researchers showed that powdered concrete can react with nitrogen oxides, often called NOx. These pollutants contribute to the formation of smog, a type of lung-choking pollution. NOx also can play a role in turning rainfall acidic. This can damage crops, buildings and more. But cement contains calcium compounds. And they will react with NOx, pulling them out of the air, Ramakrishnan and a colleague showed.

Curious, the team decided to see if concrete would do the same thing to another major air pollutant released by fossil fuel burning: sulfur dioxide...More

Luminous Cement Could Light Roads, Structures1 Feb 2018

By using additives, scientists are able to prevent the formation of crystals that occur normally during the production of cement, creating a material with a noncrystalline structure—similar to glass—that allows passage of light inside...More

News bulletin-4: 30 Jan 2018

Expressions of Interest are now open to complete Melbourne’s M80 Ring Road Upgrade. The final upgrades include a 4 km section between Sydney Rd and Edgars Rd, and a 2 km section between Plenty Rd and the Greensborough Hwy. Construction is expected to begin later this year and conclude late 2021.

Institute Silver Member Arcadis has won the tender to carry out planning work for the Tenterfield Heavy Vehicle Bypass out of a competitive shortlist of six, the RMS said. The bypass will start north of the Tenterfield Creek Bridge, run west of the railway corridor and re-join the existing highway near Cowper St.

Seymour Whyte has commenced launching steel trusses as part of its construction of Australia’s longest single span pedestrian/cyclist bridge, located in Western Sydney. The company is working with Roads and Maritime Services (RMS), Institute Silver Member Freyssinet, and Civmec to design, manufacture, transport and launch all eight 25 m x 8 m sections of the main span truss.

A consortium led by Grocon has been selected to deliver Central Barangaroo by the Barangaroo Delivery Authority. The consortium will create and deliver a mixed use development across the 5.2 ha waterfront site that will provide a link between Barangaroo Reserve in the north and Barangaroo South fronting Sydney Harbour.

Prof Martin Loosemore, advisor on workplace productivity and reform to the Cole Royal Commission into the Building and Construction Industry and a member of the government’s Built Environment Industry Innovation Council asks Construction productivity: are we measuring the wrong thing?

Infrastructure Partnerships Australia (IPA) has announced CEO Brendan Lyon’s successor who will start in the role at the end of March.

Image: The M80 Ring Road. Source: Vic Road

L.A. Gives Notice to Owners of Older Concrete Structures About Seismic Retrofits26 Jan 2018

The L.A. retrofit ordinance, which also includes requirements for weak first-story wood-framed buildings, was the first of its kind in the U.S.

The buildings department expects the ordinance’s nonductile concrete sections, which give owners 25 years to retrofit or raze, to apply to some 1,200 buildings. To date, though more may be listed, “the majority of the buildings have been identified,” says Luke Zamperini, chief inspector and public information officer for the buildings department...More 

News bulletin-3: 23 Jan 2018

Arup has been awarded the design contract for the $158 million Brisbane International Cruise Terminal that will include detailed design and analysis of a 200 metre-long wharf, a 9300 m² terminal building and landside civil works.

Acciona Australia has won the US$400 million contract to build the new Cebu-Cordova Bridge in the Philippines, to be carried out in partnership with First Balfour Inc and D.M. Consunji Inc.

Tasmania’s Premier and Minister for Infrastructure, Rene Hidding, has said the Bridgewater Bridge business case submitted to Infrastructure Australia provides a compelling case for a new four-lane highway-speed link between Brooker Highway and Midland Highway across the Derwent River.

University researchers in the US have been working on self-healing concrete that uses fungi as a healing agent to fix bridges.

Concrete water pipes in Hong Kong have been turned into modular housing. The prototype, known as the OPod Tube House, features pods that are just over eight feet wide, each with 1000 ft² space for one or two people and plenty of natural light.

Image: Cebu-Cordova Bridge illustration. Source: Dissing+Weitlin

Graphene-Based Concrete Admixture18 Jan 2018

Researchers from Australia have developed a graphene-cement matrix with enhanced strength and durability through the incorporation of graphene oxide. They mixed 0.05 to 0.07 wt.% of GO with Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) and tested various parameters as highlighted. Tested results showed improvement flexural strength of an OPC matrix from 41% to 59% and compressive strength from 15% to 33% .... More

News bulletin-2: 16 Jan 2018

The Australian Industry Group has released the key findings of the December 2017 Australian Performance of Construction Index that shows the 11th straight month of expansion with overall slowing of growth.

Institute Bronze Member Wagners has confirmed via the ASX the company is in negotiations with Adani to construct an airport for fly-in fly-out workers for the Carmichael Coal Mine in Queensland.

A new Australian Building and Construction Commissioner has been appointed to replace Nigel Hadgkiss and will start his tenure in early February.

A series of abstracts for articles on concrete research have been released that will be published in February.

The Minister for International Development and the Pacific has publicly accused China of funding useless infrastructure projects in the Pacific.



Image: Wagners built the Wellcamp Airport west of Brisbane

Roman recipe for world's most durable concrete - 15 Jan 2018

Scientists have uncovered the chemistry behind how Roman sea walls and harbour piers resisted the elements, and what modern engineers could learn from it.

Romans built their sea walls from a mixture of lime (calcium oxide), volcanic rocks and volcanic ash, a study, published in the journal American Mineralogist, found.


Scientists previously discovered Roman concrete contained aluminous tobermorite, a rare mineral that is hard to produce.More...
 

News bulletin-1: 9 Jan 2018

Hickory Group has congratulated Shan Kumar, Principal Engineer, Innovations, Research & Development, on his Honorary Doctorate from Swinburne University that recognises his 30 years in the construction industry.

A review into the Grenfell Tower fire disaster has called for a “major culture change” in the UK’s building industry with the interim report saying that regulation of fire safety in high-rise buildings is “not fit for purpose”.

An industry report into concrete product manufacturing in Australia has found that increasing import competition has caused revenues to decline despite a modest increase in domestic demand over the last five years.

Australian contractors in concrete services are expected to rake in $8.2 billion in revenue in 2017-18, with demand for new housing and apartment construction forecast to strengthen from 2019-20 onward.

The total spend on construction projects in the US in the latest figures for November show the country reached an all-time high at US$1,257.0 billion, which was also the fourth consecutive monthly gain.
 

MIT students fortify concrete by adding recycled plastic19 Dec 2017

Discarded plastic bottles could one day be used to build stronger, more flexible concrete structures, from sidewalks and street barriers, to buildings and bridges, according to a new study.
MIT undergraduate students have found that, by exposing plastic flakes to small, harmless doses of gamma radiation, then pulverizing the flakes into a fine powder, they can mix the irradiated plastic with cement paste and fly ash to produce concrete that is up to 15 percent stronger than conventional concrete.
“There is a huge amount of plastic that is landfilled every year,” says Michael Short, an assistant professor in MIT’s Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering. “Our technology takes plastic out of the landfill, locks it up in concrete, and also uses less cement to make the concrete, which makes fewer carbon dioxide emissions. This has the potential to pull plastic landfill waste out of the landfill and into buildings, where it could actually help to make them stronger.”


 

Queensland Branch - 2018 Seminar Program - 14 Dec 2017

Please note the schedule is subject to change so keep your eye on the Qld page for up to date details.

News bulletin 49: 12 Dec 2017

The Robert Bird Group has been wholly acquired by Surbana Jurong, one of Asia’s largest consultancies. The Brisbane-based international company has 600 staff and is part of the Singapore group’s growth strategy that saw it purchase infrastructure consultancy SMEC Holdings last year.

Institute Bronze Member AECOM is set to work with technology firm HTC to develop and extend the reach of virtual reality to benefit the engineering and construction industries.

Meinhardt have been appointed the civil engineers for the $2 billion redevelopment of the Moonee Valley Racecourse into an urban precinct which will include a new grandstand and community, business and recreation facilities.

No need to go for gold when you can go for jobs with our Silver Members! Arcadis has roles for a senior sustainability engineer, pavements engineer, and a senior durability engineer. Cardno is looking for a civil & urban team leader while GHD has advertised for a senior engineering project manager. Project managers are being sought by Calibre Consulting for underground utilities/services and water infrastructure delivery and they’re also after a buildings and structures manager.

The Darlington Upgrade Project delivery team, which includes Laing O’Rourke and Fulton Hogan, have successfully manoeuvred a 3000 t 180 m bridge into place without a hitch over the weekend. The bridge in SA was constructed on adjacent land and moved into place with self-propelled modular transporters.

The New Zealand Transport Agency has released a time-lapse video of the construction of Christchurch’s Memorial Avenue Gateway Bridge, condensing two years into two minutes.

Image: The Darlington Upgrade Project in South Australia. Source: SA Govt.

News bulletin 48: 5 Dec 2017

Many pedestrian bridges have experienced dramatic vibrations and wobbling when crowds have tried to cross them, e.g. the London Millennium Bridge began to sway on its opening day in 2000 and had to be closed while the Squibb Park Bridge in NY bounced sideways as pedestrians crossed in 2014, not reopening until this year. This movement could be reduced by using biomechanically inspired models of pedestrian response to bridge motion and a mathematical formula to estimate the critical crowd size at which bridge wobbling begins, according to a study by Georgia State University.

Institute Silver Member Cardno has received an Urban Design Award along with joint entrants John Graham and BVN for the Gold Coast Sports and Leisure Centre. Cardno provided civil engineering, hydrology, landscape and geotechnical consulting. Other consultants on this project included Bligh Tanner, ARUP, Hansen Yuncken, and Aurecon.

Following the failure of the Oroville Dam spillway in the US earlier this year, construction engineering firm Kiewit was hired by California’s Department of Water Resources (DWR) to rebuild and reinforce it. However hairline cracks were detected in October when curing coverings places over the erosion-resistant concrete slabs were removed. The DWR investigated and explained the cracks were the result of “some of the design elements” and “are not abnormal” however not everyone agrees.

A development application has been lodged for a 55-storey commercial tower between George and Pitt Streets in Sydney by new Institute Gold Member, Lendlease. The development will include a mixed-use podium, public spaces and expanded laneways. Lendlease has also partnered with one of Japan’s largest property companies to work on Melbourne Quarter’s first residential building, the 44-storey East Tower.

On the Forrestfield Airport Link in Perth work is underway at Wright Crescent to build an emergency egress shaft. 35 linear metres of D-walls that are up to 36 metres deep are expected to be constructed in two months.

Image: Thomas Porostocky via Georgia State University.

News bulletin 47: 28 Nov 2017

Australia’s engineering industry is very active with continuing staffing demand and vacancies, according to the Hays Global Skills Index for October-December 2017. The report highlights work demand hot spots and what type of engineers and workers are needed, including structural and civil.

New Institute Gold Member Lendlease is also celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2018 and is calling on past colleagues or those who knew people who worked for the company (Civil & Civic in the 1960s-1980s) to share their stories.

The level of construction work has spiked for a second straight quarter, outpacing market expectations, JP Morgan says. The figures have been bolstered by a 33% surge in engineering work, including roads and bridges.

The Beach Apartments on the Gold Coast have been completed, Multiplex has announced. Standing at 108 m high, construction included 15,510 cubic metres of concrete sourced from local supplier Hymix. Construction in the area has picked up ahead of the Commonwealth Games next year.

Watch this presentation on Victoria Gate Shopping Centre in Leeds UK held at Café Concrete in October. It gives fascinating insights into the project that won an award for the best shopping centre in the world earlier this year. There’s also a video of behind the scenes from 2016.

Image: The Beach Apartments. Source: Multiple

Project Profile - Prefabricated Concrete for the Song School, J Woodside Consulting and SA Precast23 Nov 2017

The Institute is very pleased to introduce our final project profile, and winner of both the Commercial Buildings project category and the Kevin Cavanagh Trophy for outstanding excellence in concrete – Prefabricated Concrete for the Song School by J Woodside Consulting and SA Precast!


















The Song School is a two-storey concrete building, designed by Palassis Architects for the choirs of St George’s Cathedral and the Anglican Diocese of Perth. The building is partly underground to minimise the footprint and maintain existing sightlines.


















The lower floor included prefabricated concrete curved beams internally together with an exposed prefabricated concrete external wall at the Eastern end, with vertical slots and glazed to provide light into the lower area.


















From the lower level, a series of U-shaped prefabricated columns support a series of prefabricated concrete vaulted arches at the first floor which forms a colonnade with access from the lower level to the upper level. On top of the vaulted units, there are two curved and sloping prefabricated concrete spires.


















The prefabricated concrete elements for the Song School at the St George’s Cathedral are made with a white concrete with an off form sandblasted finish. They represent excellence in prefabricated concrete and ability to achieve the shape and form that the architect has specified.


















SA Precast and J Woodside Consulting combined to produce a workable solution to the architect’s concept and in its final shape and form and erection has been admired by all involved.





































As the documentation had to be significantly changed there was considerable input into details and connections to achieve a workable solution. This also included bracing of the precast elements on the site.


















There is no doubt this project has pushed the boundaries of precast concrete, and we look forward to seeing more projects from SA Precast and J Woodside Consulting!

News bulletin 46: 21 Nov 2017

Hong Kong’s anti-corruption watchdog has charged 19 laboratory staff working for a government contractor over faking concrete test reports for the multibillion-dollar Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge (HZMB).

York Civil has announced the opening of the first 10 km of its Pacific Highway Upgrade: Woolgoolga to Halfway Creek project. The project included extensive concrete pavement works, drainage and fauna crossing structures and construction of 11 bridges.

A five-tonne replica of Brisbane’s Story Bridge has been built by engineering students for Constructionarium Australia’s project, sponsored by Downer which has historic involvement in the bridge’s build. In Aurecon’s Bridge Building Competition, designed to support STEM skills, 250 schools participated.

More than one piece of concrete has fallen 40 storeys from the roof of a development in Singapore into a playground. The developer said lightning was the cause, a claim refuted by the local council. A piece of concrete has also fallen from a light rail transit project in Jakarta while a large piece of concrete has also fallen from a five-year-old