Hospitality | CORE Consulting Engineers

Aged Care/Health, Commercial Office, Education, Government, Hospitality, Residential/Strata, Remedial, Strata, Structural

Structural – Awning Safety Inspections & Certification

Council Crack Down On Awning Safety

Following a tragic incident that occurred at Sydney’s Northern Beaches some years back, Councils have continued to crack down on ageing, unsafe awnings by implementing a ‘Awning Safety Program’ to addresses their potential failure or collapse.

The program has seen a significant number of Council notices issued to business owners, instructing them to have their street front awnings inspected and assessed by a registered professional engineer as a matter of urgency. Following the inspection, the engineer is required to submit a 5-year safety certificate certifying the structural integrity and safety of the awning.

Our Expertise

As a result, our team has recently seen an influx in Council stipulated requests and is providing this service to an array of clients – having recently completed awning assessments to 80 awnings for the City of Sydney.

CORE Consulting Engineers is a multi-disciplinary firm armed with the knowledge and expertise of the industry’s leading engineers. For more than 20 years, our team has delivered outstanding, 360°engineering solutions to a range of clients across all major property sectors Australia-wide.

An awning’s age along with recent weather conditions are some contributing factors to structural failures and can pose a significant public safety risk.

Awning inspections include a condition assessment and are then followed by a structural assessment to confirm the awnings are compliant for gravity, imposed and wind loadings. Sometimes, awnings need to be strengthened to comply with current codes of practise.

Having your awning inspected and assessed by a RegisteredProfessional Structural Engineer is critical to confirming that there are no underlying safety issues.

Typically, Councils require awnings to be reassessed every 5 years.

Key Process Stages

Where an awning is a closed structure, we undertake opening up works with the contractor, typically by lifting roof sheets at key locations to facilitate visual inspection of the internal framing to assess condition and measure up the members. CORE can engage a contractor to conduct opening up works under CORE’s direction and also facilitate access to the awning roof.
We then conduct a risk assessment of the awning to establish whether an awning can be accessed by the public, either via openable windows above the awning, from adjacent accessible awnings, by ladders from ground level or other means such as adjacent structures.
Awnings can be subject to high imposed loads due to unauthorised access by the public, such as the ‘Black Lives Matter’ protest in July 2021, when a large number of people climbed onto the Woolworths Building awning.
Australian Standards require varying application of imposed loading to an awning depending on its access risk level.
CORE then undertake a condition assessment and structural loading assessment to ascertain if any remedial works or strengthening works are required to achieve structural adequacy for load compliance and also ensure the awning is structurally sound.

If an awning is determined to be structurally adequate and does not require major repair, we will provide a structural certificate, valid for 3 to 5 years. Where strengthening or major remedial works are required, we can assist with the design and specification of any upgrade works before CORE undertake a final inspection and then provide final certification.

Aged Care/Health, Commercial Office, Education, Government, Hospitality, Residential/Strata, Electrical, Strata

Electrical – Switchboard Reviews & Upgrades

Our Expertise

CORE has been delivering switchboard upgrade consultancy services for an array of long-term partner portfolios such as: City of Sydney, MBM, Investa and AMP Capital and has also supported electrical upgrades for a broad host of clients across several industries and sectors.

Our team has extensive technical experience and an intimate understanding of the integration between the main switchboard (MSB) and other interfacing electrical elements and building services. Known for our expertise in existing buildings, our team have successfully implemented MSB upgrades for buildings of various ages and at different stages of their lifecycle for compliance and capacity purposes.

Our approach to all MSB upgrades is to ensure our recommendations align with future building plans, seeing us offer long-term value and MSB solutions that support each asset’s requirements for years to come.

Imperative to providing our clients with customised and cost-efficient solutions, CORE has developed a strong understanding of the extensive MSB and distribution board market and its suppliers.

From evaluating your building’s requirements through to sourcing optimal equipment and managing upgrade works all the way to completion, our engineers deliver a robust solution to switchboard upgrades.

Some of our most recent switchboard upgrades include:

Coronation Hotel – Park St, Sydney
9 The Crescent – Annandale, Sydney
Bay St Depot – Ultimo, Sydney
Victoria Park Pool – Camperdown, Sydney
SDN Surry Hills Long Day Care Centre – Surry Hills, Sydney
Reginald Murphy Activity Club – Elizabeth Bay, Sydney
Rex Community Centre – Elizabeth Bay, Sydney

MSB impact on building safety and performance…

It’s important to know the age and condition of your main switchboard along with any supplementary distribution boards powering your building to ensure they comply with current BCA standards.

Non-compliant MSBs can restrict accessibility, limit the ability to carry out maintenance services and can also pose a significant safety hazard to users – carrying serious risks such as electrocution, particularly when the expected lifespan for circuit breakers is reached or close to expiry.

Switchboards that are newer to the market are equipped with ‘earth leakage detection’ safety mechanisms, enabling minor current leaks to be detected and trapping the circuit immediately.

When not upgraded, the MSB can also damage cables and other distribution boards having a costly, flow-on effect to other electrical components and in turn, impacting a building’s overall performance – an issue that can be managed and avoided.

When was your building’s last switchboard review?

It is recommended that an electrical assessment, visual inspection and subsequent report be completed every 5 years. This is especially important prior to any building services upgrades/maintenance being implemented as the impact on the MSB must be considered.

Approximately a 1-day engagement for inspection and reporting, CORE conducts visual evaluations of an asset’s electricals including but not limited to: power, lights and switchboards – evaluating their expected lifespan and notifying
Building Managers of all findings and any identified defects. A report is then provided, detailing item prioritisation and recommendations with indicative costs and information on whether further testing is needed to verify potential defects.

For what is a critical piece of infrastructure, that is often overlooked for inspection and maintenance, the switchboard inspection and testing process is a relatively quick, low-cost exercise that can prevent future faults or problems, and ensure your building and its people are well protected.

Commercial Office, Government, Hospitality, Refurbishment/Fitout, Transport, Electrical, Façade, Fire Engineering & Fire Protection, Hydraulic, Mechanical, Remedial, Structural

City of Sydney, NSW Portfolio

Our Partnership

Since 2019, CORE has been proudly appointed by MBM as City of Sydney’s partner of choice for the delivery of multi- disciplinary, technical engineering services across a portfolio of 125 assets.

An array of prominent, flagship locations that shape the city of Sydney…

Town Halls
Aquatic Centres
Community Centres
Childcare Centres
Libraries
Leisure & Entertainment Venues
Commercial Offices
Industrial Warehouses

Experts in existing buildings, delivering turn-key, multi disciplinary engineering solutions.

Our dedicated CORE team are responsible for the provision of:

Technical due diligence investigations and reporting
Facade inspection services
Condition reporting
Feasibility studies
Design and specification
Construction services
Building safety upgrades
Fitouts / refurbishment projects
CAPEX projects
Certification

Leading with a ‘People-First’ approach and an unwavering commitment to operational excellence.

Operating as a true extension to the City of Sydney team, CORE places a strong focus on the simultaneous delivery of high-quality engineering and exceptional customer service.

Working with a diverse group of stakeholders – from Facilities Managers, engineering and project management divisions, the sustainability team, through to tenants themselves, we pride ourselves on delivering a customised approach
and handling each interaction with care.

Communication, flexibility, a high level of responsiveness and the commitment to addressing priority items with urgency are integral to our approach.

Managing the unique, ever-changing requirements of each asset, City of Sydney’s diverse portfolio has required an intimate understanding of existing buildings and their lifecycle, along with experience in navigating the sensitivities
and intricacies of government requirements.

In addition to governance and regulatory obligations, historic value, cost and sustainability requirements, risk management and impact on end-users are always carefully considered to ensure the delivery of exceptional engineering
solutions and long-term value for our client.

As we continue our work with City of Sydney, we look forward to increasing our knowledge of their buildings and seeing them flourish within the community.

Hospitality, Remedial

Quest Newcastle West Apartment Hotel, Newcastle, NSW

Due to previous, inadequately designed remedial waterproofing solutions, the Quest Newcastle West Apartment Hotel was experiencing large amounts of water ingress to the majority of ground floor hotel rooms, causing significant internal damage and impacting the hotel’s serviceability and capacity levels.

Timeline

Stage 1: Investigation and Specification – 4 weeks

Stage 2: Construction – 5 weeks

Delivering long-term solutions that our clients deserve

Having conducted an in-depth analysis of the site, it was clear that future-proofing the hotel against recurring water ingress issues would require the design of a complex, innovative solution – one that integrated seamlessly with the existing building and its services, and eliminated any structural interference.

With previous remedial works not being carried out to standard, CORE prioritised the development and communication of detailed specification drawings prior to the commencement of any works. This enabled the Client to gain a solid understanding of the issue at hand and provided a visual representation of the proposed solution.

Moving into the construction phase, CORE’s solution entailed a new chemically injected damp-proof course (critically, installed below floor level to prevent rising damp) and saw the application of waterproofing membrane to 80 lineal metres of underground facade externals as well as the installation of a drainage system.

CORE placed great emphasis on maintaining strong communication, managinga robust schedule of weekly meetings and inspections with the Client and contractors throughout the process.

With hotel staff and guests on site, CORE worked closely with key stakeholders to minimise disturbance and ensure the business could continue to operate with no impact on customer experience.

CORE is proud to have delivered the project earlier than the projected completion date and to have provided the Quest Newcastle Hotel with confidence and peace of mind.