Fears of defects in Melbourne's tallest building

[bob10]

What is going on with our building industry? It's what you'd expect from a banana republic.

Melbourne's tallest tower rocked by defects | The New Daily (https://thenewdaily.com.au/money/property/2019/07/26/australia-108-building-defects/?utm_source=Adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Your%20Property%20-%2020190810)

[Homestar]

This ones a media beat up. One of the new residents has been making a fuss because of some structural movement as the top half of the building is still under construction. Can’t and won’t disclose any more about said resident and how I know but there’s nothing wrong with the building.

I have more of an issue with them moving people in when the place is still a construction zone. As they finish a floor fitout a floor a few levels below is opened up to the new residents. Not surprising people complain about noise and movement when there’s still 40 floors left to be built, buildings like this are designed to move quite a lot and fine cracking of the structure won’t stop until a bit after the whole thing is complete. Anyone that’s been involved in construction like this has seen what happens as the floors stack up.

[ChookD2]

Cefects? Are they the one's that come before the Defects but after Befects. [bigsmile]

[bob10]

Cefects? Are they the one's that come before the Defects but after Befects. [bigsmile]

eixed.

[ChookD2]

eixed.

:Rolling:you type like me.

[Fourgearsticks]

When more laws are suggested there are screams from developers saying growth is being strangled. Look at the cladding saga all round the world, developers go for the cheap flamable option and looks like taxpayers are going to foot the bill for repair and replacement. It appears the dodgy highrise problems were not just a one off with buildings all over the country reporting major structural failures. If developers are going to liquidate after building and no longer have any liability for shonky building practices then they should be paying a massive bond, either that or take all assets off the previous directors, makum liable.
Why should the public pay for shonky developers retirement?

[Homestar]

When more laws are suggested there are screams from developers saying growth is being strangled. Look at the cladding saga all round the world, developers go for the cheap flamable option and looks like taxpayers are going to foot the bill for repair and replacement. It appears the dodgy highrise problems were not just a one off with buildings all over the country reporting major structural failures. If developers are going to liquidate after building and no longer have any liability for shonky building practices then they should be paying a massive bond, either that or take all assets off the previous directors, makum liable.
Why should the public pay for shonky developers retirement?

While I agree with the sentiment I personally don’t think Multiplex falls into the ‘shonky’ pile by any stretch nor this project. They aren’t going to do anything dodgy on one project out of hundreds they have going or on the books. Agree others have done this and there is plenty out there showing exactly this but don’t go tarring them all with the same brush.

[bob10]

OOPs.That's better. Defective buildings signed off as within standards.


In its submission, the Mascot Towers Owners Corporation said owners and residents “relied on the ‘system’ to provide a satisfactory dwelling”, but the state government had failed to set a sufficiently tough regulatory framework for builders, certifiers and property developers.This included the failure of the private building certification process, a lack of supervision over builders and the owners’ responsibility for defects.“Our residents have inherited a building with numerous defects … defects which were originally signed off on by our government, engineers and certifiers as ‘within standards’.“Somewhere along the lines, maximising profit has become a misinterpretation for ‘delivering quality’,” the submission said.


Mascot Towers owners reveal building defects spanning a decade (https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/state/nsw/2019/08/12/mascot-towers-defects/?utm_source=Adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Morning%20News%20-%2020190812)

[Homestar]

Not sure quality has ever come into any of these residential high rises - anyone that's been in some of these will know had bad they are as far as ventilation, design and fit and finish goes. I think a lot of these will become slums in 20 or 30 years. You should at least expect any of them to stay standing though.

[Eevo]

why are these high rises to popular though? that I cant understand.

[bob10]

NSW building inquiry to begin.

NSW building inquiry to begin on Monday (https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/nsw-building-inquiry-to-begin-on-monday/ar-AAFFenb?ocid=spartandhp)

[loanrangie]

why are these high rises to popular though? that I cant understand.Mostly new immigrants buy them, I couldn't think of anything worse than high rise living.

[Homestar]

Vacancy rates are huge - a lot of OS buyers are conned into buying them as investments but there isn’t a big enough market for rentals on them so a lot go in tenanted. There are also those that don’t have anyone in them deliberately thinking this will maximise their sale price if the unit is still as new - this doesn’t actually work in reality from what I’ve seen.

[bob10]

The NSW Minister for better regulation [ really, there is one ] did not attend day one of the inquiry. Speaks volumes.

Mascot Towers unit owner breaks down during evidence at NSW building standards inquiry - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-08-12/mascot-towers-owners-emotional-evidence-building-inquiry-nsw/11404850)

[ramblingboy42]

when a lift is built , it is completely constructed using 4 plumb lines....every measurement stems from those plumb lines, which are anchored at the top on a template and hang free at the bottom through a guide block with a bloody heavy weight tied to it.

when I was installing 120 Collins St it was sometimes impossible to guage when one of the cranes would take a load because the plumbline would shift so much.

we considered using laser beams but with the emitter in the pit the building movement would draw a 100mm circle under the slab of the motor room.

so the buildings move a lot and if I recall 120 Collins was 65 floors not 100.

[Kaps]

why are these high rises to popular though? that I cant understand.
When I worked in Adelaide, I lived in an apartment just outside the Parklands. I walked to work. It was great.
I was so close to the city, I could walk to the restaurants, pubs and entertainment. It was great.
I used to walk around the block most evenings. South Terrace, West Terrace, North Terrace, Hutt St. It was great.
The thing is, to live that close to the city, space is at a premium. I would have loved to live in a little old house. Probably somewhere near Whitmore Square. I accepted an upper level apartment.
Living near the city was great, though. If living in a hi-rise got me that close to the city, it was worth it.

Now, living in the country, I can't think of anything worse than living in a hi-rise when there is so much space around.

Horses for courses I guess.

[Arapiles]

Mostly new immigrants buy them

Not exactly - a lot of the purchasers are non-residents who may not have ever been to Australia.

And the percentage of foreign buyers varies from building to building, because the financiers state in the loan documents what maximum percentage of foreign buyers they'll permit as a condition precedent to advancing the funds for construction.

[bob10]

When we were first married, back in 1975, my wife and I lived in a high rise at Manly, called the Manly National building. One bedroom, down a set of steps, with the kitchen and living room upstairs, a balcony overlooking Manly beach. That stage you could rent, I believe it's owners only now. I used to walk to Manly wharf, catch the hydrofoil to Circular Quay, walk to Garden Island thru the Gardens, past Lady Macquaries chair. The return journey past the Rockers and the Bells posed some problems, but like all good sailors I improvised and overcame. Life was total bliss for a while, At that stage of our marriage, I couldn't think of any better way to live in Sydney. The Earth did move for us at the time, but I don't think it was the building. [smilebigeye]

[bob10]

Crisis point in the apartment building industry, apparently.


‘Crisis point’: Apartment building industry needs urgent reform (https://thenewdaily.com.au/money/property/2019/08/19/apartment-construction-defects-crisis/?utm_source=Adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Morning%20News%20-%2020190820)

[SBD4]

For those that didn't see the 4 Corners report last night:


https://youtu.be/NYzwIrybSjU

[bob10]

Opal Tower builders in trouble again.


Opal Tower builder in second defect scare: Rosebery residents warned (https://thenewdaily.com.au/money/property/2019/10/08/otto-apartments-balconies/?utm_source=Adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Morning%20News%20-%2020191009)

[Homestar]

Opal Tower builders in trouble again.


Opal Tower builder in second defect scare: Rosebery residents warned (https://thenewdaily.com.au/money/property/2019/10/08/otto-apartments-balconies/?utm_source=Adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Morning%20News%20-%2020191009)

What’s this got to do with Melbourne?

[V8Ian]

What’s this got to do with Melbourne?
In July, residents of Melbourne’s Australia 108 building reported (https://thenewdaily.com.au/money/property/2019/07/26/australia-108-building-defects/) significant movement and large cracking sounds in what is set to become Australia’s second-tallest building.

I have to add that, I take all this click-bait with a pinch of salt.

It's like various transport authorities claiming they've detected X number of heavy vehicles with defects, of which Y had brake defects. A stoplight out is classified as a brake defect.

Creaks and groans from a building expanding and contracting doesn't indicate imminent, catastrophic failure, but it does sell advertising space.

[Homestar]

I meant Bobs post - all 3 buildings mentioned in the article were in Sydney. Or do we change the name to ‘Australia’s **** Buildings’? 😁

[bob10]

What’s this got to do with Melbourne?

It's to do with the building industry. And it belongs here. For continuity. Nothing more, nothing less.

[bob10]

I meant Bobs post - all 3 buildings mentioned in the article were in Sydney. Or do we change the name to ‘Australia’s **** Buildings’? 😁

The name of the thread is " Fear of defects in Melbourne's tallest building". I think my post points out it may be a universal problem, not just Melbourne's. A holiday up in QLD , to chill out, is my recommendation. [thumbsupbig]