This article is from the Australian Property Journal archive
BUILDING defects are slugging residential and commercial property owners billions of dollars in repair costs a year, adding to the pressure that households and businesses are already facing with rising cost-of-living.
The peak industry body, Engineers Australia is proposing changes to the National Construction Code that could prevent water leaks, the leading cause of apartment defects and commercial buildings.
According to Engineers Australia, water leaks account for 80% to 90% of defects in Australian apartment and commercial buildings, costing owners and insurance companies as much as $3 billion annually.
Experts from the Watershedding Community of Practice and Australian Building Codes Board are proposing four changes to the NCC.
“Urgent change is required to address building performance and leakage issues. Structural engineers play a critical role in preventing building leaks,” said Michael van Koeverden, member at Engineers Australia and Watershedding Community of Practice.
“While membranes typically last 10-15 years, structural designs are intended to last 40-60 years. When membranes fail, the structure must continue to drain water. The proposed changes to the NCC 2025 aim to address these issues by improving design and construction processes and enhancing collaboration among all parties involved in building projects.”
Changes include using gravity, with a new focus on naturally collecting, redirecting and draining water; removing leaks by fixing flat areas on balconies, roods and basement floors; managing underground water with new guidelines from outdoor concrete slabs.
Lastly, structural engineers must now consider how slabs will change and sag over 10 years when designing them, to ensure continued drainage.
“Engineers Australia is advocating for the proposed changes to the NCC 2025. Engineers are critical to delivering resilient and safe buildings, and we cannot meet Australia’s unprecedented housing demand without addressing the challenges facing the industry,” said Romilly Madew, CEO at Engineers Australia.
“We fully support the government’s efforts to implement comprehensive building reforms. Improving standards is a responsibility that spans the entire industry, including builders, architects, developers, and designers”.
