Atrium13 | 2010PAGE012 | 013THE UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNEFACULTY OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING & PLANNINGAt the same time there were otherchanges occurring as the industrysaw the emergence <strong>of</strong> the BLF.During the 70s there was clearly a needfor much tighter control <strong>and</strong> management<strong>of</strong> building projects. This created rolesfor the increasing number <strong>of</strong> buildinggraduates but also led to much moresophistication in the way building projectswere planned <strong>and</strong> carried out. Criticalpath planning became an essential toolto monitor the day-to-day activities,in fact planning hour-by-hour activitieson projects.One <strong>of</strong> the great strengths <strong>of</strong> the buildingindustry is that it has been able to adapt<strong>and</strong> evolve. Builders on commercialprojects started to look at alternative forms<strong>of</strong> construction. Pre-cast concrete startedto be used during the early 1980s <strong>and</strong> nowwe see most <strong>of</strong> the vertical elements <strong>of</strong>buildings being constructed using pre-castconcrete <strong>and</strong> indeed a number <strong>of</strong> buildingswhere pre-cast concrete has been usedboth as floor system <strong>and</strong> for the verticalcores <strong>and</strong> walls. This innovation by thebuilding industry, particularly in Melbourne,enabled the industry to remain productive.The first major use <strong>of</strong> grey panels or tilt-uppanels was at the Safeway Warehouse atMulgrave <strong>and</strong> involved an energetic youngengineer from New Zeal<strong>and</strong> who in a visitto the United States had seen thesepanels. This was in the mid 1960s. Bythe late 1960s a group <strong>of</strong> three studentsfrom this <strong>University</strong> were given a uniqueopportunity to design <strong>and</strong> construct a majorcommercial project, the Preston Market.I was one <strong>of</strong> those three students <strong>and</strong>the outcome that we achieved wasvery different from the earlier markets<strong>of</strong> Melbourne <strong>and</strong> showcased newmethods <strong>of</strong> construction.In some respects the project was builtbackwards. We built the car park first<strong>and</strong> used the time while the earthworks<strong>and</strong> car park were being carried outto design <strong>and</strong> document the buildingin detail. We then constructed the pre-castconcrete walls onsite using the car parkas the casting bed <strong>and</strong> then erectedthe panels directly to the perimeter<strong>of</strong> the buildings.We had designed a three-dimensionalspace frame ro<strong>of</strong> structure which gavecolumn free space to each <strong>of</strong> the buildings<strong>and</strong> large sections were built on theground then lifted into position. Thisprovided a very quick construction time<strong>and</strong> allowed the developer to open wellahead <strong>of</strong> his scheduled date. It also gaveus the opportunity to employ a number<strong>of</strong> fellow students in a range <strong>of</strong> roleson the project, which injected a level<strong>of</strong> energy that ensured success.After that, delivering challenging buildingsbecame a personal focus <strong>and</strong> involvedprojects such as the Trade Union TrainingCollege at Wodonga, the Concert Hall atthe Victorian Arts Centre, Republic Tower,Federation Square <strong>and</strong> Wembley Stadium,<strong>and</strong> some <strong>of</strong> the pioneering public privatepartnership work in Australia. The greatchallenge for builders is not only to buildprojects, but is to build organisations <strong>and</strong>project teams that can manage <strong>and</strong>deliver projects.Then, reorganise the project teams atthe completion <strong>of</strong> a project <strong>and</strong> moveto new projects. This is a great skill, <strong>and</strong>not all get this right which is why at timesthere is significant movement <strong>of</strong> peoplein the industry <strong>and</strong> this applies equallyto Architects <strong>and</strong> Builders. Continuity isdifficult in an industry that rises <strong>and</strong> fallsso sharply with the economy.To grow a business you first need togrow the people <strong>and</strong> have the peoplethat are capable <strong>of</strong> growing. This is whyin 1984 I set up a graduate programmelinked to Melbourne <strong>University</strong>. In over25 years more than 100 graduates havebeen employed through this programme.Some still work with me <strong>and</strong> many othersnow either run their own business, aredirectors <strong>of</strong> large construction companiesor operate in related sectors such asfunds management <strong>and</strong> development.Many have also had the opportunityto work throughout Australia <strong>and</strong> NewZeal<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> overseas, in the MiddleEast <strong>and</strong> the UK – including a team <strong>of</strong>graduates that were moved to the UK in2004 to work on the two largest projectsin London – Wembley Stadium <strong>and</strong> WhiteCity Shopping Centre.My relationship with the <strong>Faculty</strong> continuestoday - in my current business we have15 graduates in our programme, ten arefrom the <strong>Faculty</strong>, as well as 14 other alumni.Each year the graduate team isencouraged to undertake a communityservice project <strong>and</strong> raise the necessaryfunds for the project. There have beenmany significant projects but one thatst<strong>and</strong>s out, was the challenge to renovate<strong>and</strong> restore the house at Balibo inEast Timor. Two years <strong>of</strong> planning <strong>and</strong>organisation, generous donations <strong>of</strong>building materials <strong>and</strong> shipping containers,resulted in the famous ruin <strong>of</strong> a housebeing converted into a new communitycentre. The message for graduatesafter this was clear – detailed planning,organisation, teamwork <strong>and</strong> focus onthe task is the key to achieving thedesired outcome – no matter wherethe project is located.In recent years there has been a growingfocus on environmental issues as theyrelate to buildings. We are at the beginning<strong>of</strong> this journey <strong>and</strong> graduates have anexciting task in front <strong>of</strong> them to design<strong>and</strong> construct smarter <strong>and</strong> more sensitivebuildings <strong>and</strong> cities. In our Engineeringbusiness we are involved in the renewableenergy industry as we have formed a jointventure with a Spanish company to design<strong>and</strong> construct precast concrete towers forwind farms. Steel towers have been usedto date, but we believe precast concretewill be faster to manufacture <strong>and</strong> useless energy in the process.
The skills <strong>and</strong> disciplines developedby graduates should not be seen asrestricting them to the constructionindustry. As an example, I have usedthe core skills <strong>of</strong> project management,cost control <strong>and</strong> financial planning tobuild a large agricultural business. Someyears ago we established <strong>and</strong> developeda super-fine merino stud. The house <strong>and</strong>farm complex was designed by some oldstudent friends – Denton Corker Marshall.When the farm complex was designed in1996 we did not set out to build an iconicbuilding. But a clear brief based on whatwe did not want, together with theextraordinary site for the house, <strong>and</strong>the strong relationship between thearchitect, the clients <strong>and</strong> <strong>of</strong> course thebuilder has resulted in a breathtakingoutcome that has received internationalrecognition in a number <strong>of</strong> publicationson the top 100 houses <strong>of</strong> the 20th century.Graduates, you are about to build a careerin what I think is a most totally engaging<strong>and</strong> challenging industry. An industrywhere builders will have the opportunityto work with some <strong>of</strong> the great architectsin Australia, <strong>and</strong> in some cases the greatarchitects <strong>of</strong> the world, as we see moreinternational design competitions for majorprojects in Australia. Look around youtonight, some <strong>of</strong> the future great architectsmaybe sitting with you.Australia has a stable economy,<strong>and</strong> stable politics <strong>and</strong> this will presentsome <strong>of</strong> the big challenges in the futurefor architects, builders <strong>and</strong> plannersas population increase accelerates.In Melbourne we are certainly seeingpopulation increase at the moment,<strong>and</strong> the outcome, when this is notplanned, results in chaos on the roads<strong>and</strong> the public transport system, <strong>and</strong>an ever spreading city with housingthat is becoming unaffordable.Melbourne has forged a reputationfor innovative design <strong>and</strong> innovativeconstruction techniques. There is anew design hub now being built downthe road at Rmit, <strong>and</strong> a new architectureschool established at Monash.But more importantly, there has beenan international competition for a new<strong>Faculty</strong> building at this university <strong>and</strong>this should ensure that the <strong>Faculty</strong>maintains its exceptionally highst<strong>and</strong>ards <strong>and</strong> reputation.The skills <strong>of</strong> graduates from the <strong>Faculty</strong>have been seen in Australia <strong>and</strong> aroundthe world so there will be no shortage <strong>of</strong>opportunity. But, the important thing is thatat all stages in your career you don’t let go<strong>of</strong> the culture <strong>and</strong> discipline that you havedeveloped, <strong>and</strong> the relationships you haveestablished, at this <strong>University</strong>. This hasprovided you with the essentials to start<strong>and</strong> continue on a pr<strong>of</strong>essional path to achallenging career in an ever-changing <strong>and</strong>dem<strong>and</strong>ing world. I wish you all good luck. AL-R: Associate Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Peter Ashford, Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Thomas Kvan, Noel Henderson, Associate Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Peter Williams, Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Paolo Tombesi.
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