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Focusing on Philip Chun April 2015
 

Welcome to the Autumn edition of PCXtra.

This issue covers two important landmark projects that Philip Chun’s Access and Building Code teams have been involved in – the new Anzac Parade bridge in Sydney’s Moore Park and the Upper West Side residential and commercial development in Melbourne’s CBD.

Of a completely different nature, our Essential Services team describe their work on an African-themed national touring event.

We’re also pleased to report on two topics we’re passionate about – supporting our employees’ volunteering efforts and promoting community inclusion for people with severe disabilities.

For users of the National Construction Code (NCC), you’ll find web links with details of amendments made to Volumes One and Two of the 2015 NCC. For colleagues working in South Australia, we’ve provided links to amendments to the former South Australian Minister's Specification SA 76 - Maintenance and Testing of Safety Installations: Schedule of Essential Safety Provisions.

If you have any feedback on this edition or would like to request more details on any of these stories, please contact me on tel: 02 9412 2322 or email: robert.marinelli@philipchun.com.

Robert Marinelli
Managing Director

Industry News

ABCB logo

Amendments to NCC 2015

The Australian Building Codes Board has prepared a set of notes to assist National Construction Code (NCC) users in identifying changes incorporated in Volumes One and Two of the 2015 NCC.

The notes list the amendments made to the NCC and provide a description of major changes made from the previous edition.

To see the list of amendments and their changes, please click on the following link:

         Free ABCB Registration

         Click on NCC 2015. List of amendments link at the bottom left of          screen.

For information on free NCC access registration please click on the following link:

http://services.abcb.gov.au/NCCOnline

As of 1 May 2015, this link will also enable access to all previous editions of the NCC.

stock image of a disability logo

Changing Places Australia

Changing Places Australia is an initiative of the Association for Children with a Disability to provide safe and clean accessible toilets for use by people with severe disabilities. The goal is to have “changing places” incorporated within high use public buildings such as sporting venues, shopping centres and transport interchanges. A standard unisex accessible toilet offers a facility for independent use. Often being designed to minimum dimensions, they generally do not allow for assistance from a carer which is required by many people with severe disabilities. The lack of suitable changing places presents a barrier to inclusion within the community for many Australians.

Philip Chun Access is taking a pro-active role in ensuring that the provision of a changing place is at least considered within the design / redevelopment of major public buildings. The key design principles to be incorporated include a ceiling hoist, adequate circulation areas to allow for up to two assistants, and an adult change table which is fully adjustable.

Over 200,000 Australians are in need of facilities like this to be able to participate in their communities. The provision of changing places promotes inclusion and is expected to be adopted by many Councils’ planning policies in the near future.

Government of South Australia, Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure

SA industry update - Minister's Specification SA 76

The South Australian Minister's Specification SA 76 - Maintenance and Testing of Safety Installations: Schedule of Essential Safety Provisions, dated 2000, has been amended and republished as Minister's Specification SA 76 - Maintenance of Essential Safety Provisions - 2015 edition. This edition will take effect from 1 May 2015.

The specification sets out the standards or other requirements for the installation, maintenance and testing of items classed as 'essential safety provisions' as defined in Schedule 1 of the Development Regulations 2008. It establishes a performance requirement for the maintenance of essential safety provisions and sets out a menu of deemed-to-satisfy maintenance and testing standards for achieving the performance requirement.

An advisory notice giving an overview of the main changes to the Specification has been published at:

http://www.sa.gov.au/__data/assets/

For further information, go to:

https://www.sa.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file

Philip Chun Projects

 Upper West Side buildings

Image courtesy of Far East Consortium

Landmark residential and commercial precinct in Melbourne’s CBD

Upper West Side is one of the largest inner city developments in Australia, with a project value of approximately $1 billion.

Located on the western side of Melbourne’s CBD, the development includes four towers offering 2,600 apartments and 30 retail outlets. When all stages of the residential and commercial precinct are complete, the four towers will share one of the largest 'green' spaces in the Melbourne CBD - almost one acre of podium rooftop garden.

Philip Chun’s Building Code and Access teams provided regulatory consulting work to property developer client, Far East Consortium. Matters of regulatory compliance with the Building Code of Australia were dealt with during the design and permitting phase, and problem solving solutions were provided during construction.

Considerable input from Philip Chun’s Access team allowed the podium’s green space (connecting the four towers) to be freely accessible by all occupants and visitors.

With each of the four towers being handed over in separate stages, the obtaining of occupancy permits was a significant challenge for the developer and the builder. Philip Chun’s Building Code team worked closely with the delivery team to ensure the buildings were suitable for occupancy, while maintaining a fully operational building site adjacent to the completed building.

The partial handovers involved extensive negotiations with the Fire Brigade and factors of public and occupant safety were given the utmost priority. As a result of the staged handovers, the developer was able to settle purchases promptly, allowing new residents to move into their apartments.

Phillip Chun’s involvement in this landmark project commenced in 2010 and will conclude 2016.

Towers 1 and 2 are completed and occupied, tower 4 is nearing completion and tower 3 is 50 per cent constructed.



ANZAC Parade Bridge

Image courtesy of Hassell

Performance-based approach for new Sydney bridge

Philip Chun’s Access team provided design, documentation and construction advice for Sydney’s newest pedestrian and cycle bridge – the Albert (Tibby) Cotter Walkway, which opened in February.

The scale and nature of the Moore Park bridge, which combines the differing needs of pedestrians and cyclists, required Philip Chun to undertake a detailed review from a performance-based perspective, rather than just determining that it satisfied standards.

The bridge spans over Anzac Parade, connecting the sports and entertainment districts within Moore Park to Sydney's CBD. The shared pedestrian/cyclist pathway will see an influx of users during sports and entertainment events. It offers a safer and more direct access for spectators and for residents and cyclists travelling into and out of the city each day.

The approach ramps at either end of the bridge are of a spiral design and provide vertical access to the elevated bridge which is approximately 3.5 metres high. The overall length of the elevated section is approximately 110 metres, with the bridge deck being six metres wide.

The bridge was named after an Australian fast bowler and ANZAC who played 21 tests between 1904 and 1912, as well as 113 first class matches for New South Wales. Tibby Cotter was killed in action during World War I.

Circus Act

Image courtesy of Cirque Africa

Philip Chun (briefly) joins the circus

Cirque Africa is a high-energy circus show based on modern acrobatic performances that showcase the sights and sounds of Africa.

Proving their commitment to meeting any deadline regardless of how short the timeframe might be, the Philip Chun Essential Services team delivered on a 48-hour turnaround, preparing documentation to assist Cirque Africa in a submission to the relevant authorities.

This included the emergency management plan and evacuation diagrams, relevant for the various event locations.

Cirque Africa’s Australian premier is set to be held in the next few months (in Victoria).

Supporting our volunteers

Philip Chun is pleased to support the volunteering initiatives of its employees, including Sydney team member, Mark Wilson, who has volunteered at Maroota South Rural Fire Service (RFS) for the past 13 years.

Philip Chun recently answered a call for help from the Maroota South RFS (located north west of Sydney), which was in need of a computer to run its crew management system. The business purchased a desk top PC, which manages crew resourcing electronically on a day-to-day basis, while also increasing the productivity and responsiveness of RFS officers (who now use the system’s electronic alerts to recruit team members, rather than making numerous phone calls to individual fire fighters on busy fire days).

The desktop is also utilised to monitor local weather and fire reports on days when the station has a crew on standby during total fire bans and extreme weather days.

Contacts

Melbourne
Sydney
Brisbane
Canberra
Perth

T: +61 3 9662 2200
T: +61 2 9412 2322
T: +61 7 3839 3499
T: +61 2 6230 7204
T: +61 8 6160 5960

For more information about how Philip Chun can support your project or company please contact:

Michelle Orellana on (02) 9412 2322 or email:
marketing@philipchun.com

www.philipchun.com