According to research by Murdoch University,  AUSTRALIA’S growing army of fly-in,  fly-out workers – which now numbers around 200,000 people in the mining sector – suffer from severe stress on their family relationships, and many believe their companies don’t care about them, new research has found.

Mining is the main employer of fly-in,  fly-out workers in remote locations around the nation, many of whom work up to four weeks away from home, for pay rates usually at least double those in the big cities.

But while the pay is better, there is high turnover – one in three mine workers don’t last a year in the job, a parliamentary inquiry was told last year – and a growing body of evidence on the social impacts.

Source: Sydney Morning Herald    Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/national/flyin-flyout-jobs-strain-families-and-work-loyalty-20130104-2c8wk.html#ixzz2MdTeuo95

The Big Commute

Traditionally  mining accommodation was and still is for that matter has been  quite poor as far as  amenity and comfort goes.  With 12 hour shifts  and  little time for  “relaxing”  the  units or “Dongas” as we have come to know them provide the  basics at best.

With the mining sector continuing to grow and  more accommodation being needed  a higher standard of accommodation is  being  asked for.  With the stress  of  working away from home and  the high staff turnover driving  up production costs companies are now seeing the benefits of  investing in purpose-built  and designed  facilities in an attempt to make life away from home  just that bit more comfortable.

Photo: Jacky Ghossein

A Home away from Home

One of our latest developments is an example of  what can be  done with a bit of planning, some  specialised design and  thought for the  occupants and how  their  working life in remote ares can be enhanced  just a little.

Comfortable and stylish these units can be provided  by the private sector at no cost to the mining companies and  can also be a lucrative and positively geared  investment for the astute  developer.

A comfortable place to unwind.

With  China’s hunger for our commodities  predicted to continue for the next  20 – 25 years and  a fast growing market in India there will be a huge demand on suitable and  more comfortable  accommodations.

For further information on our  design options  for  specifically  designed worker accommodation call our office today on (07) 5478 0222

With the year of the snake

powering on we are also seeing an increased activity around  new projects and those renovations finally seem to be getting started.

Too often we  are asked to  “give a quote” for a  project where the customer really has  put the cart before the horse so to speak.  With the  incredible  amount of  technical detail , and  regulations to be complied with any  new project needs to start at the  beginning and follow a  process.  So what are the most common mistakes  we see ??  This is the first installment to help debunk a few of theose myths and traps for young players. !!

 1.  Starting with the wrong advice.

“The worst advice  one can get is  free advice from someone who really doesn’t know”.

Clients often say to us  ” but I know this bloke who rang the council and they said  that  we didn’t have to do this or that”.  Often the advice given may relate to a totally different situation all together. A lot of time and efforts can be wasted  trying to  justify why something is required just because   “Bob”  reckons he heard this somewhere. We live in a society today that  wants  instant answers and solutions. Your designer has a lot of experience deaaling with many councils, different  covenants and  the  many regulations that are  relevant. 

Too often we go for the quick and cheap fix and  hope that it doesn’t bit them on the bum later………..This is the year of the snake remember and  getting someone to suck the poison out later may prove costly!!

Solution:  

With every new project we do the research first. Investigating all the possible constraints.  easements, slope, stormwater flow,  will the driveway  work, estimate earthworks, prevailing winds, solar orientation, streetscape, covenants…….Then a brief is taken to identify ALL the clients requirements. From there a sketch design is  produced. By hand, by one of our skilled designers.  ..At this stage it’s probably going to need a bit of development but this is the perfect time to  make changes and  discuss the alternatives.

We take out the  guesswork so builders can give accurate quotes to build.

Failing to Plan is  Planning to Fail !!   

What are the problems  or concerns you have with your  upcoming project? For a no obligation assessment  of your project fill in the details below and  we’ll be in contact with you.

 

Error: Contact form not found.

Well 2013 is well and truly upon us and the beginning of the year looks exciting.

Towards the end of last year we were working on some interesting projects in some equally interesting parts of the country.

 Mount Isa

Firstly is a 3 x 3 Bedroom Townhouse development in Mount Isa. Located in remote North western Queensland this project had some intersting challemes attached to it.

1. A small building  envelope
2. Corner allotment
3. one of the worlds largest copper and zinz mines within 1km of the site
4. Climate challenges  with Mount Isa being a hot / arid climate

Our brief was to produce an  “up market” residential precint that would appeal to professionals, mine managers and their families.  With a lack of  Executive syle accomodation in Mount Isa we felt that this would provide  a  higher standard of  livability close to the  Town Centre.

Seventh Avenue Mount Isa

   Despite  some rather contensious issues  regarding the  size and  yield of the site the application has beenaccepted favourably and we’re expecting  approval to proceed  in the next couple of weeks.

Port Hedland

As far west as we’ve ever worked to date. Port Hedland is located in the North West of Western Australia. A hub of the iron ore and bauxite mining industry. A severe lack of accommodation  to support the influx of  workers has  made Port Hedland a vibrant  development “hot spot”.

We were commissioned to Design and  prepare a Planning Application for   stage 2 of a 1 and 2 bedroom unit complex………easy enough one would think..Wrong!!!

Since stage one being constructed the Planning Scheme had been changed and  severely restricted what was achievable. For example  there were to be no openable  windows or doors  on the  northern or western facades…………Yet stage one was facing north. With some quick and innovative  design and lateral thinking  we provided  an air lock system to prevent  dust from the nearby monies to entering the  units. As this was the intention of the changes to the scheme.

Morgans Street Port Hedland

 The project has been recommended for Approval and we are  waiting for the decision notice to be issued.

Nebo

Back closer to home in the Bowen Basin coalfield region is Nebo in central Queensland  Nebo is a small town about 100 kms west of Mackay and is fast growing int a service hub for the coal mining industry.

Once again the “mining boom” has caused a shortage of accommodation for  the workers required to operate these massive mining operations.

Our client had has asked us to assist in gaining a Planning Approval and assist in gaining a Building Approval.  The project has  now been granted a Development Permit and we’re now proceeding with the  construction drawings  for  a construction.

Mary Street Nebo

Challenges with this project were  very stringent requirements for  a  “livable” type of  accommodation. Many smaller towns from on the  “fly in – fly out”  accommodation types or “dongas”  with their argument being that the  occupant don’t contribute to the local economy. Working long shifts they  only eat and sleep in these quarters. While there  must be a balance of accommodation types we’re confident that we’ve delivered a vibrant and  modern design that will enhance the  community.

more unique and successful projects coming soon