World-First, International Building Quality Centre (IBQC)
Cracks, leaks, faulty building, poor design … these are just some of the issues that have led to a crisis of confidence in the construction industry.
But now a world-first, independent organisation, the International Building Quality Centre (IBQC), based at the University of Canberra, is working to make buildings safer and better quality. The centre will be a hub for law reformers, policymakers and stakeholders all committed to designing building regulation that provides the greatest opportunity for best practice codes and laws. The aim is to restore confidence, and also create a better outcome for the community, says Professor Charles Lemckert, the IBQC’s Deputy Chair and UC’s Head of School, Design and the Built Environment.
Lemckert says that the trigger for establishing the centre were incidents such as the recent international building problems that have hit the press headlines.
“The whole idea of the centre is to bring the world’s best people together and to work out how to get the industry delivering a better product,” he says. “We want to come up with solutions, look at good practice, and work with industry and governments to come up with better guidelines, better legislation, better regulations.
”The IBQC, which was launched in February by UC’s Faculty of Arts and Design, started with a number of conversations and meetings with the chairman of the IBQC, Hon Consul Kim Lovegrove MSE RML FAIB, Lemckert FIEAust MAIB, and Robert Whittaker AM FRSN FAIB FAIQS MAIBS, adjunct professor at the University of Canberra. Even though the centre is in its early stages, it already includes a range of international experts, preeminent in their fields – from engineers, to lawyers and builders – from North America, Canada, England, and Australia. There are plans to expand the number of countries, and to have a global impact on shaping future policies.
Lemckert says the centre’s aim is to give everybody a better outcome. It is evident that technological advances in the building industry are accelerating, and this rate of acceleration is so fast that it has been difficult for building regulation to adapt quickly.“If you have the right regulations in place, the right processes in place, these are all huge benefits for everybody,” Lemckert says. “You get happier residents, and safer residents. The builder can do a better job with the design and better materials and better processes, and that makes them happier and more profitable. If they build it correctly the first time it will be cheaper because you don’t have to fix defects, and defects can be very costly.
”The university was incredibly supportive and proactive about establishing the centre, Lemckert says. UC students will also use the centre’s resources and database, which will improve students’ own practice when they graduate.
“Establishing the centre goes back to the support that Jason [Bainbridge] and the Faculty of Arts and Design gave. It was an attitude of ‘we can do things for the public good’,” Lemckert says.
“And one of the beautiful things about being based at the university is that we are not a private company, we are not a government agency. We have the pride of being an independent body that won’t be muzzled by political pressure or financial pressure.”
Story by Bronwyn Watson
Photo (L-R): Professor Robert Whittaker AM, Dr John Ting, His Excellency General the Honourable David Hurley AC DSC, Professor Charles Lemckert, Dr Saeed Banihashemi, Dr Hamed Golizadeh.
Find out more at www.IBQC.org.au or through Linkedin