Why Construction & Building Sectors are Australia’s Strongest Economic Drivers

It is the construction manager who looks after that a construction project go smoothly from start to finish. The construction industry is heterogeneous and enormously complex. The major classifications of construction differ markedly from one another: residential, commercial, industrial, infrastructure, bridges, schools, hospitals, power plants and roads, as well as specialties such as electrical, mechanical, framing, excavation, and roofing.

A professional construction manager is constantly on top of costs and makes the necessary adjustments when unexpected complications or issues arise. They oversee specialized contractors and other personnel. They schedule and coordinate all design and construction processes to ensure a productive and safe work environment.

With continued foreign and domestic investment, it is the construction sector in Australia that remains one if the country’s strongest economic drivers. The building and construction market in Australia have reached a record high over the last couple of years and the division revenue is expected to grow at an annualized 0.4% over the five years through 2017-18, to $356.4 billion. This is the primary reason the demand for the construction and building managers in Sydney and all over the Australia is running hot.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the demand for construction managers is expected to grow by 17 percent in the next ten years in Australia. Construction and building management companies in Sydney also make sure jobs are completed on time and on budget with the right number of tools, equipment, and materials. For large scale projects, construction managers and building management professionals work hand in hand with other construction managers to complete the project successfully. They hire and organize various contractors and suppliers, and coordinate the subcontractor’s activities for the project.

With the growing demand of construction experts, there are multiple construction and management companies in Sydney and all over Australia that provide training programmes, which allow those wanting to pursue a career in construction management.

3 Ways to Make a Building Fire-Proof

With the ever-growing development of building and construction projects, the risk and frequency of fire outbreak are also growing steadily. There is no question that a comprehensive fire risk assessment (FRA) is an important cog in the wheel of overall fire safety management of a building and a construction project.

According to the professionals of the building and construction management companies, fire safety and fire prevention can be achieved via innovative architectural design using international fire safety codes and should be implemented during the design process prior to construction and operation.

Fire Resistant Building Materials-

The most important element is to build a construction in which fire would take effect slowly, giving the occupants ample time to escape. External cladding, flooring and clearing are the vital factors in making a building fire resistant. Flame resistant building materials are extremely important elements for fire-proofing homes. For the roofing of a building construction- clay, composition shingle, stone walls, asphalt, metal or cement tiles can be used. for exteriors walls- stucco, cement, plaster and masonry can be used.

Fire-Resistant Windows-

To protect your house, consider installing fire-resistant windows. One example is dual-paned glass windows, which, in addition to providing energy efficiency, also double the time it would take for fire to break the windows.

Fire Alarms- It is the key part of making a building fire-proof. A fire alarm system is primarily designed to warn occupants of a fire so they can safely evacuate the premises. An early detection can get you out of a situation that would potentially turn into a tragedy. Ultimately, the only safe way to escape a fire is to leave the area. Fire alarms give you this opportunity, by sounding at the first sign of danger.

You should also beware that commercial properties are subject routine fire safety inspections throughout the year. Building and construction management professionals also advise you to check the fire system on a daily basis to make sure they are in a peak working condition.

Give a Face lift to your Construction Project with the help of Project Managers

Effective project management and governance are required to maintain the alignment of a construction project objectives with an organization’s objectives. They ensure that major stakeholders are provided with the reliable, updated and timely information needed to make critical decisions. The building and construction management companies are committed to providing a heightened focus on the delivery of the top-notch best construction project management services for the private and public sector.

During the late 1980s and the ‘90s, the interest in the science and art of project management continued to increase, which resulted in dramatic improvements in the processes and systems that had become the tools of the trade. At the turn of the new century, project management has become an integral part of all sorts of building and property development all over the globe.

Project managers have experience in one or more of the industries, adapt quickly to new environments, and above all are strong coordinators and leaders. With their excellent skill and man-management expertise, they fulfill the demand of the modern-day construction industry. They develop and drive integrated project plans, aligning project tactics with project strategy. Apart from this they also integrate on-site into the client environment to effectively lead project teams while building positive professional relationships with clients and associates.

Often working in highly regulated industries, project managers handle difficult projects through dedicated on-site leadership. The property development project management companies approach is to combine their client’s expectation with their own market-knowledge in order to inspire stakeholder engagement and buy-in, and to achieve project objectives.

You can save on costly errors or material handling mismanagement mistakes and save a huge amount of money by keeping experienced project management professionals by your side. When you use an industrial project management team, you are automatically eligible for additional turnkey services, updates, and training that keeps you one step ahead of the game.

Proper Acoustic Management a Must-Have Feature in Modern Construction

Acoustic management is something very few people aware of. The properties of sound differ substantially depending on the frequency range. Sound can be divided into infrasound, audible sound and ultrasound. The science of acoustic management begins with reverberation times, which are the parameters used to objectively describe the echoic quality of a room. Long reverberation times will cause sound waves to be prolonged and echoes are created.

The more reverberant a room, the more people will raise their voices to compensate for the increased noise level to make themselves heard over the background noise. This only compounds the problem and makes for a very unpleasant environment.

Most people accept noise as normal without being aware there are reasonable acoustic solutions and sound control strategies to manage the problem. To correct these problems consideration needs to be given to the shape, size and volume of the area, the surfaces finishes, the type of activities, the sound system and the budget. Acoustic materials are used for reducing the noise. Let’s take a look at them-

• Diffusors

Diffusors are used in areas with flat ceilings or parallel walls to stop or reduce sound echoes that can occur.

• Absorbers

Midrange and high frequency absorbers are acoustic materials that absorb any frequency above 500 hertz. Absorbers, like diffusers, reduce ringing and echoing but they also reduce the reverberation time of a room.

• Bass Traps

These acoustic materials reduce the reverb time in larger spaces like churches, auditoriums and large recording studios.

Property developers are now getting requests from their clients for the properties with proper acoustic management. Property acoustic systems are readily available which can be incorporated as wall or ceiling linings into any project design. Used correctly, these will assist in bringing down reverberation times to the recommended levels for a range of project types. Proper sound control acoustics need to be introduced to reduce the noise level.

How Audits & Compliance Strengthen a Construction Project

Do you ever get overwhelmed by the number of regulations and the frequent changes in the Australian construction industry? Getting it right matters. The construction project audits and compliance companies provide the regulatory and compliance information you need, when during a project. Whether you are pending public or private funds, construction project are highly complicated undertaking requiring significant financial commitments.

Construction project audits program consists of:

• Subcontract analysis
• Quality assurance and quality control
• Labor burden analysis
• Reconcile project expenditures
• Change order analysis and pricing analysis
• Equipment rental analysis
• Preparation of control schedules
• Material purchases
• Direct labor analysis
• Bonds and insurance analysis
• Verification of contracted scope

A construction audit should also ensure that hazardous substances on the construction site are handled and stored properly. The auditor will closely monitor the company’s procedures for safe disposal of waste items and containing accidental spills to prevent injury to employees or the general public. If an untoward incident has taken place on the construction site, the auditor will review the company’s documentation and the treatment of any employees who were exposed to harmful substances.

Having the right controls in place is key to reducing risk and cost in a construction project. The companies of construction project audits and compliance regularly consult with clients to help them implement overall-

• Project control structure
• Change order management
• Financial budgetary management
• Reporting
• Safety and insurance

They offer superior control of the entire project and place you in a position where you can be 100% sure of your success. Audit costs pre-emptively to verify compliance of contractor charges. Enhance schedule, quality, and cost management control processes, policies, and procedures. Construction project audits and compliance allow an owner to evaluate a prospective contractor’s proposed rates and related internal cost structure before actually agreeing to same in a contract. In addition to the significant financial benefits of a construction contract audit, our independent reviews strengthen relationships among contractors and suppliers.

Affordability Factor in the Housing Industry of Australia

The affordability of home is quite a challenge in Australia. The Australian housing industry has been identified as the most expensive. For decades, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth are the most preferred location for property investors. In a recent trend, a remarkable change has been observed in the housing industry of Australia. Along with building high-value property, building and construction management companies are also focusing on making housing more affordable by coming up with low-budget housing complexes.

Take a look at the influence of affordability on Australian housing industry

• Residential buildings at a reasonable price are getting immensely popular especially among the young Australians. Owners of a start-up company or an employee of an MNC are looking for the houses they can easily afford without spending high. This mindset makes it necessary for the builders to offer low-cost dwelling places.

• Another reason why the popularity of affordable housing construction in Australia is catching up quickly, nowadays, millennials are shifting their location quite frequently for job purpose or other reasons. That’s why they want a property which they can buy easily and sell easily. Sometimes it becomes really tough to sell a costly property. People are looking more eager to invest in low-priced property and getting rid of it whenever they wish by finding a buyer rather quickly.

• Higher listing levels and the attempts of Australia’s banking regulator, APRA, to make stringent tax rules on high-priced properties are also contributing significantly for building affordable housing construction in Australia.

Affordable, cheap and decent housing is essential. Certainly, it fulfils a basic human need for shelter. The need for affordable housing is immense, and the lasting impact it can have on homeowners and their families is undeniable. Economical and low-cost homes also support the local workforce so they can live close to their jobs. Thanks to the housing industry of Australia, as it is providing living places to the Australians they can afford easily.

Why Construction Managers are the Important Players in the Industry

All construction and building projects need leadership and management expertise. The real world of construction management is all about knowing the proper planning, execution and direction. Building and construction management companies play a responsible role in developing properties with real value to their clients.

What are the valuable contributions of building and construction managers-

 

From the world’s tallest building to the residential property, all construction projects are rightly guided by the construction managers. They are important players in the industry. Along with the sound understanding of the legal frameworks, they are well-versed in the use of technology for managing projects. This together with negotiation, presentation and communication skills.

• Project management firms organize, lead and manage the process related to building construction.
• They possess deep understanding of the legal frameworks this together with managing people of different agencies.
• Promote sound building practices with emphasis on energy conservation, human comfort, and responsible resource management.
• They ensure the strategies are in place to increase both the asset value and the development returns.

After cataclysmic economic disruption triggered by the global recession, it seems the real estate market has entered a prolonged period of calm. Economic outlook, strong investor demand and an abundance of capital available for real estate investment and development has formidably contributed in the steady growth of this sector. Along with the growth of urban and semi-urban accommodations, the property development consultants also contributing significantly in the housing, retail, hospitality, and commercial sector.

Property development companies work with a vast range of international developers, landowners and local authorities to deliver financially viable residential and commercial development projects. They work with the developers of all sizes and their professional teams, to advise on the viability and feasibility of proposed developments, and how to achieve a successful outcome.

In a very competitive property market, building and construction manage help funders and investors wisely bid for and unlock Development opportunities. They offer market leading developments that are attractive to the stakeholders and investors.

Construction Project Management Means Fruitful Return

People those who are vitally involved with the construction industry is well accustomed with the valuable functionality of time, quality and cost. Maintenance of which, with prior significance is a must for acquiring lucrative profit and potential consumers by the business heads also. Nevertheless, these three facets are also responsible for enhancing goodwill of the entire construction business and eventually uplifting the graph of potential consumers also.

Significance of 3 Attributes

Significant effectiveness of all these attributes is solely responsible for vitalizing the necessity to be associated with construction project management processes. Team or entities those who are viable to provide such excellent service solutions are brilliantly experienced and immensely knowledgeable with the construction industry. As a result of which, apt planning to complete the project without any hassle and execution of the same gets evidentially possible. Such set of master like management process knows exactly when to invest and where to fetch put the best possible profit from the construction ventures. It is same in case of expenditures for obtaining an apt quality construction.

Time and cost, that is operational and financial information can be combined into a single database with the help of software and the significance can be found out. Also, a track record of these can be kept to determine the profitability of each project. Project management with the help of software tools has become lot easier. The software integrates a majority of those issues. It can help in tracking business and check for duplicate entries and also predict errors.

Alignment of Goals

Setting appropriate goals is a prior most requirement for any sorts of productive business process. Such kind of requirements gets extended in case of construction business. Unfortunately, the ongoing financial crisis all around the world is an obvious factor behind victimizing the business heads with clogged functionality of such edifice projects.  No matter what the negative feature of the ventures getting blocked is, they are being faced by all. Needless to state that, with the aiding guidance of the building and construction management this set of hassle gets deducted with complete ease and productiveness. From the essential legal facets to the investment and expenditures for the smoothened operation of the venture can be well achieved with their guidance. Being into the field of this trade and commerce over the ages, they are immensely acknowledged with every minute detail for making the project added with dignified attributes too. Thus, they are an ultimate help for every other business heads in this trade.

Choosing the Most Effective Project Management Services Software

Software and the internet has made lot of things easier for us including work. The life of a project manager is a difficult one considering he has to shoulder so many responsibilities at a time. This difficult situation can be made easy by a useful and effective project management software. Majority of the project management services are software oriented nowadays which has reduced the pressure from managers by offering easy solutions in terms of scheduling and a lot of other aspects. In fact, some of it can also be managed on the smartphone. How can you expect it to be easier than this?!

Choosing the Correct Project Management Software

Your productivity and efficiency depends upon the software you have chosen to work with for your project. How to know whether it is the correct one or not? Follow these steps:

• Ask Questions- There are some important questions to be asked to find out whether it is necessary. Questions relating to inadequate tools, controls, time management, client dispute, points regarding stakeholders should be asked before deciding to work with a particular software.

• Associated Cost & Time- There will be additional cost and time allocated for the introduction of construction management software. Research, negotiation, selection and implementation of and about the software takes lot of time.

• Change in Technique- The software not only consumes time but it also changes the process in which teams function within the organization for a specific project. To make this process easier for all, assessing certain key points like goals, gathering information, shortlisting the points and ranking options become important.

• Evaluating the Software Features- Evaluating the different features of the software before use will also tell you a lot about the usefulness of the software. In fact, there are features that can be useless now and can become useful at a alater date; you must retain them.

• Bigger Questions- The bigger questions must be addressed before deciding on the software. Questions like whether you require cloud-based platform or a conventional one; the easy access of the software and also whether it will be used on cross-platform, all such questions must be asked before choosing a software. The pricing model, its integration as well as the quality of the supplier are all important points to be addressed.

• Scheduling Options- Scheduling is extremely important in a project and the software used in the project should take care of this aspect. You must be able to see the schedule of the day, week and month properly. In fact, Gantt chart view should also be offered by the software. There are different types of scheduling and your software should be able to address all like graphical Path Method Scheduling, Critical Path Method, PERT Charts and Linear scheduling.

• Additional Tools- After you have addressed the bigger questions, it is time to address the additional ones. Additional features like tools for RFIs, BIM, accounting, project dashboard and reporting, time tracking, punch list and transmittals should also be considered.

All these features should be used to assess the software you are thinking of using for managing the project. If the software is answering all your questions regarding these factors, then it is fit to be used for your purpose otherwise not. Be careful and select the software so that it makes work easier for you.

Reading on Building and Construction Management Hones Your Skills

To constantly keep growing professionally and making success a habit, you need to keep improving on the work you do. To be able to improve on your work and deliver consistent performance you must increase your knowledge span. There are various ways to do it. One of the best ways is to read. Read books, journals, website content as these helps in knowledge expansion and also in creating your niche.

If building and construction management is your passion, it becomes mandatory for you to read on the books that offer something new for you to improve on your job. These help in honing your skills and develop a competitive edge over the others. Here is a list of such books for builders and construction managers. Follow the names:

• The Success Principles by Jack Canfield- In this book the writer has addressed several issues regarding success and the motivation to achieve it. It shows the right direction and is a great read for the aspiring and also the ones already working in this field. It also helps in maintaining great career along with a peaceful personal life.
• The E-Myth by Michael E. Gerber- This one is meant for small business owners and offers guide regarding systems, structure and various processes within company.
• How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie- This book by Dale Carnegie is a classic teaching on how to build valuable relationships in your professional sphere. Attentive listening and building effective communication skills is a part of this book because networking is extremely important in expanding business.
• The 5 Minute Foreman by Mark Breslin- This is an inspirational book. It talks about how 5 minutes every day can change your life. Just give yourself 5 minutes on a regular basis to change your outlook and to sharpen your skills. In the end the accumulative effect is great.
• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey- This books aid in creating successful habits and also talk about how you can do it. He establishes the positive relationship between habits and success. Developing habits and reinstating them can make one successful is mantra reiterated through this book.

All these books and more can create a successful individual from an ordinary one. Not just reading but attentive reading can help you to improve your skills and lead you to becoming successful. Create habits that help you climb the ladder and make you successful in your chosen field.