Lecture 1: Introduction

Purpose: To develop an understanding of the construction industry.

Tutorial prep: bring 2 building pictures 1 image per A4 black or white.

Lecture 2: Site Analysis Assignment Details

Site Observation Report: Groups of 4, monitoring progress of a building in construction. Must attend
each site visit. Must identify two distinctively different building projects. One medium/high-rise and
one detached house, both in the early stages of construction. Observe, take photos and notes of the
construction activities. Note differences. This is written up as a site diary.
One A4 report per group using headings, diagrams, photos. Roughly 8k words.
Lecture 2: The Construction Industry

Businesses that mainly engage in the construction of residential and non-residential buildings and
engineering structures. This includes planning, regulation, design, manufacture, fabrication,
construction, maintenance.

One-off, physical projects on a construction site. Architects design the product first before thinking
about the manufacturing process. This can cause conflict between architects and builders. Produces
investment rather than consumer goods. Affected by weather. Small number of large firms and
many small firms. Small firms tend to focus on maintenance.

Makes up approx. 8% of Australia’s GDP (3rd), roughly 400k firms, 1 million workers, 9% of the total
workforce, $200+ billion per year. All other industries interact with the construction industry for
their building and maintenance needs which makes the construction industry very important. Good
construction industries attract investment in projects.

What is built?
Human population growth incentivizes building and construction activity.

Lecture 3: The Construction Industry Continued

Large companies have a competitive advantage. Turn-key approach. Variety of designs ‘off the shelf’
and ready to view. Larger buying power for materials and appliances.

House size has more than doubled since 1950. Roughly 230m^2 nowadays. The floor area per person
has almost quadrupled due to less people per house on average and bigger houses.
T1 take on >$50m, T2 take on >$20m, T3 take on less.

Lecture 3: Construction Industry Employment

9% of all workers are in the construction industry.

Most are full time employees. Men outnumber
women by 8:1. Roughly 1 million employees. NSW,
VIC, QLD have more employees than other states
due to being more popular states. Architecture and
most other roles in the industry pay averagely.

Lecture 4: History of the Built Environment

Australia is one of the most urbanized societies in the world.

Radial roads have retained in Melbourne from transport infrastructure from the past ~1830-40. The
pattern of roads reflects past railways and car lines. E.g. Los Angeles reflects a grid pattern due to its
past roads.

Cities are also shaped by historical projections and ideals. E.g. Greek architecture on the western
imagination: the belief that ancient Athens was the embodiment of democracy leads to enthusiasm
for Greek architecture. E.g. Shrine of Remembrance taking inspiration from the Parthenon.

Looking at the history of cities through the lens of critical distance. Cities appear separately in 6
distinct locations between 6000 years ago and 3500 years ago. Thus it is a human nature to form a
city.

In Mesopotamia, 80% of Sumerians lived in cities by 4000 years ago. Agricultural surpluses can
provide for people not involved in agriculture. Large scale agriculture allows support for pot makers,
cloth makers, metal makers, etc. They support activities that are not agricultural. This allows a city to
be developed. Cities depend on agricultural surplus. Otherwise cities diminish and urban life is less
possible.

They also developed a form of writing. Cuneiform script imprinted on clay tablets.

There was social differentiation and privilege. Rich/poor, rulers/leaders, etc.

There were beginnings of monumental architecture, palaces, temples, etc.

Mud brick housing, courtyard houses, tightly built.

Learning from vernacular building practices in modern day.

Project Roles Module

Client: direct project parameters, provides funding, selects the project team. They make decisions
regarding time, cost, and quality. Different clients want different levels of involvement. There could
be a client-side project manager. An experienced client could be a developer, but an inexperienced
client could be a first home buyer. This could affect the quality of the outcome. Clients do not have
to be individuals. They could be public or private. Public includes government and public
organizations. They develop schools, hospitals, and infrastructure for society, etc. They pay via taxes.
Private includes individuals and private companies, e.g., businesses. Public private partnerships have
the government working with a private organization. Clients act as an advisor. Time, cost, and quality
must be balanced, and trade-offs occur.

Consultants: balance these to provide solutions to match client needs, e.g. architects, engineers.

Architect: tradition leader of the project teams. Is involved from inception to completion. Receives
the commission from the client first. Project management and managers tend to take over the
leader role nowadays. Architects now focus on design capabilities.
Brief from client -> design is created -> developed -> construction documentation produced ->
contract.

Structural Engineers: create efficient, stable, economically feasible designs.

Mechanical Services Engineers: design building services e.g. gas, heating.

Electrical Services Engineer: designs electrical components, e.g. power supply, phone and
communications.

Constructors: construct the project following the project documentation within the time, cost, and
quality requirements. Includes main contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers. They want to make a
profit and want to satisfy the client.
Groundworks: demolition, setting out, excavation, substructure construction, filling and backfilling,
and site services.

Site Office: hub of operations that provides management, logistics, design. Sign in out, meetings,
toilets, documentation storage, small storage for equipment.

Structure: build the core structural elements of the building including framework, walls, floors, roofs,
stairs, windows, and doors.

Fit Out: transition the building from a shell to a habitable space. It can involve, plumbing, electrical,
heating, data, fire, insulation, interior surfaces, linings, finishes, waterproofing, doors, windows,
furniture, and lighting.
Completion: all works in contract must be complete. Minor defects could occur. Commissioning and
testing must be done and fulfil project requirements. Cleaning. Documentation handover. Works
could run overtime.

Lecture 5: Project Processes

The development process: Inception -> Design -> Construction -> Occupation -> Demolition

Inception: establish a need. Client determines cope and objectives of the project: time, cost,
performance, management, and brief. The type of project determines who the client appoints as the
designer. Typically, the architect is the first point of contact. Is the project feasible? Time span of this
phase can vary.

Design: Who will design the project? Preparation of schematic design for approval prior to detailed
design. Approval from the client, planning authorities, and specialists. Prepare documentation for
tendering. Firms that are interesting in the project will be asked to tender. This allows for price
competition. Schematic Design -> Detailed Design -> Construction Documentation. Preliminary
design can be done in Inception phase and additional details can be added in the Construction
phase. High uncertainty during preliminary design. More certainty and information in the design and
cost plans as you go from preliminary to construction documentation.
Schematic Design: feasibility accepted and approval to proceed gained. Development of the
preferred/approved option. Planning based on more realistic representation and dimension.
Consideration of construction methods and materials -> specification. Renders, models, drawings
prepared. Cost planning. Reporting to client. Budget and project adjustments. Submission for
planning approvals. Brief becomes frozen.

Detailed Design: incorporation of planning conditions. Full integration of engineering design.

Dimensioning. Material and specification development. More detailed representations and
drawings. More cost planning. Review the budget. Adjust the project or the budget to fit. Report to
client for approval to proceed.

Construction Documentation: preparation of tender and pricing. Fully dimensioned plans,

specifications, schedules, bills of materials, contract conditions. Consultants prepare their
documents for pricing. Most accurate cost planning. Report to client for approval and proceed to
tender.

Construction: contractor commences on site. Formal instructions for changes can be given for a cost.
Valuations are done at certain stages of the project. Interim certificates are issued. Final payments
are done, and project is given to client and they become responsible. Sometimes there are
contractual disputes from misunderstandings. Commissioning.
PC: practical completion. Works completed in accordance with contract and requirements. May have
minor defects. Reasonably suitable for habitation. Defects liability period means contractor must fix
any defects and omissions, tends to be 6 months.

Occupation: the longest stage of a project. Maintenance and repairs will be required. This is done by
owners or facility managers. Good designs can minimise repair and maintenance costs. Defects are
costly and disruptive.

Demolition: can be done because of decay, obsolescence, fire, vandalism.

Building preservation: culturally significant.

Materials & Equipment Module

OH&S: occupational health and safety.

Equipment: safety, lower labour costs, increase speed, higher buildings

Materials: natural/synthetic
Concrete timber steel
Lecture 6: Building Regulations

Federal, State, Local Government. Councils. Building licencing authorities. Standards Australia,
International Standards.

Planning and building approvals, qualifications, OH&S, ensures development is safe and suitable.
Is produced by Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB)

Standards:
Standards are not legal requirements. But they could be cited in legislation and become a legal
requirement.

AS1684 – residential timber framed construction

Standard Fire Test to determine FRL fire rating levels for suitability of materials.

The case of aluminium cladding. Why regulations are important. Because of cheap plastic cladding it
was more combustible.

Lecture 7: Project Procurement

Procurement is a process that includes the following steps: determining criteria for project, setting
contractual framework, setting the tender and selection processes, inviting tenders, awarding a
contract.

It occurs at the end of the design phase (construction documentation).

There are many procurement options: traditional, design and construct D&C, management
procurement (MC, CM, PM).

Non traditional alternatives: two stage tendering, partnering, alliancing.

The approach is selected using the following factors: risk, client goals (time cost quality & their
experience), and project characteristics.

Traditional procurement: construction is separated from design. Client commissions the architects to
design without any involvement from contractors. Architects traditionally tenders on behalf of the
client. Client selects the main contractor via competitive tender. Client commissions the main
contractor to construct the design for a fixed price. ‘traditional contracting’ or ‘design-bid-build’.
There is no contract between the architect and the contractors. The advantages: client is able to
receive independent design and costing advice provided to the client from consultants. Design
certainty and greater cost control prior to construction contract. Greater control over quality. Most
widely used and most widely understood by the industry. Disadvantages: linear process, one phase
before the after, so it takes longer. Contractor has no or very limited involvement. For complex
projects, this can lead to practical problems when it comes to building the design. Everyone blames
everyone else when there is a problem. This can lead to tribunal or even court – which costs lots of
money and delays the project.

D&C procurement: construction and design occur in parallel. Client commissions consultants to
produce conceptual or schematic design to reflect the type of facility they want and to confirm an
approximate cost. The design is given to a builder/contractor who completes the design and
produces the required documentation to construct the facility – they usually complete the design in
parallel with construction. In this method, the contractor must complete the design, but they may
not have the design expertise to do so. Thus, the contractor can hire their own consultants to finish
the design. They could also take over the Client’s consultants which is called ‘novation’ (verb novate:
to replace with a new contract), where the contract between the client and the architect is novated
to a contract between the builder and the architect. The latter works very well because the client’s
architects are already familiar with the project, so novation typically is the choice. Because of this,
very complex and technical buildings generally are not procured using this method. The schematic
design proposal is tendered to contractors. Client then novates the design contracts and the main
contractor accepts the designers. Contractor completes the design using the novated consultants.
Contractor accepts full responsibility for the design, whereas in the traditional method, the client is
responsible. Shifts all design risk from the client to the contractor. Risk is shifted away from the
client, but the client loses control over the project after novation. So this procurement method
depends on whether the client wishes for involvement or a hands-off approach. The main issue is
that the contractors carry a large amount of risk (both building risks and design risks). This method
generally saves time compared to the traditional method because early construction (e.g.
substructure) can begin during the design phase when interior details are not finalised. Saving time
saves money, and also happier client. The building can earn income earlier too. Advantages: single
point of design and construction responsibility – no legal issues like in traditional. Process is quicker
as mentioned. There can still be cost certainty as the contract can be let on a fixed cost basis – the
contractors can build and design within a budget. Disadvantages: client loses control, quality of
design can be compromised – the schematic design is open to interpretation, contractor typically
needs to price in design risk and carry additional insurances which can increase the cost.

Management procurement: management contracting appoints a management contractor to manage

a series of subcontractors. The management contractor enters contracts with each of those
subcontractors. Construction management appoints a construction manager to manage a series of
trade contractors. Trade contractors enter direct contracts with the client; thus they are not
subcontractors.

Management contracting: the client engages design consultants to carry out design and
documentation in the same way as traditional procurement. A management contract is formed by
the client with the management contractor in the design phase. They are engaged early to inform
the design, and this is where this method differs from the traditional method (where contractors
have little/no say in the design phase). Management contractors do not work themselves. They
manage the work of the subcontractors. This method can save even more time than D&C. Design
and construction is overlapped as well but this method can happen even earlier. Early involvement
of contractor means design and construction phases can overlap even more than D&C. Individual
trade packages can achieve cost reductions as they are competitively tendered. Management
contractors find the best price across a broad range of subcontractors. Reduced contractors risk
reduces overall cost. Disadvantages: final cost of project is unknown until the last subcontract is let.
Management contractors assume responsibility for designers and will bear design risks because of
their early involvement in the design process. Changes in the project can delay it. Changes are
harder to make as construction is already happening. Errors in design can lead to major problems as
construction already is happening. Not preferred for complex buildings.

Construction management: same as management contracting with one major difference. The client
is the one who enters numerous trade contracts directly with trade contractors. The construction
manager CM contracts with the client to provide management services, they do not build. The big
risk is that the client is in many trade contracts. Clients in this method must be experienced.

Project management: the project management organisation manages the project from beginning to
end. The project manager is paid by the client for management services and acts on behalf of the
client. It is a very common approach now. Useful for less experienced clients. Project managers can
be involved in any of the above procurement methods.

Tender and selection process: identify a preferred tenderer that has the financial capacity, technical
capability, and other attributes required to deliver works and services. They can be selected in a
number of ways: request for proposal (RFP where client does not have a strict criteria and instead
requests solution-based submissions), expression of interest (EOI often used as
screening/shortlisting), and request for tender (RFT where tenderers submit bids to offer
goods/services against a detailed tender, client has clearly defined criteria). It can be either open
tender (open to general market) or selective tender (bids between a select group of contractors that
client is willing to work with/know are capable of building the project). Can be single or multistage
(select a small number of potential tenderers from big group and negotiate with them to select the
final one). Should include evaluation criteria and process: to understand what contractors must
have.

Lecture 8: Contracts
Minimising risk of financial loss. Complexity and construction time contribute to risk. Lack of
knowledge contributes to risk. Contracts are a toll that are used to protect parties from exposure to
loss.
Contract is agreement between 2 or more parties. Legal rights and obligations are created which the
law will enforce where one agrees to perform a task for something in return (monetary) – called a
consideration.

Intent of parties to create a legal relationship, offer and acceptance, valuable consideration, legal
capacities of the parties to act, both parties agree.

Between: client & architect, client & consultants, client & contractors (building contract)

Single fixed price, cost plus fee.

Lump sum: specified amount of work for specific sum of money. Is traditional, minimal variation.

Building contract: working drawings, consultant drawings, specifications

Needs date: commencement and completion. Construction time. Contract sum, Variation clause
(how are variations dealt with), progress payment intervals, extensions of time (if agree to by both
parties), responsibility for permits. Final inspection, handover, maintenance period, right of either
party to end contract.
Disputes arise from components of: cost, time, quality.

Lecture 9: Live Interview with Project Management

Consultants
Lecture 10: OH&S in Construction

Why?

Safety is a legal requirement, OH&S act (2004), regulations, codes, and standards.
Always new hazards, new risks
Lecture 11: Technological Innovation
Innovation is like evolution, it is subject to incremental changes
Micro-reinforced concrete. Small steel rebars (helixes) are mixed into the concrete

Can be poured in one go, rather than in sections

Tall wood buildings

Large scale prefabricated
Lecture 12: Information Technology

Why does engineering use IT?

Faster, cheaper, safer, better products, having access to accurate and current information where
construction is occurring

Construction engineering is building the right thing in the right way in the right place, taking design
documentation and turning it into the physical thing that the documents describe

Previously, drawings were converted to physical markers by quantity surveyors to communicate on a

construction site

When adopting new technology, it must be known how the replaced methods were used and why
they were necessary
Photogrammetry: convert real world objects straight into a virtual world
VR allows for more effective and easier training
Lecture 13: Sustainability

There is no degree of sustainability, it either is or it isn’t

The built environment is responsible for the above

What can be done?

Reduce population growth

Design and construct that use resources sustainably

Lean production = resource efficiency

People are reluctant to try, there are risks

Lack of knowledge and awareness