Federation Square installs water tanks The Age - theage.com.au

Federation Square installs water tanks

Peter Ker May 14, 2008

The tanks just keep on rolling in around Melbourne.
A bulk order of 63 rainwater tanks has been installed at Federation Square, improving the environmental credentials of Melbourne's major meeting place.
Original plans for tanks to be included at the Square were abandoned in 2002 to save $350,000 in construction costs. The decision was typical of attitudes at the time, with the Southern Cross Station redevelopment across town also overlooking water storage.
Years of severe drought have changed attitudes.
Federation Square's 63 new tanks - which complement the nine installed last year - are in a service trench underneath the Alfred Deakin building, near Flinders Street.
Federation Square chief executive Kate Brennan said the tanks had the capacity to hold 100,000 litres.
"We're hoping that it rains soon and they fill up," she said.
The water collected will flush toilets and Ms Brennan said she hoped the tanks would help reduce water use by more than 12 million litres each year.
Progress has been slower at Southern Cross Station, where planning for tanks is still under way.
Two tanks holding a total of 250,000 litres of rainwater have been planned, with additional run-off to be stored in the Bourke Street main drain.
Station Authority chief executive Jackie Barry said that despite a tender being offered 11 months ago, the $1.2 million water harvesting works were still months away.
Melbourne's new convention centre will also harvest rainwater from the roof into a blackwater (sewage) recycling unit.
Melbourne's water authorities are keen to encourage increased water harvesting into tanks, but insist it is not a viable way to solve Melbourne's overall water supply difficulties.

This artical discusses the new water saving craze and the use in many iconic locations such as Southern Cross station and Fed square, although stating this will not be that final do or die answer to water crisis.

Pisa's leaning tower 'safe for 300 years' The Age - theage.com.au

Pisa's leaning tower 'safe for 300 years'

May 29, 2008 - 10:10AM

The leaning tower of Pisa has been successfully stabilised and is out of danger for at least 300 years, said an engineer who has been monitoring the iconic Italian tourist attraction.
"All of our expectations have been confirmed," Professor Michele Jamiolkowski, an engineer and geologist, was quoted as telling Italy's leading newspaper, Corriere della Sera.
The tower's tilt of about four metres off the vertical has remained stable in recent years, after a big engineering project that ended in 2001 corrected its lean by about 40 centimetres from where it was in 1990 when the project began.
"Now we can say that the tower can rest easy for at least 300 years," Jamiolkowski told the paper in an article published today.
The tower was shut to visitors for almost 12 years from 1990 - when it was sinking about a millimetre a year - and reopened in December, 2001 at the end of the biggest phase of the consolidation and restoration project.
The 14,000-tonne free-standing bell tower, an internationally recognised architectural symbol of Italy along with Rome's Colosseum, was built in several stages between 1174 and 1370.
It began to tilt after completion of several storeys due to unstable ground. Builders at first used trapezoidal stones to return the structure to the vertical but the tower continued to lean.
During the stabilisation phase of the project which ended in 2001 the structure was anchored to cables while cement was injected to relieve pressure on the ground. The lean of the tower is now considered safe and is about what it was in 1700.
Restorers are now using a specially-designed, light-weight scaffolding made of an aluminium alloy as a base from which to clean the tower's white and grey marble.
Officials have said over the years that they have no intention of straightening the tower, which would detract from its unique status and tourist draw.
Astronomer Galileo, who was hauled before the Vatican's Inquisition for his view that the earth revolved around the sun, is said to have used the tower of his hometown for experiments on gravity.

This artical discusses the life of one of the worlds most iconic structurs, while not a new technoogy or discovery it is still relevant and interesting

Building industry 'goes gangbusters' The Age - theage.com.au

Building industry 'goes gangbusters'
May 29, 2008

THE nation's infrastructure binge helped fuel a record pace of construction for the March quarter.
Figures from the Bureau of Statistics show total construction rose 2.3% in real terms to $29.96 billion.
Activity was underpinned by engineering projects such as roads and bridges. The ABS said engineering work completed in the first three months of this year stood at $13.5 billion, up 5.2% on the previous quarter.
There was also good news for people locked out of the housing market. The volume of outstanding projects to build houses and units hit record levels in dollar and inflation-adjusted terms.
Economists said this could ease the rental crisis gripping most capital cities, including Melbourne, where a lack of housing is forcing up rents.
"Order books in the housing sector hit new highs in the March quarter, raising the hope that the extra supply of homes coming onto the market will put downward pressure on rents," CommSec chief equities economist Craig James said.
"Overall, order books are exceedingly healthy, with the value of both residential and commercial projects at new highs."
Research by Residex shows that Melbourne topped the nation for the steepest rise in rents for houses and units in the past year. For the year to April, the median weekly rent for a house in Melbourne increased by 22.95% to $375.
Mr James said while much of the focus was on the resources boom, it was clear from the ABS figures that the wider construction industry continued to "go gangbusters".
He said buoyant conditions should not feed into inflation. "While cost pressures are a concern for all industries, the good news is these pressures are still well contained in construction," Mr James said. "CommSec has estimated that construction costs were up just over 5% on a year ago in the March quarter, close to two-year lows."
Mr James said companies reliant on construction had plenty of work on hand.
"The gloom and doom reports on the housing sector are overplaying the situation," he said.
"Clearly, more homes and apartments need to be built, given our rising population, but it appears that we are slowly rising to the challenge."
The Federal Government has signalled its desire to boost the nation's infrastructure, announcing in the budget the $20 billion Building Australia Fund.
Robert Papaleo, director of strategic research at property group Charter Keck Cramer, said that while the ABS figures showed strong residential building levels, underlying demand in Victoria was racing ahead even faster.
"Also, there is a capacity constraint in Victoria," Mr Papaleo said.
"Capacity is being diverted to more lucrative types of work, particularly in mining and, perhaps to some degree, infrastructure."
He said the political focus on infrastructure meant more resources would be devoted to the sector, reducing the ability of the housing sector to deliver new stock.

This artical revists the concept of growth and points out how further growth is expected due the growing mineral boon.

Construction work done rises 2.3% The Age - theage.com.au

Construction work done rises 2.3%
May 28, 2008 - 11:32AM

Total construction work done in Australia rose 2.3 per cent in the March quarter in volume terms, seasonally adjusted.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) said total construction work done was valued at $29.968 billion, compared with an upwardly revised $29.300 billion in the December quarter.
The median market forecast was for a rise of 2.0 per cent.
The ABS said total building work done in the March quarter fell to $16.445 billion, seasonally adjusted, from an upwardly revised $16.450 billion in the December quarter.
Engineering work done rose to $13.524 billion from $12.850 billion.

The artical paints a growing trend of continued construction, however how long the economy can support this is under question

Deakin University Waterfront Campus Barn(studo)

Enterior of the barn is portal frame construction. Shown here are the interlocking steel members supporting the cladding insulation and exterior.
The interlocking joints are held together via blots and stability plates.
The use of double brick Veneer is shown here. along with the insulation and steel members.

Deakin University Geelong WaterFront - Western aspect

The new addition to Deakin Uni Waterfront campus constructed by Wycombe Group, Project Management mirrors that of the older sections of the Uni using primarily Brick Steel and Wood, however the use of reinforced conrete here is both for ease of assemblage, cost, and structural stability.
The use of timber supports as a mould for the concrete slab being laid is shown here.
The window frames are already being added just after the completion of all structural members.

Week 6 - Thursday, 17th April