Announced at a gala function on the weekend, the awards showcase the very best in urban development across the state and drive design, innovation and sustainability. UDIA WA CEO Allison Hales said the urban development industry is building communities for today and into the future. “It is critical that we lead the way for continual improvement and showcase the diversity and talent that is a key feature of our industry,” she said. WGE were involved in two award-winning projects recognised by the UDIA: Yolk Property Group’s Established development in Fremantle was awarded the Rising Star award WGE is providing structural, …
Date: September 11, 2017WGE’s structural team have recently achieved completion on Perth’s newest urban living development. Oracle Apartments by Blackburne will celebrate the grand opening later this month. The new 22 storey mixed use tower will house 137 apartments, three levels of car parking and retail/commercial spaces at street level. Designed by renowned Architect DMG the residential tower features a sky garden at Level 22 that maximises its exposure to the magnificent city views. A second common area includes a fitness hub at the podium level with gym, yoga room, sauna and pool. Structural Engineering on this project included: Concept design through to …
Date: September 5, 2017WGE’s Hock Chua will be presenting at the 12th Airfield Engineering and Maintenance Summit in Singapore. The summit brings together global airport operators and aviation authorities to share their expertise on airfield pavement engineering and maintenance. Hock is WGE’s Airport Lead and will be presenting a case study on his previous work at Port Macquarie Airport. The runway and airport were expanded (whilst remaining fully operational) to handle larger aircraft and significantly increase passenger numbers. The project was completed in a very tight timeframe and went on to win Regional Airport of the Year in 2008. For more information about …
Date: September 1, 2017Congratulations to winners at the QLD round of the Master Builders Awards. Congratulations to all involved in the large number of excellent projects recognised at the award ceremony held in August. Three projects with WGE involvement were recognised, including: 1 William Street, Brisbane by Multiplex Constructions – 2017 Project of the Year Hummingbird House by TF Woollam and Son – Best Health Facility up to $20 million Robina Town Centre Market Hall Redevelopment by ADCO Constructions – Best Commercial Building over $50 million Brisbane Office Manager, Johan Sadie said the 2017 winners demonstrate the high standard of construction excellence in …
Date: August 24, 2017
Two experienced structural engineers have recently joined the Sydney team to strengthen and expand the offering for local clients. Michael Ruescher has moved from WGE’s Perth office and brings ten years of experience working with WA’s biggest developers. Michael specialises in large scale and medium to high rise residential and commercial building design. Michael says he is looking forward to new challenges, working on projects in the Sydney market. “There are so many new and exciting projects in the pipeline for Sydney and I look forward to working with local clients to provide effective structural solutions,” he said. Christopher Jennings …
Date: August 23, 2017WGE’s Perth team have provided input into a new report by Architects Cameron Chisholm Nicol outlining six potential adaptive re-use concepts for the CBD’s C-grade office buildings. Perth is currently facing an oversupply of office space, with over 60% being C-grade stock. These buildings are generally older than 20 years with out-of-date finishes and services. The report includes creative ideas to revitalise ageing buildings and bring more people into the city. Adapting existing buildings can offer a cost-effective solution when compared with demolition and re-build scenarios. The WGE team included: Ralf Boepple – Hydraulics Phillip Cook – Sustainability Alex Deluca …
Date: August 21, 2017
WGE have once again been accredited as Aon Hewitt Best Employer, making it six years in a row - and seven years in total. Announced on Thursday 27 July, the award reflects WGE’s continued focus on engaging employees with an inclusive and rewarding workplace culture. WGE’s high levels of staff satisfaction and engagement, measured by Aon Hewitt’s independent survey, reflect the organisation’s strong focus on people and culture. WGE CEO, José Granado says the award recognises the unique corporate culture that began 56 years ago. “Our company founders built an organisation that valued people and the skills and talent they …
Date: July 31, 2017
WGE’s Melbourne team has been upgrading Building 17 at Monash University. Constructed in 1968, Building 17 is home to the Biology department and was due for an upgrade. The aging building had cracked facades, damage to the roof and services that were no longer meeting wellbeing requirements for occupants. Minimal student disruption As part of capital works program, works were carried out while the building was still occupied and fully functional as a teaching and laboratory space. This presented a number of challenges as the works involved replacement of the existing façade, upgrading services and ensuring the building structure is …
Date: July 28, 2017
WGE’s Sustainability team is working on Evermore Apartments - the first apartment project in WA to be recognised as a One Planet Living development. The One Planet Living Action Plan is a positive response to challenges faced in the local context and the actions needed to make One Planet Living affordable, attractive and achievable. One Planet Living is the vision of a world in which people enjoy happy, healthy lives within their fair share of the earth’s resources, leaving space for wildlife and wilderness. Working with a relatively new and unknown sustainability tool required detailed interaction with the developer, the …
Date: July 27, 2017Western Australia’s outstanding construction projects were honoured by the MBA at their annual gala ceremony held on Saturday 22 July. This year’s awards attracted 71 entries with a combined value of over $2.3 billion. Judges commended the impressive range of projects, stating the first class workmanship and construction excellence reflected the high standards for which the industry has become renowned. WGE is proud to have been involved in 14 projects recognised for excellence, with several projects receiving more than one award. WGE’s Brett Davis congratulated all parties involved in developing, designing and constructing award-winning projects. “We are very proud to …
Date: July 25, 2017
Recently the WGE Melbourne Fire Engineering team spent the day working with Habitat for Humanity in Yea to assist with building housing for families in need. Some of the team were installing flooring and insulation whilst others were building fences and retaining walls. Habitat for Humanity work with corporate partners to build housing for families in need. These include families that were affected by the 2009 Black Saturday Bushfires. WGE Engineer Brett Casson said the day was highlighted how lucky we are. “It was really satisfying to spend the day helping people that are less fortunate than ourselves, investing time …
Date: July 21, 2017WGE’s Vinh Le recently spoke to the Property Council of Australia (PCA) about the new trend towards vertical schools in urban areas. As people move back into our city centres, vertical schools are rising up across the country. But they require a rethink of how we use space, says Wood & Grieve Engineers’ Vinh Le. Melbourne’s first vertical school, Haileybury’s city campus, welcomed its first cohort of students in January. In nearby Prahran, the Victorian Government’s $25 million high school on Swinburne University’s old campus is taking shape. In Sydney, the NSW Government has plans to rebuild Parramatta’s Arthur Phillip …
Date: July 16, 2017
WGE is working with Engineering Education Australia (EEAUST) and Open Learning, on a new training module to inform the management of underground assets or subsurface utilities. Available through Open Learning in July 2017, the training is aimed at practitioners who manage subsurface utilities – including engineers, designers, managers and state or council authorities. Along with the upgraded Australian Standard for Subsurface Utility Engineering (AS5488) which WGE are currently involved in, the training will inform a minimum level of practice that ensures all practitioners are adhering to the same principles. The online module covers: Defining what subsurface utilities are How subsurface …
Date: July 5, 2017
WGE is pleased to announce the promotion of six people to the level of Principal shareholder. These individuals have demonstrated their ability to add significant value across a number of areas of the business and have been recognised accordingly: • Ian Harris, Civil Section Manager, Sydney office • Ben James, Hydraulic Project Engineer, Sydney office • Alasdair MacKerron, Senior Structural Project Engineer, Perth office • Dara McGrenaghan, Civil Section Manager, Melbourne office • Shelley Phillipson, National Marketing Manager, Perth office • Rob Sansbury, Infrastructure Section Manager, Brisbane office WGE CEO José Granado said that recognising and rewarding excellent performance has …
Date: July 5, 2017
WGE’s Elliot Alfirevich has been named by Engineers Australia as one of the nation’s most innovative engineers for his highly integrated technology solution at the Perth Busport. The list of innovative engineers was announced in the latest edition of Engineers Australia’s flagship publication, create magazine. Elliot’s bespoke solution maintains a new level of passenger comfort and safety for Perth commuters and travellers by ensuring that the doors to the busway are only open for the minimum required time. This was achieved by utilising a laser scanner to determine the dimensions of the bus as it arrives in front of the …
Date: July 4, 2017Winners of the 2017 Victorian Architecture Awards were announced recently with two WGE projects recognised. The Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre (VCCC) by the sthDI + MCR architectural consortium was acknowledged as one of Victoria’s notable public buildings winning the Victorian Medal and the William Wardell Award for Public Architecture. The Centre is a purpose-built centre-of-excellence for cancer research, treatment, care and education. The $1 billion, 130,000m2 facility is the new home of Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, new cancer research and clinical services for Melbourne Health and the University of Melbourne. One of the largest inner city residential developments in Australia, …
Date: July 3, 2017
Congratulations to all projects recognised at the WA Architecture Awards. Announced at a gala function on Friday 23 June, the awards highlight excellence in architecture across Western Australia. State winners go into the running for a national awards program announced in November. A number of WGE projects received awards and commendations, reflecting the inspired of the architects, clients and partners we work with. Winners East Pilbara Arts Centre (Martamili Art Gallery, Newman) Jeffrey Howlett Public Architecture Award Commendation for Sustainable Architecture Commendation for Colorbond Award for Steel Architecture South Terrace Supported Accommodation Hostel Margaret Pitt Morison Heritage Award Elizabeth Quay …
Date: June 26, 2017WGE’s Sydney team recently took part in a Young Engineers Australia event to gain an understanding of the issues that can arise on engineering projects. Attendees heard from keynote speakers including Dr Jan Hayes from RMIT University, Civil Engineering Consultant, Brendan Donohue and Chartered Engineer and Barrister Steven Goldstein. WGE Engineer Rebecca Dracup helped to organise the event and said it was a great opportunity to learn from experienced professionals. “The speakers talked about the strategies they have used to overcome major issues that arise,” she said. “The event clarified the legal and ethical responsibilities of engineers, and provided an …
Date: June 19, 2017Imagine standing on the balcony of your yet-to-be-built house on your still vacant block and seeing the sunset or ocean views. This is no longer science fiction, says Darren Pesich. A director and Perth civil section manager of Wood & Grieve Engineers (WGE), Darren is leading the development of a new service offering called Reality Engineering. Darren says WGE’s offering applies advancements in various existing technologies – from 3D modelling to Google Maps – to create reality-based engineering models. “We are essentially bringing together gaming platform software with actual engineering designs to be applied to the land development industry, and this hasn’t …
Date: June 7, 2017Bushmead by Cedar Woods has received a prestigious six-leaf certification under the Urban Development Institute of Australia’s (UDIA) highly regarded EnviroDevelopment program. WGE is providing civil, structural and underground power engineering services to create Perth’s newest suburb in the foothills of the Darling Range. EnviroDevelopment is a scientifically-based assessment scheme that independently reviews projects and awards certification to those that achieve outstanding performance in up to six elements - ecosystems, waste, energy, materials, water and community. WGE contributed to achieving the EnviroDevelopment accreditation by re-using materials on-site as well as specifying recycled concrete materials for road pavements and retaining walls. …
Date: June 1, 2017