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Broken Plan Living: what is it and how does it contribute to better spaces?

Open-plan living used to be the preferred layout for homes, now there is a new alternative that seduces more and more our clients: the broken-plan living. So what it is? A broken-plan living is a transitional movement between the modern open plan layout and traditional separated home layouts. It distinguishes the living spaces by using varying textures, steps, different sized spaces, different ceiling heights or even different floor and ceiling finishes. Our  building designers  breakdown what you need to know about the broken-living space and explain its clever use of space. Allow the light to flow throughout the spaces. Access to the natural light is primordial when designing these spaces therefore it is important to keep the same flow of light. The use of internal windows is a good way to solve the noise dilemma and still allows light to pass through unlike standard partition walls. Use levels to divide spaces. This approach works pretty well for kitchen and li...

Western Australia is prone to earthquakes and therefore earthquake performance requirements within the NCC should be considered.

https://www.greenstartconsulting.com.au/western-australia-is-prone-to-earthquakes-and-therefore-earthquake-performance-requirements-within-the-ncc-should-be-considered/ The Building Commission recently released a notice to  Building Surveyors  and other industry professions to remind the industry that Western Australia is prone to earthquakes and therefore earthquake performance requirements within the NCC should be considered. AS1170.4 is the acceptable construction manual that provides a deemed-to-satisfy solution with regards to structural design and earthquake actions. ABCB have also released guidance to the standard “Design of non-structural building elements for earthquake forces”. All of which are to be considered by a  building surveyor  before certification. Our building surveyors have reviewed both publications and would also like to bring to our subscribers’ attention that this impacts on the below non-structural components; Walls that are not par...

What are the keys things a building surveyor should consider regarding the “Combustible cladding case”?

In 2012, a fire starts in the Lacrosse apartment tower in Melbourne and spreads incredibly quickly through the Aluminium Composite Panels (ACP) which ended up significantly damaging the building. As a result, builders, building surveyors, fire engineers and architects are under investigations as whether or not the building’s external cladding was compliant with the fire resistance requirements of the BCA. Based on this incident, we want to share with you some of the key points a building surveyor has to consider when issuing a Certificate of Design Compliance. A building surveyor may have to share the risk and liability when a builder has taken on the responsibility and risk for design and construction; Building surveyors, when issuing building permits, approve and consent that they are exercising a statutory decision-making role. They must remember that they are held to the same high standards that apply to Government; The knowledge base of a building surveyor is limited depen...