Building real life knowledge on site

One of the interesting new subjects on offer in Year 10 this year is Applications of Maths and Engineering. 

Theory came to life when 21 boys and their teacher Anthony Keane recently visited a construction site of The Fawkner at 499 St Kilda Road, a large office block being converted into modern apartments.

The excursion gave the boys a realistic understanding of engineers work in the real world. The boys were guided around the site by two senior engineers from Icon Construction, who are working on the project. They explained some of the challenges of the project and how they had to problem solve and work out the best solutions for these issues. This generated interesting discussion with the boys keen to offer their opinions and possible solutions.

The costs associated with running a construction site such as this was also discussed.  Daily costs of a construction site such as this can cost $100,000 – $300,000 depending on the stage of the project.

The boys also learned the benefits of this type of renovation versus a completely new build which included such factors as less waste in demolition (environmental), less costs on structure, but higher costs on design plus the challenge of designing around existing conditions and often having to change the build to meet new standards.

The visit also highlighted the number of different trades and engineers involved in a major project like this and how important it was for all disciplines to work together to make the development a success.

It was sensational for the two engineers to give up their afternoon for us.