Award Magazine Retail & Fit Out

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Inside This Edition:All in the Family: AECOM’s Brisbane Office

Retail: New Customer Experience

Ten Trends for Green Building RETAIL & FITOUT

Davis Langdon, an AECOM company, provides access to the full range of Davis Langdon and AECOM services.

Our integrated service delivery teams make it easier to deliver your projects from concept to completion.

Our services include:

- cost management & cost engineering

- program & project management

- verification & certification

- building surveying, urban planning, specification & access consulting.

As part of AECOM — one of the world’s largest professional service companies — Davis Langdon’s services form part of an expanded range of capabilities across engineering, planning, procurement and management.

For more information on how Davis Langdon and AECOM are partnering more powerfully, go to www.davislangdon.com or www.aecom.com.

MORE POWERFULLYPARTNERING

www.davislangdon.comwww.aecom.com

NAB, 500 Bourke Street Victoria, Australia

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FEATuRE PROjECT PROFilEs: 4 All in the Family: AECOM’s Brisbane Office

8 Retail Fever: Zara’s New sydney And Melbourne stores

12 Retail: New Customer Experience

FEATuRE suPPlEMENTs 20 The Holistic Needs of our Walls and Ceilings 24 No More slip-ups: Retail Flooring for the 21st Century 26 showtime! Getting More Performance for Retail lighting

MARKET ANAlysis 31 sector Analysis: Retail

PROFEssiONAl COluMNs

14 Accessibility Column: Does it all measure up?

36 sustainability Column: Maximise your Brownfield or NABERs Retrofit

38 legal Column: Dark Deeds at the Billabong

iNDusTRy MATTERs

16 Ten Trends for Green Building 32 Collaborative Construction Management 34 Ecology & Economics: The sustainable Future

AssOCiATiON MATTERs 37 Put precast on the shopping list

Publisher | Brandon Vigon 03 8844 5822 ext. 112 [email protected]

Editor | Mark Kenfield [email protected]

Contributing Writers | Michelle Aizenberg, sarah Bachmann, stephanie Bray, Emily D'Alterio, jim Doyle, Cornelius Hart, Mark Kenfield, Dr. Ong Boon lay, Romily Madew, Kayt Watts, George Xinos.

Designer | Tushar Bhatnagar

MEDiAEDGE COMMuNiCATiON AusTRAliAPO Box 6257 Chapel street North south yarra, ViC 3141

T: 03 8844 5822

F: 03 9824 1188

www.awardmagazine.com.au

President | Kevin Brown

© Copyright 2011 Australia Post Publications

Mail Pub. No. PP381712102392

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Cover Image: courtesy of Christopher Frederick Jones

VOluME 16

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All In ThE FAmIly:AECOm’s BrIsBAnE OFFICE

SPOTLIGHT: AECOM’S BrISBAnE OffICES

By Mark Kenfield

Expansion, consolidation and mergers are all part of the corporate system; companies grow, shrink and diversify – it’s an intrinsic part of the ebb and flow of the business world.

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But part and parcel of these organic changes to companies, is the need to sensitively and harmoniously integrate the distinct cultures that define companies who merge together.

This was the challenge faced by AECOM in Brisbane, when they decided to bring their staff from eight offices across Brisbane, including four legacy brands, into a single office at the new Leighton Properties HQ development in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley. And it raises the question of how you go about handling that kind of integration.

“AECOM was in a interesting stage of development,” explains BVN Architecture’s Project Principal, David Kelly, “they’re a global firm, but in Australia they have grown through merger and acquisition, including Bassett, ENSR, EDAW and Maunsell – all of whom had their own strong cultures – so this was a fitout which brought all of those different aspects together, bringing 850 staff from 8 locations around the city to create one united building, with 13,600m2 of space spread over 5 levels”.

Kelly says that goal was to use the fitout as an agent of change, a process of cultural change to help unify the various legacy brands and office cultures under the one AECOM banner, increasing communication between the various teams.

“They understood that there was huge potential in bringing together all of these specialities, so the brief was to create a workplace that would enable that potential to be unlocked by creating collaborative workspaces. They wanted to enable different, more efficient ways of working” he explains.

“Essentially, we wanted to create a modern, safe, sustainable, energy efficient space which would encourage and enable collaboration across our business” adds Frank Carlow, AECOM’s Project Director, who championed the project from within.

Filling the VoidBVN’s design for the new offices

essentially cut large voids through the existing building, in order to create a unifying space over the five levels of the tenancy. “An interconnecting stair

links all five levels through these voids to create a dynamic common space and provide a sense of connectivity and transparency” explains Angie McKay, BVN’s Project Leader on the offices. “It was about having a communal rather than territorial approach to the arrangement of purpose-specific spaces to ensure that each group within the offices had an appropriate environment to support them”.

“What we’ve done in this workplace is to provide a variety of spaces, so you have the general open-plan workspaces themselves, but then you provide a variety of different rooms, quiet rooms that are close to work areas, so that when staff need a quieter space for meetings or phone calls they can quickly and easily access them” Kelly explains. “There are also café and meeting areas that are designed to draw people away from the general work spaces that are used for noisier activities. Which means that instead of being chained to your desk all day, you move about quite a bit”.

McKay says that the key was providing an intelligent environment that could bridge the boundaries between ‘design’ and AECOM’s strategic objectives for the new offices. The execution of the meeting spaces, consolidated support facilities, social gathering and creative spaces and open plan work environments had to provide opportunities and choices for how staff in the newly integrated offices could work, interact and communicate.

“It was about transforming their existing work culture” she says. And it seems to have worked because AECOM have already noticed an increase in collaborative activity and productivity, improved staff retention and attraction and reduced operational costs.

Carlow says that the biggest challenge to that was “Winning the hearts and minds of our staff so that they were able to look forward to change, as many of them are long term valued staff members who have been with our various legacy companies for some considerable time”.

“We asked questions and listened, and from that level of understanding we were able to engage with groups

and individuals within the company to develop a vision for what our new offices should offer” he says.

This process led to ideas like the ‘slot’, which refers to the recycled, timber-clad stairs, walkways and associated ‘bump spaces’ at the Wickham Street end of the building. Which as Carlow explains, “provide opportunities for staff both to move around the office without using the lifts, and also help enable the sorts of conversations between co-workers that result in improved collaboration and co-operation”.

Fire SaFetyThe project wasn’t without

hurdles though. “One considerable challenge we faced came about through the introduction of numerous base building interventions, including voids cut in the slabs and the introduction of an internal stair” explains Angie McKay. “These elements provided a sense of connectedness and transparency in the finished fitout, but also provided challenges in creating the compartmentalisation needed for fire separation”.

“As concealed fire curtains were not an acceptable solution to the Fire Brigade, we had to engineer an alternative solution” she continues, “Without Brigade sign off the space couldn’t be occupied, and that made it the greatest area of risk in the project. So we dedicated a considerable amount of time and energy to brainstorming and testing ideas, and eventually – thanks to some serious lateral thought – arrived at a solution which saw a series of floating meeting platforms that provided the separation we needed in fire mode, without jeopardising the visual connectivity between floors”.

a SuStainaBle Solution‘Holistic’ is a word that gets

bandied about quite a lot these days, but it’s hard to think of a term that better describes the top-to-bottom approach that has been used in the new offices.

“Energy efficiency and sustainability were big factors for AECOM” David Kelly explains, “Though more from a point of view of their work culture than anything else. We did a lot of consultation with staff, as they have

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achieved in the offices was largely a happy coincidence” Kelly adds. “Our focus was largely on natural light, so we kept any built spaces away from the windows - which greatly reduces the demand on artificial lighting”.

This same approach led to things like the careful placement of utilities rooms, in order to reduce the number of printers/copiers etc. required. “Making utilities centrally located makes them convenient for everyone to reach and can substantially reduce your carbon footprint” Kelly says, “So it’s about a lot of small measures that add up to significant savings in power in the end”.

Other big savings came from a highly-efficient HVAC system, and building measures that reduced solar loads (and by extension the HVAC loads needed to maintain a constant temperature).

“It was critical that AECOM’s commitment to sustainability was demonstrated in the fitout” says McKay. “So the design team focussed holistically on supporting the initiatives of their green office policy as well as using sustainable building methods

and materials in an effort to avoid a tick box approach with Green Star”.

This included a full furniture audit being carried out across the eight former offices. “What could be reused was, and what was purchased new met all of Green Star’s material requirements” McKay says. “We also used indoor plants extensively throughout the fitout which culminated with ‘Village Greens’ on three of the five floors, and these serve as tea-points and breakout areas. The planting solution for the fitout was developed in conjunction with AECOM’s Landscape Architects.

Their Green Office group also produced a rolling screen saver which educates staff as to the various green initiatives and strategies throughout the office as well as the principles adopted in the fitout which are displayed in reception and on general office PCs”.

a WorKplace that WorKS“Whenever I visit the new offices,

the thing I get the most pleasure out of is the sense of energy it has, the buzz and vibrancy you get when you walk in” Kelly says. “We were very keen to connect all five levels of the offices, because we wanted to get that sense of activity throughout the building. As you walk into the reception you can see up and down all five floors, and see all the activity within it – so you get a tremendous sense of energy in the space”.

“We’re very pleased with the new offices,” Carlow concludes, “our staff have embraced the space and the concept of collaboration, and we now have project teams around the office which include non-AECOM staff as well as representatives from our clients’ teams – which is a quite different dynamic to the way the business is usually structured. And we are now able to translate this greater sense of collaboration to our clients, the market and our projects”.

The new offices were all about ‘change’, cultural change in integrating the previously distinct groups of the company, and operational change in improving the way in which staff work together. And they seem to have met those objectives with flying colours, so much so that the offices recently won the State Award for Interior Architecture at the Queensland AIA Awards. Though the real reward of course, is a workplace that works.

SPOTLIGHT: AECOM’S BrISBAnE OffICES

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quite a young workforce who are very committed to sustainability, so it was a combination of the environmental work they do, and also a generational thing”.

Whilst the offices were a Green Star project (targeting a 5-star rating), McKays says that the point scoring was more of an outcome of the project’s sustainability objectives, than it was a driver for the design.

“Timber features heavily in the fitout,” she says, “all of which was 100% post-consumer recycled Australian Blackbutt sourced from railway sleepers and demolished bridges. Add to this the fact that the ventilation system provides 50% more fresh air than the average commercial building, the workstations are fully recyclable, the task chairs are ‘cradle to cradle’ accredited, worm farms in the kitchens harvest organic waste and green power switches replace “stand-by mode’ at every work point, the green agenda was embedded to a degree that, I think, pretty clearly show’s the company’s sense of environmental responsibility”.

“The low power consumption we

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rETAIl FEvEr: ZArA’s nEw sydnEy And mElBOurnE sTOrEs

turnaround – which allows it to keep up with whatever trends it chooses, and keeps its clothes affordable enough that people keep coming back for more. With over 1700 stores spread across 78 different countries, and all of their stores company-owned (with the exception of a few countries that don’t permit foreign ownership), it’s a retail model that clearly works well. And with enormous crowds having queued outside both their new Sydney and Melbourne stores for their respective openings, it’s clearly a model that Australian shoppers appreciate.

Zara’s entry into the Australian market started with a three-storey, 1900sqm store in the Westfield Sydney complex

With consumer confidence steadily falling, and a high Aussie dollar combining with increased confidence in online shopping to see a lot of people purchasing goods from overseas, Australia’s retail industry is having a rough time at the moment.

Which makes the success of Spanish retail giant Zara’s entry into Australia, all the more interesting.

Zara is quite unique in the world of fashion retail, in that it has an in-house team of around 200 designers and its own factories and distribution facilities in Europe. Its point of difference has always been affordable fashion and a staggering 2-week cycle for new product

which opened in April, and that was followed soon after with a three-storey melding of four existing shops into one 1800sqm store in Melbourne’s Bourke Street Mall in June.

These stores have already been so successful that Zara is opening a third Australian store in November at Adelaide’s Burnside Village Shopping Centre, which will be Australia's largest at 2,300sqm, and will be modelled on the design of their Fifth Avenue, New York store. The Melbourne and Sydney stores reflect the fitouts of their international counterparts, and are dominated with neutral shades and use materials such as resin and aluminium for furnishings and fittings,

SPOTLIGHT: zArA STOrES

By Mark Kenfield

The Westpac Melbourne institute index of Consumer sentiment says consumer confidence has fallen another 3.5% to 89.6 in August.

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and porcelain tiles for the floor.

L o n g - D i s t a n c e relationShipS

Zara, as a company, is no stranger to opening stores in far off distant lands. But by simple virtue of Australia being the furthest, most-distant land there is from their Spanish headquarters; the logistics of putting the new stores together – and doing so with the high level of control that Zara likes to have in all aspects of their business – was always going to be a challenge.

Zara engaged Sydney architects Bokor Architecture + Interiors to work with their in-house design team on the new Sydney and Melbourne stores, and they were in-turn managed by a project manager from Greece who was working for Zara Spain. Which meant that Zara was flying out various members of their team every 2-3 weeks to oversee the progress of the construction, which was handled by contractors Building Engineering in Melbourne, and Next Constructions in Sydney.

So to say the logistics and management of the projects was ‘complex’ would be an understatement.

“In Europe, Zara have done over 1000 stores” explains Next Constructions’ Managing Director, Joseph Di Girolamo, “and normally they build a prototype for a store and then model the rest of their designs around that. Melbourne and Sydney however, were a new design, so there was a lot of coordination that had to go into that”.

So on top of the logistical challenge of building these stores, literally, a world away from home. There was the added challenge of implementing a brand new design at the same time. “That was a big challenge,” Di Girolamo adds, “because as we built it , they were saying ‘we would like to change the design of this area’, so there were redesigns coming through throughout the construction”.

“Zara want everything perfect” explains Building Engineering Director, Tom Basel. “They know what they want and they won’t compromise – and that extended to the completion date – so we had to meet the locked in date, even though changes kept coming through and designs kept changing”.

Eventually on the last few days of the project it reached a point were Building

Engineering had to insist that Zara stop making any more changes, and the last 6 weeks of the Melbourne store’s construction was run around the clock 7 days a week to meet the completion deadline.

“It was interesting,” Di Girolamo says, “because in Sydney our original completion date was just before the Easter trading period, which was obviously not going to give them enough time to stock the store for the Easter trade. And with all of the redesigns that were happening, we told them that if they wanted to trade for Easter, they had to have handover earlier, and they agreed. So halfway through the program we had to accelerate the completion, and work around the clock to meet a deadline that fell two weeks earlier than our original plan”.

“We had to increase the resources on the project, and even so it was absolutely flat strap” he says. “There's so much exposure on a big project like this, but if you stuff it up, that quickly becomes the wrong kind of exposure. In spite of the challenges though, it was an enjoyable project to work on, it felt very rewarding to see it through”.

Main: Zara's staggering 2-week cycle for new product turnaround allows it to keep up with whatever trends it chooses, and ensures a steady supply of new product year round.

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Finding Solid groundTight deadlines and complex

logistics weren’t the only challenges the new stores faced though.

“When we started on the Melbourne store it was supposed to be a simple fitout; walls, ceilings, mechanical ductwork, air-conditioning etc.” explains Basel “But once we got into the project, we realised that the floors in the building weren’t up to code in terms of load capacity, so 90% of the floor had to be demolished and rebuilt to comply with the code. All of which made our tight deadline even tighter, as it created a lot of delays in terms of the structural steel and concrete support we needed to bring in for the building, and had a domino affect on the delivery of critical materials”.

“Getting the escalator in was a real challenge too,” Basel explains, “we had to build a runway just to bring it in, and then had to float it up to the second floor to land it in position”.

“The glass lift shaft and the wraparound staircase provided another considerable challenge” Di Girolamo says. “When we started the design was preliminary, so we had to work with Bokor to try and finalise the design whilst Zara kept sending us out revised designs. So keeping the communication open and making sure we delivered to their expectations was a big challenge, especially as we only had a 16-week time frame”.

green iS the neW BlacKWith climate change a hot topic

on everybody’s lips, Zara has chosen to approach its sustainability objectives by focusing on creating a range of stores that lower their emissions through the use of renewable energy sources, more efficient in-store lighting and climate control practices and strictly enforced recycling and waste management systems.

Although Zara’s distribution model has new stock arriving in their stores from their Spanish distribution centre twice weekly, they claim that the majority of their emissions come from their brick and mortar stores, rather than the transportation of their garments around the world. So they are channelling their sustainability efforts into that. The new Melbourne store is one of these new ‘eco stores’, and will use 30% less energy and 70% less water than a normal Zara outlet.

retail conquiStadorS The facts and figures

surrounding Zara’s business model are staggering, its designers put out around 20,000 new items every year, its global distribution centre in Spain moves around 2.5 million of those items per week, and nothing stays warehoused for longer than 72 hours at a time.

Their clothes are ironed in advance, with prices and security tags attached before they are sent out to stores.

And this allows their garments to be placed out on to the shop floor as soon as they arrive, which helps maximise selling time.

It’s a model that has helped Zara achieve massive growth over the past decade and can perhaps help point Aussie retailers in the right direction.

“It was the most challenging job I have ever been involved in, and I think that was the case for everyone involved,” Basel concludes, “everyone on the project found themselves engulfed in the whole ‘Zara thing’, and just to see the job finished was a huge deal for everyone”.

“In fact we were so down to the line, that once we had placed the last piece of the stair in position, the scaffolders had to literally run up the stairs and dismantle the scaffolding that was there – because it was just hours before we had to open the store!” he adds, “But we made it in the end, and when they had the opening the hierarchy from Spain gave us a pat on the back and told us how pleased they were with the finished result. So that was very satisfying”.

Di Girolamo agrees, “I’m really happy with the end result, as challenging as the project was, we really enjoyed working with Zara and with the architect - it's a really good store for us, it has a really prominent frontage and the quality shows”.

SPOTLIGHT: zArA STOrES

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rETAIl: nEw CusTOmEr ExpErIEnCE

on a $140 million staged redevelopment incorporating cutting edge design and new building services throughout.

Norman Disney & Young (NDY) provided the full range of building services for the Myer redevelopment and according to their Associate Director and project coordinator, Ben Ferguson, reinventing a Melbourne icon provided an exciting challenge.

“The Myer refurbishment had to preserve heritage aspects of the building including the facade, Mural Hall and renowned Bourke Street windows. The complex was comprised of 5 inter-connected existing buildings,

This has necessitated a paradigm shift. Whereas retailers traditionally would have expectations of customer traffic, they now have to provide unique shopping experiences to attract savvy customers through their doors.

And it’s been the reinvention of existing retail stores that provides the greatest evidence of retail’s capacity to understand the new consumer landscape.

The Myer Bourke Street store redevelopment provides a stunning example. As an iconic shopping destination in the heart of Melbourne for close to a century, Myer embarked

making up the old Myer Bourke Street Store. The project floor area is 5,550sqm approximately from Lower Ground to Level 6 inclusive, plus an additional level 7 function space of 1,500sqm.

“The redevelopment features a new glass roofed atrium, designed to host bespoke customer events such as fashion parades; this typifies the emphasis on the design in respecting history yet providing inspiring new customer experiences” Ferguson says.

What the Myer redevelopment illustrates is that the working environment of a major retail outlet is very much about customers and

SPOTLIGHT: rETAIL fITOUT

Faced with increasing competition from online shopping, retailers have had to reinvent themselves and in doing so, focus on the ‘customer experience’.

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the brand. Something that is clearly evident in the Selfridges Shoe Gallery.

Located on the second floor of the landmark Grade II listed Selfridges London store – currently the largest shoe department in the world – the shoe gallery elevates the shopping experience to a new level. The vision of the store owners was unique: to treat the shoes as a gallery exhibition within state-of-the-art interiors using lighting as a key element for emphasis and drama.

“The shoes take centre stage within the theatre of a retail environment” says NDYLight Senior Designer Director, Theo Paradise-Hirst.

“Essential elements of the lighting scheme involved strategic planning to minimise direct visual impact, the choice of lamps to reduce glare, integration of fittings in troughs,

shelving details and thorough aiming and commissioning exercises” he says.

In spite of global economic hiccups, investment by retailers into unique customer experiences continues unabated. According to the 2011 edition of How Global is the Business of Retail? by leading global real estate adviser CB Richard Ellis (CBRE), global retailers have continued to grow their store networks in a wide range of international markets despite challenging conditions.

The CBRE survey mapped the global store footprint of 323 of the world’s top retailers across 73 countries to identify trends in global retail expansion at national and local levels.

International expansion remains a key strategy for retailers throughout the world, with 40% of new openings occurring outside the retailer’s home

region.Global retailers appear to be

impressed by how well Australia weathered the Global Financial Crisis and this has generated a wave of interest from global retailers.

In fact, Australian commercial property appears to be luring investors away from the stock market. With global unrest in equity markets investors are shifting money into the safety of bricks and mortar. Solid demand for traditional retail offerings has been the catalyst for robust commercial property sales across Australia in the first half of 2011.

Retail remains a clear barometer of consumer confidence. The current level of investment, innovation and development in retail augurs well for the longer tem growth of the sector.

MAIN: A breathtaking new exterior forms part of the refurbished Myer store

ABOVE: Lighting is key to engaging with customers at the Selfridges Shoe Galleries, London.

Ric NavarroNorman Disney & young


George Xinossenior Access Consultant

Davis langdon : Access Consulting

ACCESSIBILITY COLUMn

dOEs IT All mEAsurE up?The confidence that people with disabilities have in their interactions with the built environment is dependent on access consultants, building designers and certifiers having reliable data to inform their work.

While the aim is to provide an inde-pendent and dignified experience for people with disabilities, it’s unfortu-nate that the reliability of much of the data available in Australia often leads to the design, construction and certifi-cation of structures that prevent such an experience.

Much has been said within Architectural circles about the current lack of recent anthropometric data, and the existing data’s limited relevance to the general population; indeed, a significant portion of data currently available — and the studies providing the most comprehensive results —are based on samples taken from the US military. Using such information to design effective spaces and equip-ment for the Australian population and people of varying abilities, then, sets several worrying precedents.

The current set of standards for codi-fying access requirements in buildings for people with disabilities — AS 1428 – Design for Access and Mobility — is outdated. The data set underpinning this standard is the Bails Report, which was commissioned and conducted in 1983. The report had references to other researchers’ work — like that of Steinfield and Seeger — added to future Australian Standards.

Part of the methodology of the Bails Report involved sampling the wheel-chairs available for use at the time, which included manual and powered wheelchairs, but did not include pow-ered scooters. By determining the dimensions of these at the time, Bails was able to establish an 80th and 90th percentile wheelchair footprint. The 80th percentile (A80) wheelchair footprint represented the size of 80 percent of all wheelchairs at the time, and the 90th percentile (A90) wheel-chair footprint represented the size of 90 percent of all wheelchairs sampled at the time. From here Bails also

attempted to determine the dimen-sions of various building elements in order to allow suitable wheelchair maneuverability and access.

Prior to 2009, the set of standards AS 1428.1 General Requirements for Access – New Building Work adopted the 80th percentile for their require-ments, while AS 1428.2 Enhanced Additional Requirements – Buildings and Facilities adopted the 90th per-centile. However, the latest revision of AS 1428.1 and the new Disability (Access to Premises – Buildings) stan-dards incorporate elements from both wheelchair footprints.

This all begs the question of how the other 20 percent of wheelchair users are affected. Research conducted since the Bails Report has suggested the A80 footprint is flawed and is more likely representative of a figure in the order of 60 percent of wheelchairs. Furthermore, scaled models used at the time of the Bails Report, and many of those constructed to test doorway circulation, did not have door leaves attached. Add to this the fact only 10 to 13 participants were included in much of the study — and none were over 60 years old — and the validity of the Bails report and, consequently, the requirements set-out in AS 1428, are further brought into question.

Advances in wheelchair and mobili-ty equipment technology are not obvi-ously reflected in the current require-ments, and powered scooter users were not included in the study nor were users of ambulant walking aids (the current set of requirements calls for a toilet facility for people with ambulant disabilities).

The report, derived from the Parliamentary Inquiry regarding the Draft Disability (Access to Premises – Buildings) Standards, Access All Areas (2009), made a recommendation to the Australian Federal Government to pro-

vide funding for new research within a 12 month period of the report’s tabling. The Government responded by sug-gesting the research be undertaken two years after the standard com-mences operation, in effect bringing the commencement of this research to May 2013, during which time many opportunities to provide more acces-sible built environments could be lost.

There is an immediate need to com-

mission new research to re-establish a footprint (or footprints) that are reflective of the mobility aids avail-able in today’s market, and to include all types of mobility aids in this analy-sis. Only then will the confidence of people with disabilities to negotiate their built environment grow sustain-ably.

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TEn TrEnds FOr GrEEn BuIldInGWhen the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) launched Green star, Australia’s first holistic environmental rating system for buildings, in 2003, the benchmarks for a 5 star Green star rating seemed outrageously high.

Yet a year later, 8 Brindabella Circuit in Canberra became the first Green Star-rated building in Australia, demonstrating that green building was achievable.

Today, the GBCA has certified more than 4.2 million square metres of Green Star space, we have more than 900 member companies and Australia has the second largest GBC of 89 around the world.

The Dow Jones Sustainability Index is overrun with Australian companies - with a third, or seven out of 21, being Australian.

A range of reports has confirmed that green buildings positively impact everything from operational costs to return on investment, and from reputational equity to productivity.

The most recent IPD Property Index has found that Green Star-rated buildings deliver a higher return on investment than non-Green Star buildings.

So, when we consider how far we’ve come in the nine years since the GBCA was established we can only assume that we will arrive at a point in the near future – perhaps in five years, perhaps ten – where we are no longer even talking about ‘green’ or ‘sustainable’ buildings anymore.

Why? Because all buildings will be sustainable.

Just as we take it for granted that all our buildings will be constructed to high fire safety standards, and just as we take disability access for granted, sustainability will be ‘just the way we build’.

All the trends are pointing to green building becoming the norm.

A recent Jones Lang La Salle global

corporate occupier survey found that 64 per cent of respondents believe that sustainability is a critical business issue.

A McGraw Hill Construction report has found that more than half of global construction firms expect to be fully committed to green building by 2013.

And the latest Davis Langdon 2011 Construction Sentiment survey found that sustainability was ranked the number one opportunity for the industry over the next five years and one of the major risks included failing to adapt to a carbon-constrained future.

So, what is the way forward for the built environment? Here are my top ten predictions:

1. the focus on existing buildings will intensify

In the US, the fastest growing rating tool in 2010 was the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) for Existing Buildings program. Closer to home, policies such as the Australian Government’s Commercial Building Disclosure scheme are already encouraging building owners to upgrade their existing stock. The Australian Financial Review recently said: “the retrofitting of older buildings is no longer an option for owners but a commercial imperative”. To help the industry green its existing stock, the GBCA is developing the Green Star – Performance rating tool, which will assess the operational performance of existing buildings against the nine current Green Star categories. We expect this tool to help revolutionise the industry.

2. Zero net energy designs will gain traction

There will be little room for buildings that aren’t carbon neutral, as well as energy, ecology and water positive. Many GBCA members are active in this

space. Woods Bagot with Buro Happold have developed an interactive design platform which tracks energy and carbon footprints for design solutions, enabling designers to experiment with different options and start the design process with the question: ‘what can this building do for the environment?’

3. Building products and materials will become greener

The shift to green materials is being driven by lifecycle assessments of materials – that is, the impact of a material from the beginning to the end of its life. An emerging trend will be more emphasis on ‘cradle-to-cradle’ thinking, where material purchases are made based on both their first and second lives. Organisations such as InterfaceFLOR, which is recognised as the world’s most sustainable carpet manufacturer, has implemented a take-back and recycling program to ensure its products have a useful ‘second life’.

4. affordable green will be the normMany people associate green with

higher costs - but that's changing. New business models, technologies and high performance materials are bringing green within reach. Colonial First State’s Rowan Griffin recently said that there was no longer a premium for green property. “We have already gone to the stage where it’s the norm to be green and energy-efficient, so people expect that out of premium buildings. So it’s more a discount of those that are not energy-efficient and not green” he said.

5. energy sources will transform We live in a country with more sunny

days than anywhere else on the planet, yet we are lagging behind Asia, Europe and North America in installation of solar photovoltaic panels. Expect this to change, as we begin to see solar, wind and photovoltaics routinely integrated into buildings and used as a building material, rather than simply being installed on top.

InDUSTrY MATTErS

| 17

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And many of these renewable energy sources won’t be large. Micro-turbines are already becoming popular in Asia, and we’ll see more Australian innovation in this area as we recognise the benefits of integrated small systems over one giant, geographically remote power source.

6. Building information modelling will become de rigeur

Expect a more sophisticated approach to building monitoring as building information modelling (BIM) systems become more comprehensive. BIM will enable cross-disciplinary teams to share knowledge and track data of complex building projects. The project team on 1 Bligh Street in Sydney, for example, employed 3D BIM technology during the design and construction phases. The BIM model brought together more than 30 individual discipline models and all sub-consultants were in part appointed on the basis of their BIM capability. The team found that 3D BIM saved costs, saved construction time, and supported better building performance and control. Furthermore, DEXUS believes BIM also has the capability to generate efficiencies throughout the life of 1 Bligh Street as all the building data is available on hand for the property managers.

7. govt. focus on energy efficiency and sustainability will improve

Governments are stepping up their mandates for green buildings for both their own buildings and the private sector.

The desire to reduce carbon emissions by going green will lead more government agencies to require green buildings. New schools and hospitals will be built to the highest environmental standards as community demands and government priorities shift towards sustainability. We currently have more than 100 education projects registered to achieve Green Star ratings – and this is only the tip of the iceberg.

8. investors will demand greater action on climate change

When the GBCA first published The Dollars and Sense of Green Buildings in 2005, little attention was paid to the role of investors. Two years later, our revised version tracked an overwhelming change in attitude. Today, the Investor Group on Climate Change warns that investors are monitoring the approach of companies on climate change and carbon pricing, including what they say in the public realm. In fact, 75 per cent of fund managers believe organisations need to integrate climate change issues into business strategies and set policy commitments on climate change, while 57 per cent of super funds believe companies need to improve their reporting and disclosure on climate change.

9. Blue is the new greenIt’s not all about energy. Building

designers and managers are taking steps to reduce water consumption through the use of water saving fixtures, rainwater recovery systems and innovative new

By Romilly MadewChief Executive

Green Building Council of Australia

water technologies. Lot 12, TradeCoast Central, for instance, gained a Green Star innovation point for its shared, precinct non-potable water storage and distribution system. The system reduces potable water consumption by 80 per cent – the equivalent of more than 10,000 litres a day – and the only potable water used within the precinct is for kitchens, showers and hand basins.

10. the demand for green communities, cities and infrastructure will grow

Beyond the building envelope, we’re already seeing the conversation shifting - and we are looking at how to green our communities and cities. The penny has finally dropped: buildings are part of larger systems. In the future we will no longer view our buildings in isolation, but as interconnected pieces of a larger community. The GBCA’s Green Star – Communities project is helping to drive this shift. Currently, 28 projects from around Australia are BETA testing 35 draft credits. The Green Star - Communities rating tool will usher in a new era of sustainable development, one which looks beyond environmental efficiencies in the built environment and looks at how we build entire communities that are liveable and sustainable.

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| 19

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Model courtesy of Heapy Engineering, Shelley Metz Baumann Hawk, and the National Audubon Society.

Autodesk is a registered trademark or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries. All other brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective holders. Autodesk reserves the right to alter product and services offerings, and specifications and pricing at any time without notice, and is not responsible for typographical or graphical errors that may appear in this document. © 2011 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved

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ThE hOlIsTIC nEEds OF Our wAlls And CEIlInGsHuman beings are noisy buggers.

We talk, shout, sniff, snort, scratch, stamp, drag and shuffle our feet just about everywhere we go. And with mobile phones as ubiquitous as they are now, we can now make most of these noises even when no one else we know is around.

It’s a fact of life, but it’s also a major concern for the design, construction and fitout of our buildings – how do we create productive, functional spaces whilst dealing with the volume and physical impacts caused by human interaction (and even just plain ‘action’)?

Well, when it comes to walls and ceiling, there are a number of different approaches we can take.

“The industry’s response to these demands has seen the development of new acoustic materials on the market to dress ceilings and walls” explains InCorp Design Manager Suzi Wedd, “Particularly decorative panels that can be easily retrofitted into existing fitouts, and ceiling and wall panel materials that have been

developed for typical office partition and ceiling constructions”.

Wedd says that achieving high levels of acoustic performance can be challenging when there are budget constraints and site or services constraints, but says this is driving higher levels of demand for acoustic consultancy, and it’s specialised consultancy and expert advice that can really improve the performance of a fitout.

“Sound absorption plays a major part in great acoustics, and sound reflection off ceilings can pose a particular challenge to achieving a successful fitout” adds TDA Interiors Managing Director Andrew Holder, “However there are products out there to minimise sound reflection, such as ceilings giving a drywall appearance as apposed to ceiling grids and ceiling tiles - the advantage being that drywall ceilings provide greater sound absorption”.

Other division solutions include products such as air curtains – which create subtle divisions and offer auditory

privacy while increasing the acoustic value of a space; and fabric-covered walls, which are another popular choice for reducing sound bouncing. Panel walls can be covered in environmentally friendly and visually pleasing commercial fabrics that offer dual functionality as wall art, pin boards and / or division walls.

As building design in recent years has seen big pushes for more open interior spaces and higher levels of natural light. The way we have to approach walls and ceilings in the fitout of our buildings has changed too.

“In the old days everything used to be partitioned,” explains Tim Barnes, Victorian State Sales Manager for Armstrong, “but now that’s changed as companies have realised that they need to provide better environments for their workers, better acoustics, better thermal comfort, and better natural lighting”.

So this has seen a large push to open-plan spaces, with high levels of natural light – however it brings with it the

By Mark Kenfield

SUPPLEMEnT: CEILInGS

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With functional requirements in mind though, there are a wide range of applications for acoustic products in fitouts. In hospitality, for example, you have larger hotel chains continually seeking to improve their conferencing facilities. “One major chain recently launched their new, state-of-the-art conferencing facilities, which allow for conferencing between executives from across the globe through the use of similarly designed and equipped conference rooms in other locations” Holder explains. “By managing the installation of panel walls, ceiling components and flooring surfaces, these conference rooms are able to be situated on the bustling business floors of hotels, the soundproofing preventing noise intrusion from being a problem”.

With the variety of technical applications emerging in the production of acoustic wall and ceiling products, functional acoustic options will continue to grow in number; offering diversity in application and the ability to eek as much performance as possible out of our fitouts.

“We design buildings for people,” Barnes concludes, “but often the desire to be trendy or leading edge can get in the way of that as ‘style’ doesn’t necessarily concern itself with the people who have to use the space. Without sound absorptive materials in open interior spaces, you have lots of acoustic reflection off hard surfaces – so it’s important to always factor in function alongside form”.

And with Australia’s fitout market demanding higher levels of accountability from the performance of our interior spaces, the need for earlier and more thorough acoustic consultancy, expert opinion and more targeted material selection for our walls and ceilings, is of greater importance than ever before.

issue of managing acoustics in much more difficult situations. “The standard absorption rating for a mineral fibre acoustic ceiling tile used to be 0.55” Barnes explains, “but it has now risen to 0.7; and with more open spaces, we now need to absorb more sound than we did before because we have taken the walls down, which creates a good deal more acoustic reverberation than used to exist, and this can make spaces overly loud and difficult to concentrate in – which has a direct impact on productivity”.

“More attention is now going into planning and zoning open-plan activities and circulation to minimise the built environment” Wedd says, “We are giving more attention to the detailing of wall, ceiling and floor finishes in order to help define open-plan spaces rather than closing those spaces in”. This is leading to much higher usage of items such as functional screens and transparent dividers, to shape and define the spaces we use.

optionS aBoVeNow although this push for more open

spaces has made internal spaces harder to control, there are a vast number of options available to help meet the specific needs of your clients.

For fitouts looking to maximise natural light, there are film-treated ceiling panels that can offer light reflectance ratings of 90%, which makes them perfect for helping to bounce natural light throughout an area, and reduce demand on artificial lighting – a big positive, particularly in green fitouts or retrofits.

Perforated Metal Pan Ceilings are another great option that’s becoming increasingly more popular as retrofits and new building turn to things like chilled beams to reduce their energy

consumption. “Perforated Metal Pan Ceilings are a step away from conventional mineral fibre tiles,” explains Barnes, “and it is being driven primarily by green building design as it’s linked to the type of air conditioning system a building uses. Most ceilings have traditional fan-forced air conditioning built into their ceiling grids. But new buildings are using chilled beams for cooling, which uses the natural movement of air to provide temperature control”.

With chilled beams, you use perforated metal ceilings tiles as they allow hot air to rise through their perforations until it hits the chilled beam above them and then drops back down as it cools. Now this can offer some considerable benefits in energy consumption, but it doesn’t address the issue of acoustic comfort, which requires soft, absorptive materials.

Barnes says that there is definitely a trend toward discontinuous ceilings at the moment, and that this has required the industry to respond with a variety of options. “We’ve had to come up with a range of solutions such as floating acoustic panels,” he says, “some people are putting in elements to their ceilings that are made of timber or plasterboard, but for all their aesthetic value – these materials don’t provide the porosity and softness needed for sound waves to be absorbed”.

“So it’s a constant battle between achieving the look the client is after, and managing the function of the space they’ll end up with” he says, “A lot of designers are implementing these exposed ceilings at the moment, and it’s important to realise that exposed ceilings are always going to demand a trade-off in how that space will function”.

Building For people

SUPPLEMEnT: CEILInGS

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By Mark Kenfield

SUPPLEMEnT: fLOOrInG

nO mOrE slIp-ups: rETAIl FlOOrInG FOr ThE 21sT CEnTury

There's a whole host of consideration that have to go into the specification and selection of flooring materials and methodologies for fitouts these days, and in retail fitouts in particular.

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With high levels of foot traffic, fast tenancy change-overs, sound impact, occupational health and safety matters and a host of other issues to consider; flooring is one area that fitouts can't afford to fall short in.

SaFety FirStAs public liability and occupational

health and safety claims rise, the need for safe and slip-resistant flooring is becoming increasingly more prevalent in retail environments.

"We're seeing this crop up a lot more often in the media these days," explains Altro Safety Flooring's Warwick Duncan, "large payouts to customers who have slipped and hurt themselves in a shop. There was a recent case of a pregnant woman who slipped and hurt herself badly in a Woolworths supermarket being award $750,000 in damages. So safety flooring is an area that a lot more people are looking at seriously".

"It isn't just a concern for customers either, it's an important issue for staff as well" he adds, "As any environment that can have food or liquid drop on the floor, can face slip hazards. So it is now one of the requirements according to Australian standards".

Safety flooring can offer a number of benefits, the primary one being slip resistance, which Duncan explains “gives you a couple of things; it makes your floors safer to walk on, but it also reduces your liability if in the event that somebody does have a fall and decides to sues you. If you can show that you have done everything possible to keep your work environment as safe as possible, you greatly reduce the likelihood of people being able to bring large claims against you”.

Another benefit is hygiene. A good flooring material will be easy to clean, and sometimes will even be made from antimicrobial materials, “So for cafés, juice bars or food retailers,” Duncan says, “All of whom are constantly battling with food safety requirements; selecting products like ours, which are endorsed by groups such as HACCP, the world’s leading food safety organisation, can genuinely make life easier”.

These benefits do require durable, high-quality materials though, so it’s important to look for factors such as whether a flooring material is impervious to water or not, and what sort of resistance it has to warping.

According to Gerflor Australasia’s Managing Director Chris Low, “This is a big issue for some retailers and shop fitters who have been burned by inferior products. The technical capability of a product to provide the solution for specific situations is just as important as its aesthetic qualities”.

Low agrees that the highly litigious era we live in makes safety an absolute priority as far as flooring is concerned, and says that surface treatments offering slip resistance right through to specific safety flooring are becoming more important than ever. “At the same time, you have to balance these functional needs with client’s demands for inspired colours and design that reflects the very latest in interior design trends” he says.

So being able to present a wide range of flooring solutions to clients is clearly a big deal now.

the iMportance oF Being Speedy

In terms of new developments in flooring, loose-laid flooring is one of the fasting growing around. “In large shopping centres where you have to refit after a tenancy, speed and ease of installation is paramount” Duncan says, “So the easier those refits can be made the better. In response to this demand we now have a product called Xpresslay that can be simply taped down at the edges, which can rapidly improve the speed of a fitout. Non-permanent solutions like this are specifically designed for retailers like kiosks that will probably need to make good on their fitout within 5 years”.

“Speed of installation is critical to retailers” Low adds, “which has led us to developing loose-lay solutions that can be installed over most existing subfloors with little-to-no subfloor preparation. Little-to-no subfloor preparation means no mess, no odour and minimal disruption to trade”.

This increased speed of installation for loose-laid flooring means that you can achieve overall more economical fitouts. Even to point of allowing you to completely lay the floors of supermarkets, pharmacies, boutiques, just about any space you could think of, overnight - often with no interruption to trade at all. It’s factors like this, that really matter to retail clients.

All of which raises the interesting question of how these changes in products and methodologies are effecting the approaches people take to flooring?

“One of the biggest challenges in the first instance has been getting contractors and end users on side with the potential higher costs per-square metre” Low explains, “It’s become an exercise in education to demonstrate how these greater speeds of installation, minimal subfloor preparation (and sometimes the ability to even lay over existing old boards or tiles) all make for a faster, and overall much cheaper installation of far superior quality”.

“You don’t offer 15 year warranties on products that won’t perform” he says. “The potential is enormous and we will continue to innovate to find new and better solutions”.

And Duncan agrees, “It’s all about product development and giving the client what they require, so if you can meet those demands, the bar is constantly being raised, we pride ourselves on our product development, you’ve got to keep on striving to meet what people are asking for” he says.

“There are a couple of different elements we have to get better at all the time” he concludes, “Firstly, floors have to be easy to clean and maintain, so we’re always designing methods to make safety flooring easier to clean. And secondly, because companies don’t want their customers to notice the flooring, we have to be able to provide solutions that won’t look too industrial. So that means providing range; we’re about to release one product which will be available in 40 different colours, which will make it the largest colour range available in the world, and that development has come purely in response to customers asking for a wider range of colours, to better compliment their fitouts”.

So what's the key to responding to the market’s demand for newer, better fitout materials and methodologies? Listening.

If client’s need speed, there are options for that; if they need safety, there are options for that; if they need function and durability, there are options for that too. And if they need all of that, and need it in an attractive and complimentary colour or pattern to the rest of their fitout… well if you look hard enough, you can probably find that too.

Choice is thriving in Australia at the moment, so it really comes down to selecting the options that will service your clients' needs best.


in every different building type, your lighting needs change. in retail situations, the priority is always going to be displaying products clearly, and having them well lit in order to make them stand out for customers, and help staff to sell the products.

This includes things like leaving display lights on at night, in order to display products even when a store is closed.

Well thought out lighting can help attract customers to a store, direct customers to specific areas and displays,

enhance the colours, textures and forms of the merchandise and help create an engaging and visually pleasing shopping environment - so by necessity, lighting efficiency is always going to come a distance second to function. At the same time though, because of the

substantial lighting needs of retail stores, the benefits of energy efficient lighting fixtures and control systems are all the more significant.

Couple this with rapidly rising energy costs, the introduction of the carbon tax (which will see even further cost increases) and schemes such as the NSW Government’s Energy Saving Scheme (ESS), which was introduced to offer businesses a financial incentive for reducing their energy usage. And you can see that the business of lighting up our businesses has become a considerably more involved process in recent years.

SUPPLEMEnT: LIGHTInG

Showtime! GETTInG mOrE pErFOrmAnCE FOr rETAIl lIGhTInG By Mark Kenfield

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With the ESS, its principal objective has been to create a financial incentive to reduce the consumption of electricity by encouraging energy saving processes and products. It was developed to increase opportunities to improve energy efficiency by rewarding companies who implement eligible projects that either reduce electricity consumption or improve the efficiency of their energy usage.

There are a wide range of energy-efficient lighting products and solutions listed under the scheme, and it’s from independently compiled sources like this, that we can readily look into the options available to us to improve the performance of our interior lighting.

Lighting upgrades offers cost/performance benefits that few other measures can match. So when it comes to retrofitting and upgrading the energy efficiency and performance of existing fitouts, few things can match the speed and ease with which lighting upgrades can be implemented.

Lighting technology has advanced in leaps and bounds in recent years, both in the technology behind the lamps themselves; with infra-red coated lamps,

low-wattage compact fluorescents, and the relentless march of LEDs; and in the lighting control systems managing them.

In Australia, minimum energy performance standards apply to lighting products such as fluorescent ballasts, linear fluorescent lamps, incandescent lamps, compact fluorescent lamps and ELV lighting converters and transformers. And from 2012 onwards, the standards will also apply to mains voltage reflector lamps including halogen lamps. And perhaps most significantly, energy efficiency requirements for LED components and luminaires are also being developed.

LEDs or Light Emitting Diodes, are a burning issue in lighting at the moment, and they offer a host of advantages over incandescent light sources including lower energy consumption, lower heat output, longer lifecycles, improved robustness, smaller size, faster switching, and greater durability and reliability.

“But ensuring the LEDs you source are of adequate quality is one of the biggest issues out there at the moment” says Lumenec Managing Director, Andrew Gibson. “For example, we have a new

LED product that exceeds the output of a 50w halogen lamp whilst maintaining the same level of light quality; there are many companies out there offering products that claim to replace 50w halogens, but don’t actually have the output and uniformity. It’s a genuine problem right now and is largely coming from people bringing in cheaper products from China and selling them on”.

So although lighting can offer an affordable path to improving your energy efficiency, if you’re not careful in sourcing high-quality products in the first place – you can potentially negate the cost advantages entirely.

But with the wide range of high-performance, low-energy lighting options now available to us, addressing the needs of Australia’s retail fitouts should be easier and more effective than ever before. It’s a matter of picking efficient and long-lasting products, that can provide the constant function that retail requires – without leaving the energy intensive footprint it always has in the past.

using wood is good, using certified wood is better

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AFS/01-10-01


InDUSTrY MATTErS

ThE TImEs ThEy ArE A ChAnGInG…

Kayt WattsCEO,Australian Forestry

standard limited

This increased market awareness has come from several areas, the major influence has been the acceptance of the Australian Standards in the Green Building Council of Australia’s (GBCA) timber criteria for a Green Star rating; not only did Australia achieve this first for the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC), but it led to Green Building Councils in Italy and Singapore quickly recognising PEFC certified timber and more and more of the GBCs globally are taking on this recognition.

The times are changing in the industry with suppliers and consumers taking the lead; and evidence that wood and wood products are being sourced from sustainable forests is now being demanded.

As consumers of forest products, both the Australian government and Australian companies have a responsibility to ensure that their procurement does not come at the expense of the future of the world’s forests, but positively supports responsible forest management.

On a global level, there has been a huge move for global procurement, endorsement and recognition of wood and wood products in recent times; and on a national level, we are sadly seeing the Australian government dragging its feet regarding the implementation of a procurement policy, muddling around with the development of legislation for the verification of legality and have talkfests about how they are going to implement it, while they get hoodwinked into locking up our 100% renewable native forest resources as the rest of the world is already taking action.

There is considerable pressure on the timber industry from Green activists and protestors who use bullying, lies and violence to disrupt local businesses, and affect sales of products that are internationally-recognised as being sustainably sourced; and this shouldn’t be allowed to continue. These activities are causing job losses which in-turn can cause major economic downturns in Australian communities that rely on the forest and related industries. The actions of these protestors targeting Australian businesses and forests will only increase paper imports from suspect overseas sources, including those sourced from non-certified tropical rainforests - In short, it’s a sorry state of affairs.

Real environmentalists would encourage the use of Australia forest products which are certified under the only Australian Standard for sustainable forests (AS 4708) that: protects biodiversity, ensures that all harvested areas are fully regenerated, maintains healthy ecosystems, protects water and soil quality, manages forests for carbon storage, safeguards heritage value and indigenous culture, protects the safety of workers, local jobs and communities, and requires broad stakeholder engagement in the revision and continuous improvement to maintain alignment to international benchmarks and Australian requirements.

Certification is now at the front end of the market, retailers and building developers have the widest source of certified products available through the PEFC scheme and the confidence that they are also sourcing local products that support local workers and communities. While

our colleagues, FSC, see this as a threat, their supporters are playing downright dirty to discredit the Australian Standards, using ‘media grabs’ with lies and misinformation regarding Australian native forest practices and making outright unfounded claims and throwaway ‘headline making’ accusations, without any supporting evidence or verification.

The industry and Australian Forestry Standard Limited (AFSL) are offering support and assistance as the above activities are targeting major Australian brands. AFSL is conducting the mandatory 5-year revision of the Australian Standards as this is critical to ensuring the robustness and credibility of the Standards. the focus for AFSL now, after three years of marketing, needs to be on revision and delivering even higher levels of assurance to consumers that what they are purchasing guarantees their support and commitment to promoting sustainable forest management, both in Australia and around the world.

The key message for the industry is Procurement Policies, developing and implementing the sourcing of certified sustainable wood and wood products policies. This needs to start with the Government, they need to get off the fence, make the commitment to the Australian Standard for sustainable forest management and lead the change.

in three years there has been an increase of 703% in certificates issued for the Australian standards.

| 29

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Some relief comes from the residential market. Residential construction appears to have had an unsteady couple of years for but looking at the wider picture reveals that after each drop, the Victorian market came back stronger and there has been an increase over the period. If the bulk of projects are not stalled, Q1/2012 will see Victoria with the country’s busiest residential construction market.

queenSlandQueensland was probably the hardest hit by the global financial crisis, bringing with them developers and

stakeholders and their creditors. The retail construction sector is expected to be slightly above average this year and up by 25% from the same period in 2010. There is also improvement on the horizon for commercial construction and a burst of work in November for community and health projects. We are expecting to see residential construction dropping off considerably, up to as much as 40% from Q3/2011 unless construction starts are pushed forward. To some extent, this weakening and a prediction upturn in early 2012, is related to post flood recovery.

WeStern auStraliaWestern Austral ia ’s relatively small pool of residential project work results in erratic patterns

with large projects dictating the quarterly results. In the immediate future there only appears to be about $148 million of residential work ready to commence construction. Strong figures which more than compensate for the imminent drop are promised for the first two quarters of 2012 which will give Western Australia its strongest financial year for residential work since before the financial crisis.

$240 million 5-storey addition to the Macquarie Centre Shopping Centre in Ryde. Disappointingly November 2011 may have as little as $20 million of work ready to commence which is even less than is usually explained by the traditional end-of-year slowdown. The commercial market tends to have a strong month about twice a year but it has been a long time since so much work was concentrated in one month as August 2011 when $355 million of work started. Q4/2011 looks particularly bleak in all sectors, the exception for NSW being health and medical construction thanks to the Tamworth Hospital redevelopment.

State government reluctance to release land, high rates of land tax and restrictive regulations have New South Wales labouring under the most significant housing shortage in the country. After having seemingly recovered its status as the nation’s biggest residential construction market, New South Wales is facing two bad quarters which could wipe off as much as 38% of the available work in the space of six months. Further to that, while most states are hoping to experience a boom in Q1/2012, New South Wales may be at its lowest point since the beginning of 2010.

VictoriaThanks to strong performances in the

community/health and industrial sectors, September 2011 has offered up to $2.2 billion work in Victoria and Tasmania, nearly twice as much as last month. Retail construction did not fare so well with a slight rise to $98 million, still below average and only 61% of the total in September 2010. Retail and commercial sectors will both experience steep drops in October 2011, leading Victoria into some of the worst months since the financial crisis.

state AnalysisThe 2010/2011 financial year has begun steadily in comparison to the past 12 months but has yet to gain back the volume of work observed throughout the federal stimulus months or pre-financial crisis years. The next few months are expected to see a decline in construction work starting.

The retail sector has been especially erratic for the past year, with peaks and troughs being determined by big projects, especially in Victoria and NSW. October will be a particularly strong month. The commercial offices market has been almost as unpredictable with stifling lows from April to July 2011 before a rush of projects started in August. Unfortunately office construction is expected to drop again this month and then again before the end of the year.

In early 2009 the federal government purported to end the first home-owners grant scheme, and residential construction dropped dramatically in every state. Since then, there has been a trend towards growth. Going forward, we are expecting a slight drop in the next three months which is not atypical for the end of the year. 2012 looks set to begin solidly with $2.4 billion of residential projects hoped to start construction. This is not quite as high as construction commencement figures before the financial crisis but is more comfortable than the previous financial year’s total.

neW South WaleS/ auStralian capital territory

The NSW retail and hospitality construction market has been fluctuating for the past few years and is expected to reach a 12 month high in October 2011, highlighted by the impending commencement of a

By Michelle Aizenberg

| 31

However, things are looking up for the sluggish sector as second quarter data reports the first increase in sales since April.

Australian Bureau of Statistics data showed a rise in retail spending on alcohol and recreational goods, but a fall in perceived luxury items such as clothing and footwear, which comes as no surprise as the Colorado group continue to close down its footwear brands.

But supermarket giants Woolworths and Coles continue to surge forward opening new stores and refurbishing existing stores across the country. This is to be expected with Woolworths and Westfarmers snapping up almost 40 cents in every dollar consumers spend in the retail sector.

In fact, construction in the retail and hospitality sector has remained robust with an increase of 43% in the value of construction commencing in the sector over the last 12 months, according to BCI Australia.

BCI Australia’s Research Director

By stephanie Bray

Retail in Australia has had a turbulent year so far with ailing consumer sentiment and spending plaguing the sector.

sector Analysis: retail

Western Australia’s commercial market has real growth potential in the next years and beyond but even proportionally high rates of growth are modest in absolute terms and in comparison to the eastern states. Additionally, there remains the contingency of mining success which forms the basis of Western Australia’s groundswell.

South auStraliaBucking the downward trend, the South Australian market is expecting a

strong end to the year with a 50% jump from September to October 2011 and a year-high $1.26 billion of work commencing in November 2011. This can be partly attributed to an influx of retail and hospitality work including the Parabanks Shopping

Centre in Playford.Due to South Australia’s residential market being predominately individual housing, their residential projects market runs at only about 20% that of the eastern states. Nonetheless, there is little doubt that in the long term future, South Australia will continue to expand, as will its construction market.

Damian Eastman said construction starting in the sector is expected to increase nationally over the coming months by 4% with most states anticipated to show growth.

South Australia is expected to show the most growth in the retail sector over the coming months with a massive 719% increase in construction starts from earlier months. October and November are expected to perform above the state’s norm with more than $200 million in construction expected to get underway.

Booming Western Australia is also tipped for improvement with 65% growth in the retail sector over the coming months. Peak construction is anticipated in September, but projects like the $15 million Manjimup Woolworths development will help bolster the sector during the later months.

Although New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory are set to see construction drop by 17% over the next few months, the retail sector

is expected to fare well; in fact the sector is tipped to grow by 26% over the coming months. The majority of this growth is anticipated in October as projects like the $24 million Alexandria Bunnings commence construction.

Unfortunately things are not looking as good for Victoria and Queensland, both anticipated to show significant declines in the value of construction commencing over the next few months.

Queensland is expected to see a 31% drop in the value of construction in the sector with October being the best performing month with over $130 million worth of construction starts.

Victoria will be the biggest hit with a 53% decline, continuing the downward trend first seen in April 2011. Though November is shaping up to be a better performing month with several supermarket projects in the construction pipeline.


InDUSTrY MATTErS

COllABOrATIvE COnsTruCTIOn mAnAGEmEnT

Construction Management is treated by most builders as a low responsibility, no risk style of delivery. Indeed the definition of Construction Management is frequently referred to as an 'agent's role', acting on behalf of the Principal, often under the guidance of an independent project manager. The builder does little more than respond to higher instructions, tender the trades and collate information in an open and communicative fashion. Their fee is generally percentage based, so there is little incentive for cost control. Their engagement is often at an advanced, inflexible stage of the project, when time pressures and/or unclear scope add risk, not mitigate it. Fixed Lump Sum contracting in today's climate is challenged by time restraints and documentation standards that are often less than ideal. The purpose of Fixed Lump Sum tendering is the achievement of a firm and unqualified cost, often impossible with documentation compromised by ever-tightening fees and unrealistic, fast-tracked documentation windows. Without excellent documentation, tendering to a Fixed Lump Sum basis will attract inherent qualifications and exclusions that render it ineffective. This often results in a traditionally more adversarial relationship between the parties. So, is a hybrid possible that combines

the transparency and governance of Construction Management with the rigidity and security of Fixed Lump Sum? The answer appears to be yes, however the choice of builder is critical. Whether driven by the client, project manager or superintendent, the collaboration with the right builder can indeed do both. The builder must have resources available that are directly aligned to the challenges of the project. They must have experience in design development, services engineering, cost reporting, programming and risk mitigation. They should also embrace a clear and cooperative communication style. Their engagement is typically also on a percentage basis, but with supplementary human resources allocated to de-risk the scope from the initial design stage. The de-risking is of equal benefit to client, management team, consultants and builder. It is beneficial to engage the builder as part of the wider project team as early as possible, allowing them to invest resources early, contributing to design development, providing practical advice on construction buildability feasibility, value and risk. As the design progresses, so does the budget or cost plan, with the builder producing progressive cost plans to assist the client or project manager in monitoring costs, facilitating timely value engineering as or if required. The progressive nature of this process alleviates

risk in both cost and time. It also allows key, long lead time items to be ratified early and procured as required. The project unfolds progressively, with procurement undertaken in stages too, all whilst costs are clearly evolving but tightly controlled. Cost control and time management, hand in hand. It’s a methodology our own company has been using for an increasing number of construction and interior fitout opportunities in recent years; and it offers a delivery style that our staff find more communicative, less adversarial and that ultimately seems to deliver higher quality projects, as risks are identified and mitigated earlier in the process.

Whether you are dealing with a new building or corporate office fitout, we would strongly suggest you consider an open-book costing approach. Tabling an agreed fee up front means that you can focus on scope and service optimisation, which ultimately allows you to better leverage your skills for a collective gain. The process offers greater probity, more positive teamwork and enhanced focus on the quality of the outcome.

This Collaborative Construction Management approach (which borders on a 'design and construct' service) benefits from both the transparency of conventional Construction Management and the security of a Fixed Lump Sum. So it’s food for thought for anyone looking for ways to improve the effectiveness of their project procurement.

Cornelius Hart FDC Construction & Fitout

With the numerous delivery (contractual) styles available to clients today, it is interesting to see the emergence of yet another hybrid methodology that comprises the benefits of both Construction Management and Fixed lump sum, whilst addressing the all important issue of risk mitigation.

| 33

SPECIALISED LEGAL ADVICE AND REPRESENTATION

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SPECIALISED LEGAL ADVICE AND REPRESENTATION

SydneyLevel 2, 148 Elizabeth St.Sydney NSW 2000

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Phone: (03) 9620 0322Fax: (03) 9620 0422

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BrisbaneLevel 8, 239 George St.Brisbane QLD 4000

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InDUSTrY MATTErS

ECOlOGy & ECOnOmICs:ThE susTAInABlE FuTurE

Buildings contribute around 20% of Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions. Of this 20%, the major use of energy is in heating and cooling for thermal comfort, followed by lighting. Both of these functions can be greatly reduced simply by good design and good housekeeping.

The most widely used measures for sustainability in buildings in Australia are NABERS and Green Star. Although the Building Energy Efficiency Disclosure Act 2010 will require many commercial buildings to disclose their energy efficiency rating from November this year, it does not place a minimum standard for satisfying this disclosure. On the face of it, the requirements of the Act are met as long as an accredited assessor evaluated the building and the rating is disclosed.

The effectiveness of the Act therefore comes in the market place. If the buyer or user does not value the rating, the disclosure will not impact the commercial value of the building. However the reality of the building marketplace, is that it does make a difference. The Green Property Index published by the Investment Property Databank in 2010 shows that properties with a good energy rating deliver better returns than non-rated buildings and that the capitalisation rates of these buildings are lower, reflecting their better asset quality.

The benefits of green design in buildings are not just economics – higher returns, lower capitalisation, better occupancy ratios, longer retention of tenants, lower operating costs, etc. – but social and individual as well. Studies on green buildings show that there is higher productivity, fewer medical and health related problems and improvements in

psychological well-being.

But there is an even bigger picture. The cynic may point out that early adopters of green programs are often businessmen with a social conscience in the first place. As such, they are likely to place more emphasis on the needs of the users and take more care to provide a good working environment. In any case, the adoption of new technology and latest trends often comes with a glitter that translates into better economic returns and greater user satisfaction. Perhaps it is just the lure of the new. So what of it? It is not a bad thing that green is the new black. Indeed, so black is the new green that super sustainable properties like 1 Bligh Street in Sydney command the highest rentals in Australia.

The lesson here is that good ecology is good economics. The surprise is that we ever thought it was not. How can efforts to reduce waste, recycle resources and products, and reuse goods be bad economics? They lie at the very heart of efficiency, increasing profits and making simple economic sense. Didn’t being economic once mean using less and achieving more with less?

The other lesson is that we don’t have to worry about big business. They will survive and adapt or they will fail and fold. Neither of which is uncommon in the business world nor disastrous for the national economy. The final outcome is always better businesses and a stronger economy.

Which leads me to the next point. I am not advocating a willy-nilly approach to the economy. Good government is crucial to a thriving and sustainable economy. The role

of the government, however, is not to prop up businesses but to provide the right infrastructure for economic forces to work well. This includes being able to forecast key challenges that lie ahead and laying the groundwork for society to meet these challenges. This lesson is reflected in the building sector as well. Buildings are, by their very nature, statements about the future. There are at least 5 to 10 years between the conception of the design brief and the completion of the building, ready for moving in. Thereafter, most buildings are expected to be useful without major renovation for the next 20 to 25 years (although this figure is fast diminishing as change in society continues to accelerate). Building owners, especially if they are the first client as well, need to make a reasonably accurate forecast of the future. At the same time, they need to provide good management and housekeeping if they are to maintain or appreciate the value of the property.

So it is with the government. It needs to guide us into the future. Not only that, it needs to provide sufficient support for the population to transition into this future. The evidence from the building sector is that sustainability is good business and big business. At the national level, what this means is that a sustainable economy is possible with a sustainable environment. In fact, I would go so far as to say that it is only possible with a sustainable environment.

Maybe it is just me, but it seems to me that the most evident effect of sustainability on the economy may be found in the building sector.

Dr. Ong Boon layFaculty of Architecture,

Building & PlanningThe university of Melbourne

| 35

GErFlOr


Facility Owner

Funding Advance

(Loan)

Environmental Upgrade Charge(Loan repayments +admin fees)

Environmental Upgrade Charge (EUC) Payment

Funding repaymentvia EUC

Environmental Upgrade Agreement

Rent incl. EUCInstalment

Energy Savings from project/Savings verification reports

EUC passed on throughoutgoings

Fee for services

Financial Institution

Local Council

FacilityOwner

GuaranteedEnergy

SavingsProject

SiemensTenant(s)

mAxImIsE yOur BrOwnFIEldOr nABErs rETrOFIT

Until now, building-owners have not been able to recoup costs of energy efficiency improvements to their buildings due to split incentives with their tenants when net leases are used. Under this new legislation – called an Environmental Upgrade Agreement (EUA) – owners can pass on the costs of any improvements through the building’s outgoings, provided the savings are greater than or equal to the costs incurred.

An EUA is formed between a building-owner, a financial institution and local council to provide a means of delivering low cost, long-term capital for energy and resource savings projects. Furthermore, it provides a mechanism to pass on costs to the tenants through the outgoings.

“It’s perfect for ‘brownfield’ and NABERS retrofits,” said Siemens Marketing Manager for Energy Efficiency, James Allston, an authority on EUAs. “It’s also a practical and sensible way for Australia to reduce its carbon emissions.

“One of the key dangers of traditional energy efficiency retrofits that Siemens has identified is the threat to the relationship between tenants and building-owner when attempting to pass on the costs associated with retrofit works.” Mr Allston said.

“Savings from energy efficiency projects are rarely transparent without sophisticated verification techniques. This is a huge risk for a building-owner to accept.

“Siemens proposes using an advanced performance contracting model. This model provides for guaranteed energy savings which are transparently and accurately identified for the tenants in the form of savings verification reports. These reports are developed using internationally-accepted verification

protocols,” he said.

“Trying to implement an energy efficiency retrofit without this type of contract is fraught with danger because this is the only model that provides impartiality to reassure tenants that the savings exist and won’t erode over time.

“Building-owners would be mad not to seriously consider it.”

Allston believed most building-owners would agree that EUAs and performance contracting was a good idea, but that many could find the process daunting because it was different to standard design and construct methods.

But he reassured owners, saying it was just a more sophisticated method of procurement to engage with a single turn-key provider, which would lead to better outcomes and ultimately less challenging and time-consuming project management for them.

Allston explained there was a perception among building-owners

that because there was only one provider it could be an expensive solution because procurement was not performed at every step of the way by the building-owners’ management. But he reassured owners, saying that performance contracts had the distinct advantage of having contractually fixed capital allowance with guaranteed savings outcomes.

“What other type of contract ensures you achieve your desired return on investment without receiving endless and costly project variations?” he said.

Allston believes it’s an ideal way of implementing NABERS retrofits. He says the building-owner wins and the tenants win because all the work is performed at least cost. He would like to see this model expanded nationally.

He encouraged all States to get on board with the New South Wales’ progressive thinking on this vital issue.

By December this year, world-leading financial agreements will be launched in NsW, allowing building-owners to undertake NABERs and energy-saving retrofits using new low cost finance.

SUSTAInABILITY COLUMn

By Emily D'Alterio

| 37

puT prECAsT On ThE shOppInG lIsT

Most retail developments in Australia now boast precast walls in a myriad of finishes, as well as precast floors, precast beams, columns and stairs.

The choices are many, with precast providing a one-stop shop for the whole project and promising erection times, durability and cost savings that other construction methods simply cannot challenge. Adding to that are long column-free spans for greater and more flexible floor space, energy efficiency benefits because of high thermal mass for reduced heating and cooling costs, virtually maintenance-free facades, and fire, flood and termite resistance.

The recently redeveloped Top Ryde City in NSW showcases precast concrete walling at its best. A state of the art shopping centre, Top Ryde occupies a 3.5 hectare site including 80,000 square metres of retail space with 300 retailers and over 3000 undercover car spaces. The centre includes an outdoor fashion promenade, an entertainment and dining precinct, water features and public artworks.

Lend Lease Design’s Design Manager,

Mike Brown, has created a delightful addition to the Top Ryde precinct. Facing the students of Ryde Public School is a vivid and fun display wall inspired by local pioneer and orchardist ‘Granny Smith’. The façade uses carefully arranged off-form precast panels which have been stained to depict a patchwork of earthen colours. Sitting over the precast panels is a metal screen showing a colourful apple orchard. Staining is a process that can be applied in the precast factory and penetrates into the pores of the concrete surface substrate to produce consistent, long-lasting colours.

Contrasting this is the primary address façade of Top Ryde City which faces busy Blaxland Road and uses soft honed precast panels to combat the aggressive environment and create a sense of quality and reliability to echo the retail experience within.

Once inside, the internal open air pedestrian Strada features semi-polished creamy precast panels which give an opulent sophistication to the shopping experience.

Such finishes are only some examples

of the many textures and colours available in the precast palette of finishes.

Textures can be selected from off-form, etched, exposed aggregate, grit (sand) blasted, honed, polished or any combination of these. Added to this is an almost endless choice from the array of patterns and shapes using custom moulds, form liners, tiles, bricks and stone that can create that unique element profile. Choice of colours start with the integral colouring achieved through the use of cements, coloured sands and coloured aggregates available from around Australia. Further enhancement to the colour of a precast element is achieved with the use of pigments, staining or painting.

There is no doubt that precast presents the designer with unrivalled design flexibility, where the possibilities are only limited by one’s imagination.

The choice to use precast concrete for structural and aesthetic reasons in retail developments is as popular today as ever.

By sarah BachmannExecutive Officer,

National Precast ConcreteAssociation Australia

ASSOCIATIOn MATTErS


It provides another cautionary tale about the importance of verifying any and all documents you execute; and the importance of authenticating the identity of any and all signatures on those documents. It is an issue that has significant implications within the construction industry where written confirmation in obtaining project finance is so vital.

The bank provided the loans, on the security of what appeared to be a guarantee by Perrin's former wife Nicole Bricknell, as well as mortgages over the house owned by Bricknell in which they both had lived. Brinkell claimed that her signatures on those documents were forgeries and that she was unaware of the transactions which had allegedly taken place in her name. The signature of Perrin's brother, Frank, who was the purported witness to a number of key documents over which the Commonwealth Bank claimed to recoup the loaned finances, was also alleged to be forged.

The court found that Perrin had fraudulently obtained these funds following the systematic forgery of the signatures of his wife and brother. As a result, the CBA could not enforce their mortgage over the property provided as security, and nor could they enforce their personal guarantees against Bricknell.

The bank put forth a number of assertions in an attempt to recover the lent money. The first was that Bricknell did indeed sign the documents alleged to have been forged. A key theory was that at the time, the Perrin's wanted to keep open the option of claiming that these documents were forgeries in the event that they failed to meet the mortgage repayments. However, these arguments were rejected. As noted by Justice McMurdo.

"The defendant gave clear and unambiguous evidence that she did not sign the documents which are relied upon and had no knowledge of them. Her case is supported by the evidence of each of the document examiners, who expressed the opinion that the purported signatures were not hers. Further, there was the evidence of Fraser Perrin that he did not sign in the places where his purported signature appears. Against all of this evidence, it is argued, there is no contrary evidence that the defendant did sign them. It is correct to say that there is no direct evidence that she signed the documents".

The second argument put forth was that the loans were provided under the express authority provided to

Matthew Perrin pursuant to a power of attorney signed by Brinknell around 2001. However, no such document was entered into evidence.

It was found that between December 2006 and 2008, through what Justice McMurdo has described as "a process of cut and paste", Perrin not only forged the signatures of his wife and brother to provide security but also to obtain power of attorney from his wife.

The third argument that Perrin had Bricknell's implied authority to sign on her behalf due to Perrin's handling of all financial and property matters previously was rejected based on the requirement that a written authority is necessary to deal with another's land.

The Commonwealth Bank further argued that the approximately 8 weeks between Bricknell becoming aware of the forgeries and notifying the bank was sufficient in length to have 'ratified' the mortgage. That is, through her silence on the forgeries, Bricknell implicitly agreed to be bound by the terms of the mortgage. This argument was swiftly rejected by Justice McMurdo noting that "an inference that the defendant did intend to be so bound is not at all open".

The Court stated that ultimately, the bank did not effectively contend that the documents purported to have been signed by Bricknell were actually signed by her. And that by relying solely upon communications with Perrin, and failing to directly communicate with Bricknell regarding such large transactions, the Commonwealth Bank failed to effectively protect their own interests. The Court judgement makes clear that reasonable safeguards must be taken when verifying signatures.

The case demonstrates the importance of implementing measures of self help and not necessarily banking on the good faith of others. It is therefore essential to take extra precaution in confirming the identity of signatories and to ensure that there are verification measures in place prior to advancing finance in commercial transactions. Commitment to such measures is vital, particularly within the construction industry where the securing of project finance is crucial to continued development and innovation.

Recently, the Commonwealth Bank was unsuccessful in its bid to recover a total of $13.5 million dollars which it lent to former Billabong chief executive and solicitor, Matthew Perrin.

LEGAL COLUMn

dArk dEEds AT ThE BIllABOnG

jim DoyleDoyles Construction lawyers

| 39

Davis Langdon, an AECOM company, partners with the retail industry to provide project services that contribute to profitable growth.

Our specialist teams work with retail designers, developers and businesses to provide program delivery and development management services for large and complex retail projects.

As part of AECOM — one of the world’s largest professional technical service companies — Davis Langdon’s consulting services form part of an expanded range of capabilities across design, planning, engineering, procurement and construction management.

To find out how Davis Langdon and AECOM’s integrated services can benefit your retail project, visit our websites.

MORE POWERFULLYPARTNERING

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