ADIOS AMIGOS – REFLECTION

Here is some music to accompany you, as you read my reflection, which is a mirror into my soul or something like that.

So that brings us to a conclusion of the semester (well, it’s just a conclusion to the end of our speaker convention thing) and I am more than happy to say I have mildly enjoyed the past 10 weeks. I must commend both you, and myself, for being able to drag ourselves out of bed at a god forbidden time in the morning to make it to these 9am classes and switch on so early in the day.

The past 10 weeks has taught me that keeping a blog is not easy. I have tried and tried so many times during my younger years to continuously blog, but I couldn’t do it! I got so sick of it and lazy (I am really lazy) so this task was designed by Julie to torture me!  (just kidding) I’ll be honest and say that I did not stick to it, week by week, however I did complete it, so that’s an achievement in itself.

One thing I enjoyed most about the past 10 weeks were the different types of speakers that paraded in front of us, and the different companies they came from. Studying Property Economics, I have no idea which avenue I want to pursue, and this subject has opened up so many doors for me. All these companies that I have never heard of before, teaching me and capturing my attention, I honestly wouldn’t mind working within the technology department of property/construction one day!

 10 weeks ago, I only knew of one “technological” thing in the industry, which was BIM. Today, that’s still all I know. haha, just kidding again Julie! I’ve learn’t more than that! I am both inspired and surprised by the amount of software and technology that is out there to help make everyone’s life easier. However, I shouldn’t be too surprised considering the upscale technology we have these days, and how much of an impact it plays in our lives. Technology is an amazing thing, and it is helping us day in day out, allowing for greater creations to be made, to help us in the future. The property industry must be extremely appreciative of all the softwares and programs out there created by companies like Hansen Yuncken and Mitchell Brandtman and I honestly do believe that without the innovative technology we have today, the property industry would not be so developed. I don’t care that we rely too much on technology, and that it even consumes us because I think that it betters us. Technology is a pool of ideas by other people and its a pool of ideas to help other people, “because none of us is as good as all of us” together, united.

So, that ends my blog for this semester! I was extremely challenged in so many ways by this blogging task, and I hope I do fairly well! Thank you to our dedicated lecturers for organising this for us, and thanks to everyone for checking in week by week and I hope we all smash the final exams!

WOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

P.S if you were all wondering as to why I would choose the song “Gangsters Paradise” by Coolio to accompany my Property Economics blog? It’s because our law lecturer once told me that the Construction and Property industry were made up of cut-throat people, who were basically like criminals- they were THUGS. No, I’m just kidding, I really liked the song. HEHEHE 🙂 (but he did say that)…

WEEK 8: MICHAEL PARKES

CONSTRUCTING THE FUTURE

WHICH HYWAY ARE YOU TAKING?

… bad pun/joke/whatever. I don’t even get it myself.

The HyWay system is a software system created for Hansen Yuncken (what a funky name! It sounds so German), an Australian commercial building company. The HyWay system is an online system that allows for the integration of data from a project to be sought out and organised in an orderly way, which is used through the format of different graphs and reports. Created through the assistance of BIM, HyWay allows easy access to a pool of information and Hansen Yuncken has bought into this as they’ve used it for school renovations.

Another project reaping in the benefits from BIM is the new Royal Adelaide Hospital, a $1.8 billion dollar project where the use of the latest technology allowed the design, construction and engineer team to work more sufficiently together, improving time-management, and resource allocation which assisted in a “well-oiled” environment.

Relations to the property industry:

So how does this help the property industry? Yes, technology is always deemed as an assisting tool, but lets dig deeper- how will the HyWay system help it? I honestly don’t think that this software would be helpful in the property side of things, but for construction companies, especially the larger ones, this could be the key to their success! A positive aspect of HyWay is that it allows for people to work independently, as they are able to access so much information at the click of a few buttons. However, I believe a negative aspect of it is that not everyone may adapt to the technological change, as some may enjoy the paperwork and physical aspect of the industry.

Week 10: CHRIS LINING

Can you taste it? Can you see it floating in the distance? Can you hear it?

THE END OF THE SEMESTER IS NEAR!!!

So from reading my blogs, even though I blabbed about how much I enjoyed uni in my “About Karen” section, I am the laziest person ever and you know what? I DO NOT CARE BECAUSE THIS IS THE LAST BLOG I EVER HAVE TO DO. Actually, I’ll do one more later as an evaluation of this whole assessment task in itself.

Okay, lets do this. THIS ONE IS FOR YOU JULIE.

CHRIS LINING! CHRIS LINING. HAVE YOU EVER HEARD THAT NAME? NO? Me too.

On a side note though, how do you pronounce his  surname? Was it Lining , like Winning? or was it lining, like the lining of a stitch or something? food for thought indeed.

He is from the BIM and Facilities Management of the OPERA HOUSE! Yes the OPERA HOUSE!!! (is the repeating thing getting annoying? I’m sorry if it is- as you can tell I can not contain my excitement).

So this gentleman today stressed the importance of BIM to us (no surprises there considering this whole SUBJECT is all about TECHNOLOGY… okay I am really sorry that this post is getting off track and all sarcastic and weird) and how the use of different softwares was the key to the maintenance of the Sydney Opera House, one of Australia’s most popular landmarks.

Like businesses and humans, most buildings have a lifecycle, and seeing as the Opera House was built in 1973, it would definitely need a bit of maintenance and house keeping if it was to accommodate for the 8 million visitors each year. As the Opera House is now 40 years old, it needs preservation in order to prevent it from deteriorating, so Chris, good old Chris, uses BIM to efficiently and constantly improve the maintenance and upkeep of our infamous, and notorious landmark.

Personally I think its great that the Opera House has Chris to care for it! I know how run-down buildings can get and for Chris to be there, on call all day everyday is great dedication. BIM is a fascinating thing isn’t it? How it can help one of Australia’s monumental landmarks, as well as reap in the profits of projects, and save the government unneeded costs.

WEEK 9: CAITLIN HINTZ

WHY HAVE 1D WHEN YOU CAN HAVE 5D?

After a much need mid-semester break, I came back dreading uni more than ever (rather than rejuvenated)… As I dragged myself to our early 9am class I wondered if my brain would even function properly to absorb in any of the information, or if I should just stay home and rest up for the next week. I obviously came to class…

David Mitchell from Mitchell Brandtman couldn’t make it, so Caitlin Hintz joined us instead. Mitchell Brandtman Quantity Surveyors, is one of Australia’s only companies that run 5D BIM software. 5D modelling is the use of 3D models, incorporated with the costs of creating the project, in turn creating a timeline of the costs for the project, thus reducing mistakes and using pre-emptive measures to ensure that the project is completed efficiently. The Quantity Surveyors use several models to provide different quantities used for the job, thus gaining a larger picture.

Caitlin explained to us how BIM assists quantity surveyors in their live cost plan calculations and how the Model allows them to change and recalculate when issues occur along the way, sometimes before construction even starts.

We were also introduced to us LOD levels, which are varying levels that grows in accuracy as the 4 different levels increase. The levels include:

1. LOD 100: Concept design and working the concept
2. LOD 200: schematic design and start of living cost plan
3. LOD 300: Developed design, living cost planning and construction
4. LOD 400 to 500: Cost integrated as constructed model

I honestly believe that 5D BIM will eventually become an everyday use in the construction industry. It allows access to so much information! Anything between a complex design, to lists and lists of costs that the project has endured. 5D BIM allows for quicker measurements to be made, its both cost and time efficient and allows for the team to focus on other things, as the accuracy of the software enables them to do so.

I’ll be honest, Caitlin Hintz did not interest me at all. Her talk did not capture my attention, the information did not jump out at me and yell out, ISN’T THIS GREAT? Maybe it was because I had a huge weekend? Maybe it was because I am over uni at this point? But I think it’s okay that I didn’t enjoy her talk. I mean it’s each to their own right? 

 

WEEK 7: JULIAN D’ONOFRIO and RICK BENJAMIN

WOOOOOOOOOWOWOWOWOWOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
WE’RE TWO WEEKS AWAY FROM MID-SEM BREAK. I CAN TASTE THE FREEDOM FROM HERE. I am seriously starting to get so sick of uni… I just want to sleep in all day…

Anyways, have you seen the Dr. Chau Chak Wing Building yet? If you answered yes, you are out of your mind because it is still being built (awkward…). Here is an image of the 3D model of the building though:

So the two speakers today, Julian D’Onofrio and Rick Benjamin, work for Lendlease and were here to discuss with us ARUP, the structural engineering group that won the chance to build, engineer and design the Dr. Chau Chak Wing Building.
ARUP Group is a multinational professional services team that has offices in over 40 countries, and are renown in Australia for their involvement with the Sydney Opera House, Melbourne Cricket Ground and the National Museum of Australia.

This is what Frank Gehry, the architecture for the building had to say about his work:

“I think that for the student / staff / teacher relationship, I would hope that the building invites interaction – accidental interaction – because in a way that’s better than the contrived stuff. Those are things that are built into the program already, that the faculty and the students will bump into each other. It’s a healthy part of the program, I thought, from the beginning. We’re designing to facilitate that.”
– Frank Gehry

Sustainability is another aspect that has been carefully thought through and played into this, as they are targeting a 5 Star Green Star Educational Building Rating, through the implementation of low carbon emissions (achieved by using low-energy equipment), use of natural sunlight, and an “on-site tri-generation power supply”.

Personally I am loving this building! I love how different and weird it is and I believe Gehry has done one heck of a job! I believe that UTS needs this kind of building in its campus, because right now we’re disadvantaged compared to the architecture of USYD and UNSW. I mean, USYD has their Hogwarts outlook, and UNSW has their whole American campus life atmosphere and what did UTS have? Not much to be honest! This building is exactly what we need! And with their whole “tree of knowledge” thing going on, I believe it will draw many future students to study at UTS purely for the “cool building”.

Here is a video on the time lapse of the building.

WEEK 6: RYAN HANLEN and FAWZI SOLIMAN

Week 6 consisted of a talk from Professor Fawzi Soliman and Ryan Hanlen, both of whom were BIM Managers. The speakers divided their talk into 6 different sections, which is my preference, as I believe I learn better when information is broken down and explained. Both Mr Soliman and Mr Hanlen covered BIM Progression, Design to Construction, Immersive Environment, Geographical Diversity, Mobile BIM and future Development.

So Building Information Modelling is like a cycle, there’s the beginning stage in which ideas are put to paper, example models are built, and decisions are made. Then there’s the building stage, a maintenance stage, some renovations may be done, and sometimes demolishment- so really, BIM assists developers to see the overall end result before anything is built.

Before BIM was created, developers had to use hand drawn prints and they had to directly contact people, rather than have all the information at the touch of their finger. After the creation of BIM, CAD (computer aided design) was developed. CAD allows for 3D modules to be created on screen, and it can be adjusted any time. These two softwares work in sync with one another, and they also work separately as well.

I believe that with BIM around, less errors are to occur, and fewer mistakes made, meaning less costs for the company. Many companies within the industry use BIM due to its easy-to-use access, its cost-saving ways, and its time time-efficient usage.

Week 5: ALLAN TEALE

Heyyyyyy guys, welcome to week 5! Slowly, but surely this semester is well on its way, and I’m starting to get into the gist of things once more. Week 5 consisted of a visit from Allan Teale which I thoroughly enjoyed because he was a jolly speaker that knew how to capture the classes attention again, when he saw we were zoning off. I’ve personally used R.P Data before for another assignment and I love it. R.P Data was probably my main source of assistance for the assignment I completed in my Property Valuation subject, and I can say that it consists of everything you would need when researching different properties and gaining an insight into the history of it. R.P Data is a database filled with property information: property sales that also included relevant information on rental listings, history of the property, photos, descriptions and relevant information. However, throughout Allan’s talk I realised that I couldn’t just rely on R.P Data as my main resource (too late…..), as they only represent a fraction of the information available on each property, and that R.P Data should be used in conjunction with other web resources, such as Price Finder. Price Finder is another property researching tool that assists users in finding information for all properties, that many real estate advisers use.

An example of how R.P Data is not always reliable:

 

As you can see in the top picture, the property is listed as a unit, however it is a house. The photo under it is described as a commercial strata unit, but it is obviously a part of someone’s property.

Our guest speaker Allan Teale

R.P DATA

Relations to the property industry:

As I stated before, I personally loved R.P Data as I found it was very assisting in all my assignment requirements, however I assume that for those within the industry that have more knowledge than I do, would not entirely rely on R.P Data itself, seeing as it has some mistakes, as shown before. I believe it is a great tool for some quick research and background knowledge, but I guess professionals would not use information gained from this website as the most reliable source.

 

Week 4: SUSAN FELTAOUS and CAROLYN TRICKETT

At the beginning of this semester I promised myself that I would show up to every class, on time. By week 4 I’ve managed to fail myself, being 10 minutes late to class. I couldn’t be bothered listening to a pair of women drone on and on about Property and Asset Management, however by the time I get there all my peers seemed to be  engaged (not sure if it’s because they were women, and 90% of the class is made up of males, or because they were really interested).
So what did Susan and Carolyn talk about…………?

Okay, so Susan was the head of engineering and operations, and Carolyn was the head of business technology and they both worked for Jones Lang Laselle. They covered this talk in two different parts:

1. The systems that make the building work
2. What we do with the data from those systems

So the systems that make the building work in a typical building incorporates the usage of bms, vertical transport, electrical power, air conditioning, and fire protection, whereas a high performance building would consist of blings, lighting sensors, material selection, advanced technology and waste management. She went on to discuss how a high performing building is efficient, healthy, productive, resilient and sustainable, thus decreasing the costs of running a building, therefore an increase in profit.

Carolyn then took over and explained how Jones Lang Laselle’s system would assist property owners through the measurement of the building’s sustainability, which is done through tracing of bills and data. Through their evaluation of each property, they can then come up with tactics on how to reduce the bills, helping to create a more environmentally friendly place.

 

 

 

Week 2: BORCE DIMESKI

Hey guys!

So on the 6th of August, week 2 of semester 2, our guest speaker Borce Dimeski paid us a visit to give us an overview of the information technology systems in planning, an important factor within the property industry, as its versatile nature causes for individuals to often fall behind, thus mistakes and lost opportunities are created.

Mr Dimeski’s talk covered various bases on Geographical Information Systems (GIS) which allowed for further insight and stronger understanding by the students.

So what is a Geographical Information System?

Geographical information systems, also known as GIS are computer-based storage forums that integrates hardware, software and data to manage and analyse different forms of geographic data. GIS allows users to view, understand and interpret data all whilst visualising it, in many ways which are able to reveal relationships, patterns and trends in the forms of maps, reports and charts.

Components of GIS

GIS is made of up 5 components. These include:

1. People
2. Data
3. Software
4. Hardware
5. Analysis

What is GIS used for?

GIS can be applied to the following:

• Planning
• Property
• Design
• Construction
• Project management
• Cost management
• Facilities management

and the applications of GIS are found in:

• Population
• environment
• space
• employment
• aerial imagery

With two main geographic features, we are able to  form a spatial dataset. A spatial dataset is a collection of information about a certain location and can be viewed as a “single digital entity”. The geographic features offered are:

• Vector datasets, which involves Autocad
• Raster datasets, which involves aerial and satellite images

The focus was  mainly upon the idea of layering and how geographic features presented users with much more detailed information in the maps. The geographic feature presented should follow this dynamic:

GRAPHICS, TRAFFIC LIGHTS, ROADS, PARCELS, REGIONS AND RASTER

Whilst he also pointed out that the functions of the geographic features were to:

• capture
• store
• query
• analyze
• display
• output

Mr. Dimeski then went on to discuss spatial analysis, and provided us with a definition by David. W Allen:

Spatial analysis is the problem-solving aspect of GIS. From a cursory evaluation, the tools seem very basic – buffers, overlays, selections – but when combined in a particular sequence, they can reveal things about the data that can’t be seen in a spreadsheet or chart. 

So how does this application work within the property industry? 

Innovation is a vital aspect to the technological world, and I believe that GIS is the innovation that the property industry needs. Through all the planning, designing, building, and sustaining, GIS is pushing this industry to succeed through the long-term planning, helping to predict what is to come. GIS is already party of our daily lives, so why wouldn’t it play a large role in the property side of things. All this information compiled into simple database softwares, is an assistance in itself. From developers using it to review images, analyse different areas, to collecting simple data and geographical information- GIS has it all.

Week 3: ALEX MOFFATT

So as a first year property economics student, my knowledge about this industry is not that great. In saying that, as I have a little more knowledge than the average person about the property industry, it has come to my attention, the impact that Information Technology has within the property valuations department, and how it plays a vital factor. So this week, Alex Moffatt from Estate Master enlightened us with a rivetting presentation on how IT is able to assist with the analysis and risk management within property valuation. As Estate Master is a corporate software it offers its clients five different modules, which includes:

• Development feasibility
• Development management
• Corporate consolidation
• Investment appraisal
• Hotel feasibility

With ‘Estate Master’ offering 5 modules, I think that the range of options allows clients to dive deeper into their analysing and valuation process. I believe that this program would be excellent for larger companies as its program has so many options to assist with a larger scale valuation, rather than the local residential home, thus not being much use to the smaller real estate agencies.

Relations to the property industry:

I believe that Estate Master is not a bang for buck. For smaller businesses or the individual person within the industry, this software  is made for more of a larger corporation, considering the creators are charging us a good $15,000. This software is definitely created for a niche market, considering there aren’t many large Construction and Property companies, but more so medium-small sized. The software allows for broken down insight into the development of projects and where the funds are being implemented, therefore my final opinion is that it is useful for the larger company that can gain more out of it.