How to achieve an energy efficient home (and why we should all be doing this). Most new homes in Australia are required to be designed and constructed with a six-star energy rating. But not all of us live in modern properties. While we’d love the high rating to be a default, it’s not the case....Continue Reading

Every house requires a stormwater design & specialists to prevent flooding. Climate change and urban growth is leading to more storms, which affect the ground surface. This is problematic for buildings, particularly houses, often causing surface or sewer flooding if unmanaged. As civil engineers, it’s our job to create a residential or civil design and...Continue Reading

Many factors cause a house to move and cracks to occur. Although a solid structure, houses are set atop a footing or foundation ‘slab’ that can bend as the soil below it moves. This undermines the building’s structural integrity, causing cracks and safety issues. So, why do soils move? Reactive soil is prone to present...Continue Reading

When it comes to building a structure (like a house), there are various types of footings available. Each kind falls into one of two categories: shallow or deep foundations. It’s important to take time deciding on the foundation, as this will impact the building’s structural integrity. Load, depth and type of soil, weather and climate...Continue Reading

A structural engineer is called on to ensure a building’s integrity. Ensuring it’s safe and able to hold the stresses from occupancy, workmanship, and environmental conditions. This inspection leads to a full report, which vouches for a building’s safety. In case you’ve seen someone up in their roof cavity and it got you thinking if...Continue Reading

Retaining walls have long been the cause of neighbours’ feuds. Take it from a construction company that’s worked on thousands of Adelaide homes. Erected to hold soil to a slope that wouldn’t naturally hold it, a retaining wall doubles as a fence foot. The wall itself isn’t considered to be a fence and is covered...Continue Reading

2020 was a year for the history books. We never could have imagined what and how much has happened this year. From the summer bushfires and heat waves to COVID-19 and the lockdowns (which could easily happen again), the start of this new decade has pushed us to our limits. It’s hard to comprehend the...Continue Reading

The best construction management companies leverage prefabricated transportable buildings on-site. It’s a great solution for providing infrastructure in remote areas. Work buildings that can be prefabricated and transported to sites can help optimise mining projects. According to the University of South Australia, remote construction activities across the country are expected to increase. As an Adelaide...Continue Reading

A business capability statement is more than a ‘nice-to-have’ architecture for your company. Within an industry as fast-paced and high risk as ours, capability planning is essential. From developing your vision and understanding capabilities to targeting industries and ‘speaking’ in the language of those you serve, this is some of the important work you’ll do....Continue Reading

There’s no such thing as a ‘perfect’ construction project. Errors aren’t just common – they’re expected. However, this doesn’t mean the project will get out of control. It’s simply about managing these issues, expectations and setbacks.   This is why the field of construction goes beyond an understanding of industry. Project planning and management skills...Continue Reading