Australia's population is expanding, our cities are densifying and land is more expensive than ever before. Growth in our inner-city suburbs is placing pressure on every part of our cities, but especially our schools. In this environment, the only way is up. Our National Education Sector Lead, Sarah Slattery explores the cost drivers associated with vertical schools.

What’s the knock on wood? Engineered timber is a renewable building material offering multiple environmental, architectural and program benefits. The material is starting to be seen as an alternative building material compared to the more traditional material such as concrete, steel and masonry Due to greater awareness and availability of some Australian made products that can assist with timber construction within buildings, there is an emergence of this product used in construction in Australia today. In our new paper, Slattery explores the key considerations for a wholly timber construction project and the steps universities can put in place to mitigate perceived risks. We examine recent Australian and international leading examples to determine the considerations and benefits including cost saving and sustainability.

In this paper we outline the challenges and opportunities with brownfield hospital developments and the opportunity for quality facilities, including an insight into common budgetary, time and operational constraints associated with these developments. Slattery explores how the opportunity for quality facilities can be delivered whilst acknowledging the constraints of an existing site, ultimately generating value for the community

With space in Australian cities at a premium, investors and developers will often look to height to maximise yield through the construction of tall buildings. However, a multitude of not-so-obvious hidden costs need to be considered as part of any feasibility study to make sure the uplift in scale is equal to a profitable return for investors and developers.

In the wake of the Victorian Governments announcement to budget $1.8B to new prisons and correctional facilities over the next four years, considerable community concern and media debate has arisen in regards to the necessity for investment into prevention, rather than detention. As such, the need for conversation regarding the defining issues and cost considerations in new prison construction is evident.  In our new Kaizen paper, we have taken the initiative to investigate the critical variables and unlock the cost of incarceration.

While the diversity drive is making a meaningful impact on the number of women in the property and construction industry, it’s time to broaden our focus. A raft of research has found that diverse organisations are more profitable. For instance, a study from the La Trobe Business School, released last ... more