tod consulting news

Tod's Bulcock Beach project achieves Finalist at UDIA 2011 awards

2011-11-25T11:00:00.000+10:00

The Bulcock Beach Foreshore Redevelopment recently achieved the status of Finalist at the UDIA (Urban Development Institute of Australia) 2011 Queensland Awards.

Tod Consulting's Barry George was the Structural Engineer for the jetty promenade and other elements. Place Design was the Project Manager and Landscape Architect for the project.

Well done Barry! - this is a great asset for Caloundra and the Sunshine Coast.

http://www.couriermail.com.au/questnews/sunshine-coast/council-golder-share-wildcard-udia-honours/story-fn8zc20t-1226175496762

Background:
On Sunday 6th December, the Bulcock Beach (Stage 1) redevelopment was opened in Caloundra, by Queensland Local Government Minister, Desley Boyle and Sunshine Coast Deputy Mayor Tim Dwyer

The Bulcock Beach redevelopment project includes: the reconstruction and expansion of the boardwalk area improved picnic areas enhanced pedestrian access improved car park facilities and new beach showers.

Tod Consulting provided structural engineering design, documentation and inspections for the expanded boardwalk area, which includes a replacement seawall to protect the adjacent Esplanade against the effects of tidal erosion in Pumicestone Passage. Barry George, Senior Structural Engineer of Tod Consulting says, 'We are very pleased to be part of the team that delivered this project for Caloundra's community.'

Associated articles in the media:

http://viewnews.com.au/bm/news/sunshine-coast-news/beautiful-bulcock-beach-redevelopment-opens.shtml

http://www.mysunshinecoast.com.au/articles/article-display/bulcock-beach-shines-after-85m-redevelopment,15708

http://www.projectlink.com.au/IndustryNews/beautiful-bulcock-beach-redevelopment-opens.html

http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/story/2007/06/13/scd-bulcock-beach-wins-85m-upgrade/

Tod Consulting's Kingaroy Crematorium - Finalist at Queensland Engineering Excellence Awards

2011-10-08T08:33:00.002+10:00

Tod Consulting's Kingaroy Crematorium has been given high acknowledgement by being listed as a Finalist in the Queensland Engineering Excellence Awards 2011.

Tod Consulting's team is proud the project has achieved this recognition amongst the very worthy and distinguished competition of our engineering colleagues.

Since it was opened in December 2009, the building has received accolades in the 2011 State Architecture Awards (QLD), the 2011 Sunshine Coast Regional Architecture Awards and the 2010 Master Builders Downs and Western Housing & Construction Awards.

Tod Consulting projects win at 2011 QLD State Architecture Awards (QLD) and Sunshine Coast Regional Architecture Awards

2011-06-25T20:28:00.003+10:00

The team at Tod Consulting are excited to be the structural engineers for three projects that received high praise at the recent 2011 Sunshine Coast Regional Architecture Awards. Barry George of Tod Consulting attended the event in April, saying afterwards, "Tod Consulting has worked with many of the Architects on the Sunshine Coast during the past 30 years; a region with some of the most distinctive and creative architectural design in Australia. I'm pleased that we got the opportunity to contribute to these three striking projects. I know that my colleague, Stefan Prystupa, is particularly pleased about the Kingaroy Crematorium, because he was our Structural Engineer for the project. The building has since gone on to receive the Public Architecture Award at the 2011 State Architecture Awards (QLD)."

1. Kingaroy Crematorium (Architect: John Mainwaring Architects)

2011 State Architecture Awards (QLD) - Public Architecture Award

2011 Sunshine Coast Regional Architecture Awards - Gabriel Poole Award for Building of the Year
2011 Sunshine Coast Regional Architecture Awards - Regional Commendation for Commercial Architecture
2010 Master Builders Downs and Western Housing & Construction Awards – Excellence in Sustainable Building

Announcing this year's winners, 2011 Queensland Awards Jury Director Malcolm Middleton said the Kingaroy Crematorium by architectural practice JMA Architects Qld has received the 2011 Gabriel Poole Award for Building of the Year. Of the Kingaroy Crematorium, the jury said: "The architecture of death, farewell and contemplation is not often encountered in a new built form."

Stefan Prystupa of Tod Consulting was our Structural Engineer for the Kingaroy Crematorium. Stefan attended the State Awards night in June, saying "It's been a great night. Now the project gets entered into the National awards. I'm proud to be part of the design team."

Stefan has worked with John Mainwaring Architects for many years. We at Tods are certain that it is the mutual respect and professional friendship between Stefan and John that allowed the Structural Engineering to merge so seamlessly with the award winning Architecture of the Kingaroy Crematorium.

2. Miller Residence, Peregian (Architect: Bud Brannigan)
Regional Commendation - Residential Architecture - Houses

3. Montessori International College Library and Double GLA (Architect: Futuresense)
Regional Commendation - Public Architecture and Sustainable Architecture

First concrete being poured for Tod Consulting designed road bridge

2011-06-22T23:33:00.002+10:00

Whites Road Bridge at Landsborough on the Sunshine Coast will have its first concrete poured on Thursday 22nd June 2011.

'This is a great moment for Tod Consulting,' said Chris Dowding, Director of Tod Consulting's Structures Group.

'We put a fair bit of thought into different ways to put this bridge together. As far as we know, it will be the third only bridge in Queensland to use Brifen wire rope as the traffic barriers. These are very good at minimising flood loads against the bridge and they allow a clear open view for drivers. They are also very economical to install and maintain compared to the alternatives.'

'It's great to see construction started. We look forward to seeing it progress.'

Tod's Engineering work on Ernest Henry Mine

2011-06-17T10:32:00.004+10:00

Tod Consulting's Structural Engineer, Hamish Gray, has been working on the design of the new underground mine being developed at the Ernest Henry Mine, which is located north of Cloncurry. He has been seconded to the Brisbane-based design team of major engineering consultancy, AECOM, to assist with structural components in the ore hoisting shaft and the dewatering systems.

Tod Consulting is excited to be assisting in the project.

Hamish will be returning to Tod's Sunshine Coast office in July.

Merry Christmas! Click here for our office hours over Christmas

2011-04-13T12:54:00.000+10:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM TOD CONSULTING!

And a Happy, fulfilling and prosperous New Year

Our office will be closing on Thursday 22 December 2011

and re-opening on Monday 9 January 2012

Best wishes from

Doug, Chris, Stefan

Barry, Hamish, Greg, Phil,

Anthony, David

Annie, Loretta & Yuliya

If you need to contact us during the Xmas break, please contact Chris Dowding (cd@todconsulting.com) or Doug Reynolds (dr@todconsulting.com) via email or on their mobiles

2011 Sunshine Regional Architecture Awards tomorrow night

2011-03-13T11:42:00.002+10:00

The 2011 Sunshine Regional Architecture Awards are being held tomorrow night (Friday 8th April)! Tod Consulting wishes luck to all the entrants, and Barry and Jackie George from our team will be there to experience the night with you. Tod Consulting is delighted to be a Silver Sponsor for the event

For the location and time of the event, go to the Australian Institute of Architects page at http://www.architecture.com.au/i-cms?page=15277

Rebuilding or repairing your home after the floods - useful links

2011-02-13T21:10:00.016+10:00

Flood and stormwater damage have been heartbreaking to countless home owners during the Queensland 2011 Floods. Tod Consulting empathises deeply with everyone who has suffered damage and loss from flooding or Cyclone Yasi. Before rushing into rebuilding, it's important to make sure your effort and capital isn't wasted. You don't want the repairs to fall apart or suffer continual mould and damp. It's also a good idea to think about the types of building materials you'll use in the rebuild - to make your home easier to clean up and get operational again should a flood or cyclone of the same magnitude occur in the future.

1. Enter and assess your home carefully
The Housing Industry Association has good points about dangers and what to watch out for when re-entering your home:- http://hia.com.au/hia/news/channel/Business%20Partner/region/QLD/article/MA/National/guidance_returning_flood_areas.aspx

2. Clean out and dry your home properly

It's very important that you let your home dry out completely, to reduce the risk of your rebuilding work being warped, buckled or becoming perpetually damp - particularly in the case of timber framed homes. Termites are attracted to wet timber also, so be warned. The CSIRO has an excellent guide about cleaning out and repairing a flood damaged home:- http://www.csiro.au/org/Repairing-Flood-Damage.html

3. Get good advice about setting up proper contracts with tradesmen and how to go about rebuilding

The BSA is holding rebuilding seminars around Queensland to help homeowners make the right choices in putting their homes back together. Their Disaster recovery website includes how to clean and dry out your home, how to set up a special contract with your repair tradesmen, and where & when they are holding their rebuilding seminars:- http://www.bsa.qld.gov.au/Pages/BuildingServicesAuthority.aspx

4. Consider rebuilding with water resistant materials to improve your home's resistance to flooding. It's possible that the house could be flooded in the future - why not make it a lot easier to clean out and recover? The Queensland Department of Infrastructure and Planning has a list of building materials with higher water resistance:- http://www.dip.qld.gov.au/resources/guideline/building/floods/repair-your-home-after-a-flood.pdf

5. Strengthen your home for cyclones

If you live in North and Central Queensland, you already know about cyclones. But is your home designed to withstand a Category 4 or Category 5 cyclone? The Building Code requirements for cyclones were introduced during the late 1970s / early 1980s. If you have a home that was built prior to this time, chances are it has little provision for cyclones, unless someone has strengthened it in recent times. The fact that it is still standing may be that it hasn't been hit by the full force of a cyclone before. Consider getting an experienced structural engineer or building certifier to inspect your home to check its cyclone resistance and to give advice for any recommended strengthening

6. Get a termite inspection and treatment

Homes are treated for termites in a number of ways, including post caps, visual barriers, chemical barriers or treated timber framing. That said, the greater majority of modern homes rely on a chemical barrier in the soil under and around the home to provide termite defence. It is probable that these chemical barriers have been washed/leached out of the soil, or are covered in silt and debris - either way, termites could find a way through to your home if action isn't taken. Timber Queensland gives advice on the effect of floods on termite barriers at the end of their Guide to Assessment and Repair of Flood Damaged Timber and Timber Framed Houses

Flood relief grants and payments

There appear to now be a wide range of grants and assistance available from the Queensland Government and the Australian Government. Most or all of these are summarised at:- http://www.communityservices.qld.gov.au/community/community-recovery/support-assistance/documents/financial-assistance-guide.pdf

These are listed in more detail at:- http://www.communityservices.qld.gov.au/community/community-recovery/support-assistance/support-assistance.html

Tod Consulting assistance regarding Queensland Flood and Cyclone Yasi disasters

2011-01-08T05:39:00.019+10:00

Tod Consulting extends our deepest empathy to everyone who has suffered the loss of loved ones, homes, employment and businesses during the 2011 Queensland Floods and Cyclone Yasi.

What Tod Consulting is doing

Donation to those in need - We have donated to the Queensland Premier's Relief Appeal. This appeal was set up to directly assist families and individuals who have been affected by the disasters.

Discounted professional services to Local and State Government for flood and cyclone damage - Tod Consulting is offering discounted rates for our damage assessment, civil & structural engineering and repair design services to Local & State Government and others, for damage to bridges, buildings and roads caused by the Floods or Cyclone.

A pair of willing hands - Our team members have been given up to two days paid leave to go and assist friends and family that have been directly affected by these disasters. (Chris Dowding of our Noosa office was one of those who took up the offer. He hired a ute, loaded it up with shovels and cleaning gear, and drove to Graceville in Brisbane to help a group of friends clean up the flooded lower storey of a friend's house. The following day, they helped clean up both storeys of the neighbour's house, which was unfortunately in much worse condition.)

Making a donation yourself

If you can make a donation or offer your help to assist with the flood and cyclone relief efforts, we urge you to do what you can. Most of us know someone who has been directly affected by these disasters and all of us in Australia will be indirectly affected.

You can make donations to the Queensland Premier's Disaster Relief Fund at http://www.qld.gov.au/floods/

Alternatively, donations can be made via the Red Cross at http://www.redcross.org.au/ourservices_acrossaustralia_disasteremergencyservices_Queensland-floods-2010.htm

Cleaning up a home after being flooded

If you're helping to clean up a home after the waters recede, the Red Cross has an excellent, practical booklet at http://www.redcross.org.au/media/Cleaning_up_after_flooding_booklet(1).pdf

Happy Christmas from Tod Consulting! Click here for our office closing dates

2010-12-23T01:29:00.006+10:00

Tod Consulting's offices will be closed from the 24th of December and we'll be back on the 4th of January. We look forward to seeing you in the New Year

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Tod Consulting working on Brisbane's Cross River Rail subway project

2010-08-02T07:49:00.007+10:00

Queensland Transport has engaged Engineering consultancy AECOM (fomerly Maunsell) as a partner in their feasibility study for the Cross River Rail. Tod Consulting has been engaged as a subconsultant to AECOM, to be part of the structural engineering team for the study.

The Cross River Rail project is an underground rail subway proposed to run from Yerongpilly (Brisbane's Southside) to Bowen Hills (Brisbane's northside).

Chris Dowding of Tod Consulting is currently on assignment in the Cross River Rail project office in Brisbane, and is developing preliminary structural designs for various parts of the underground stations that are planned in Albert St and Roma St.

Tod Consulting is excited to be part of this landmark project. If the feasibility study is successful, and if funding can be obtained for the project, it will become a sustainable way to commute through the city, and will assist in revitalisation of many of the areas it will serve.

For more information on the project, go to http://www.crossriverrail.qld.gov.au/

Tod Consulting congratulates the winners of 2010 Sunshine Coast Regional Architecture Awards

2010-04-17T09:23:00.010+10:00

Tod Consulting congratulates the winners of 2010's Sunshine Coast Regional Architecture Awards, which were presented by the Australian Institute of Architects on Friday evening, 16th April.

Tod Consulting's directors, Doug Reynolds and Chris Dowding, attended the event and were delighted to see the diverse range of projects that were submitted for the event. The Sunshine Coast is home to some of the finest architecture in Australia, and this year the organisers have presented the Milestones Exhibition at the University of the Sunshine Coast Gallery.

The exhibition showcased significant contemporary buildings that have contributed to the character of the Coast. With the leadership of Stefan Prystupa (director), Tod Consulting's team provided the structural & civil design for a number of these, including Canal House (Noosa Waters, 1993) Powell House (Noosa Heads, 1993), Chapman Residence 1 (Noosaville, 1994), the Community Services Aged Care Facility (Noosa, 1997) & Chapman Residence 2 (Sunshine Beach, 2000).

Tod Consulting's Chris Dowding was also happy to see a Commendation awarded to the new Beerburrum Railway Station, which was designed and delivered by the Trackstar Alliance, with architectural firm Hassell as a partner member of the Alliance. Tod Consulting is a subconsultant of the Trackstar Alliance for the Darra Station upgrade in Brisbane, which is currently under construction, and utilises many off the architectural features that were developed for Beerburrum Station.

Tod Consulting is pleased to be a Silver Sponsor for the 2010 Sunshine Coast Regional Architecture Awards.

Tod Consulting wins design contract for new Sunshine Coast commercial & residential precinct with Matrix

2010-04-17T08:33:00.009+10:00

Tod Consulting has successfully negotiated with Project Management & Construction company, Matrix, to provide the structural and civil engineering design for a prominent commercial and residential precinct on the Sunshine Coast.

The development includes 7500 square metres of commercial space within a spacious two storey building. 64 holiday units will be provided in two adjacent three-storey buildings. 30 detached beach apartments will nestle privately within 7300 square metres of landscaped open space.

Tod Consulting is pleased to continue its association with Matrix, which began in 2007 with Viridian Noosa (Stage 3) in Noosa Heads. Tod Consulting was the structural engineer for Viridian's (Stage 3) luxury apartments overlooking Laguna Bay at Noosa Heads, which were designed by designed by award winning architectural firm JMA, headed up by architect John Mainwaring.

Clem 7 tunnel open day in Brisbane

2010-02-28T20:28:00.007+10:00

On Sunday 28th February 2010, the Clem 7 tunnel was opened for a once-only pedestrian viewing, just a few days before it will be opened to traffic. The Clem 7 was named after Brisbane's longest serving Lord Mayor, Clem Jones, who passed away in December 2007.

The twin tunnels forming each direction of the Clem 7 are each 4.8 kilometres long, and run from Bowen Hills (just near the Royal Brisbane Hospital), under the Brisbane River and across to Wooloongabba and the South East freeway. The CLEM7 connects to Lutwyche Road, Inner City Bypass, Shafston Avenue, Ipswich Road, Pacific Motorway and the Airport Link (opening 2012). Every 120 metres, there is a cross tunnel connecting the two main tunnels, which act as an escape route in the event of an emergency in one tunnel. 3.5 million tonnes of rock was removed to make way for the tunnels.

This amazing feat of engineering was designed by AECOM (formerly known as Maunsell) in partnership with PB; and constructed by Leighton Contractors, Baulderstone Hornibrook and Bilfinger Berger in a Joint Venture (LBB JV).

Motorists will enjoy faster, safer and more reliable travel as they avoid up to 24 sets of traffic lights and reduce their travel times by up to 30 percent.

Chris Dowding of Tod Consulting walked through the tunnel during the open day with his wife Kerryn and friends Brett Tull and Kelly Cameron-Tull; along with about 15000 others. 'The design and construction teams have worked on this project since about 2006. Congratulations to them all for putting together this valuable and useful asset. And it's a testimony to Lord-Mayor Campbell Newman for having the vision and foresight to begin this project, which will allow people to travel within five minutes between two areas within Brisbane that were previously 15-45 minutes apart. Imagine all the indirect opportunities it will provide to people in their employment and leisure that weren't available to them before.'

The Courier Mail advises, "the $3 billion project was completed ahead of schedule and under the agreement with Brisbane City Council, tolls will be waived by operators RiverCity (RiverCity) Motorway for the first three weeks of operation. Tolls will vary from $4.28 for a car to $11.34 for heavy commercial vehicles."

The tunnel opens to traffic in March 2010, months ahead of the originally scheduled October 2010 date. Click here for links to maps of the tunnel route.

Opening of NAMBOUR Hub of the Hinterland - Town Square and streetscape revitalisation

2010-01-12T05:52:00.004+10:00

On 5th December 2009, the revitalised Nambour Town Square and surrounding streetscape were opened in tandem with the Nambour ALIVE! Festival. The day was attended by the Honourable Stirling Hinchcliffe MP, Senator Claire Moore, Sunshine Coast Mayor Bob Abbot and Sunshine Coast Cr Paul Tatton. It was a happy day with entertainers including the Black Sorrows, Dan England, Brett Orr and "A French Butler called Smith"; and market stalls throughout the streets.

'Tod Consulting is proud to be involved with this project, which has refreshed the streets of Nambour's main retail precinct,' said Chris Dowding, Director and Senior Structural Engineer. For more details of our work on the project, follow the link below:-

Nambour Town Square - Tod Consulting involvement

Happy New Year from Tod Consulting - have an exciting, enjoyable and rewarding new Year!

2010-01-12T05:10:00.006+10:00

Merry Christmas from Tod Consulting. We reopen in the New Year on January 4th.

2009-12-18T20:08:00.010+10:00

Merry Christmas!

Tod Consulting's office will be closed from Friday 18th December and will reopen on Monday 4th January 2010. We wish you a happy and memorable time during this festive season.

Photographer: Salvatore Vuono

Glasshouse Mountains Visitors Centre... open for visitors!

2009-07-08T18:31:00.008+10:00

On Saturday 9th May 2009, the new Glasshouse Mountains Visitors Centre opened for business.

Mysunshinecoast advises, "The new centre replaces a well-worn caravan, which, along with a team of dedicated volunteers, has done a fantastic job providing visitor information for the past six years. The caravan will be farewelled on the site during the opening celebrations."

Tod Consulting's engineers, Mr Stefan Prystupa and Mr Barry George, were the structural engineers for the project. They are proud to be involved. The centre is now a pleasant and informative gateway for visitors to the Glasshouse Mountains and the Sunshine Coast.

More information:-

OSPREY nest lands in new home - Beckmans Road, Noosaville

2009-04-30T11:21:00.011+10:00

When it was discovered that the home of nesting ospreys was directly in the path of the proposed Tewantin Bypass road, the Sunshine Coast Regional Council made a commitment to give the ospreys a new home.

A plan was made to relocate the upper part of the tree containing the nest; and splice it to the top of a new timber pole. The Sunshine Coast Regional Council engaged Tod Consulting to carry out the Structural engineering design.

Chris Dowding of Tod Consulting enjoyed this unusual challenge. Wind loads were calculated with stresses and sways checked for three different pole options.

“It was important that we gave the birds an environment that felt similar to their old home,” said Chris. “The diameter of their original tree was 1050mm at the base. An early proposal was to use a timber pole that was 450mm diameter, but the horizontal sway under wind loads would have been enormous. Fortunately the Council and Energex were able to get a 750mm diameter pole, which was a lot closer to the original tree diameter.”

Tod Consulting also provided the design for the concrete footing and most importantly, the connection to splice the tree to the pole.

“There was an initial idea to use a modified form of the connection that Energex uses to fix transformers to the side of timber pole,” said Chris. “With the tree top, this was unsuitable, because it cantilevers much further from the fixing point than a transformer. We modified the initial idea to be a 2m long steel pipe section that slid over the top 1m of the pole and was glued with high-strength epoxy supplied by Epirez. The tree top was then lowered into the protruding part of the steel pipe and any gaps were filled with the same epoxy.’

The day after the construction work was completed, Council workers observed that the ospreys had moved back into their nest. Recently, it's been reported that the ospreys have laid an egg. Tod Consulting is proud to be part of the team that relocated their tree top home.

For more information:-

"Birds Eye" - the Noosa Journal
"In a flap over bypass" - the Sunshine Coast Daily
Council’s project webpage. Click (here)
Osprey nest on webcam. They're not at home right now, but they'll be back in 2010

CYCLEWAY for Airport Link takes off

2009-03-09T11:01:00.001+10:00

Tod Consulting is the structural engineering consultant for cycleways, boardwalks and hard landscaping along the surface of the Airport Link tunnel project in Brisbane. We are working in partnership with Conics, who are the Landscape Architects for the project.

The Eastern Connection cycleway to the north of the Schulz Canal at Toombul is now complete and opened for use.

Tod Consulting donates to Bushfire(Vic) & Flood (Qld) relief

2009-02-11T11:31:00.002+10:00

The Tod Consulting team would like to extend their condolences to the communities affected by the Victorian bushfires and the North Queensland floods.

If you want to donate to the relief efforts, go to www.redcross.org.au to find out about some of the donation funds that have been set up.

RSPCA Golf Day at Noosa Springs

2009-02-10T13:33:00.004+10:00

Where: Noosa Springs Golf Club & Spa

When: Sunday 1st March, 2009
Registration from 8am
Shotgun start 10am

To Enter please contact Warren Ellis at Noosa Springs Pro Shop on 07 5440 3333

Tod Consulting is an RSPCA sponsor for the coming golf day. The Royal Society for Prevention of Cruelty of Animals (RSPCA) will use takings from the day to purchase an Animal Rescue Vehicle.

Enter a team of four to play 18 holes of golf with drinks and dinner included.

Happy 2009!

2009-01-08T18:04:00.002+10:00

Tod Consulting is back on deck, after two weeks break

Happy New Year to everyone - may it be a happy, healthy and prosperous 2009 for you

Christmas Break

2008-12-23T07:52:00.003+10:00

Happy Christmas everyone!

The Tod Consulting team wishes everyone a Merry Christmas and an exciting, prosperous New Year.

Our office is closed from: Friday 19th December, 2008

Our office reopens: Monday 5th January, 2009

Check your decks and balconies - recent balcony collapse

2008-11-30T16:54:00.018+10:00

On 20th November 2008, a party was held at a renovated home in Brisbane, by mothers of Year 12 students to celebrate their childrens' last year at school.

Twenty-six women were hurt, three critically, when the front deck gave way. An entire section of the floor broke away from the supports at the front of the house. See the adjacent photo - the section of timber planking leaning against the wall in the background is the collapsed floor.

One of the women died after being taken to hospital. I would like to extend my condolences to her family and friends. This is a terrible tragedy, and one that could easily have been avoided.

How did it happen?

Australian Standard AS1170.1-2002 Loading Code advises that decks and balconies of homes should be designed for a load of 2.0kPa, which is around 200kg/sq.m.

Let's say each person on the deck weighed 75kg average; and took up a space of 1m x 1m. Let's allow double the weight of each person, to allow for movement and excitement - the load to the deck would have been around 2 x 75kg/1m x 1m = 150 kg/sq.m. The deck should have been designed for 200 kg/sq.m.

I have not visited the site, and the results of inspections of the failure have not been made public. But there are questions I would ask regarding the cause of the collapse - was the deck designed by an experienced, RPEQ (Registered Professional Engineer of Queensland) qualified structural engineer? Was it constructed by a registered Building contractor using good practice, and in accordance with the structural engineer's design?

A single error in the design and construction process of any structure (including a deck) would not normally result in tragedy, provided that there are experienced people to provide guidance. With the shortage of experienced engineers and Building contractors, it's clearly possible for more than one error to occur.

The problem of insufficient experienced people is not simply a regulation or legislation issue. All parties need to get involved to manage the problem, and work towards resolving it. These parties include the State Government, Local Government, Building contractors, engineers and the homeowner.

What you can do as a homeowner

Existing homes with balconies/decks

Engage an experienced, RPEQ qualified structural engineer to check the structure of your deck
Ask your engineer questions about your deck - eg. can it carry 2kPa load as required by the current Australian Standard? (Note that decks built prior to 2002 were only required to carry 1.5kPa.) Are the fixings, bolts and brackets in good condition, or do they need replacing? What would need to be done to make the deck carry the required loading? Is there any maintenance that needs to be carried out, now or in the near future?
Make sure your engineer provides you with a written report of his findings. Make sure you understand his report.
Ensure that you carry out any repairs, strengthening and/or maintenance that is recommended by your engineer. Your insurer may not cover you if a collapse happened and it was discovered that you had not carried out proper repairs, strengthening and/or maintenance.

Adding a new deck to a new or existing home

Obtain references and/or recommendations for structural engineers; and check these out. Engage an experienced, RPEQ qualified structural engineer to design your deck, and to carry out inspections during construction. Confirm the required design loading (2kPa) with your engineer. At the completion of design, your engineer should provide with a "Form 15" Design certificate, which you should keep with your records.
Obtain references and/or recommendations for Building contractors; and check these out. Engage an experienced, reliable Building Contractor who is registered with a professional body such as the Master Builders Association or the Housing Industry Association (HIA). Ensure your Building Contractor offers a warranty period for his work. Check with the QBSA (Queensland Building Services Authority) to ensure that warranty period your Building contractor offers is appropriate.
Organise a "pre-start" meeting between you (or your nominated representative), your engineer and your Building contrator, prior to commencement of construction. Ensure that your engineer explains the design and any special requirements. Ensure that your engineer and Building contractor agree on required inspections and on the warning time your engineer requires to attend each inspection.
Maintain communication with your engineer and your Building contractor throughout the process. Ensure your engineer provides you with a "Form 16" Inspection certificate at the completion of the construction work.
Maintain your deck to ensure it stays safe and has a long life. Ask your engineer and your Building contractor about specific items that should be checked and maintained.

A closing word

A few days after the balcony collapse in Brisbane, friends of mine asked me to check their own deck. Their home is a modern Queenslander, about six years old. The deck was built at the same time as their house. Neither my friends nor I expected to see any problems, so imagine my surprise when I realised that the deck was fixed to the side of the house with only a few, sparsely provided batten screws. 1 batten screw is designed to hold about 1 square metre of roof in place. Each screw holding my friends' deck is holding around 2 square metres of floor. Needless to say, I will be giving them a design to fix this!

Take nothing for granted - check your deck.

Written by Chris Dowding, Director - Tod Consulting