Surveyors measure land and mark its boundaries. However, the job of a surveyor is much more specialised than this routine chore. Apart from measuring the borders of land, surveyors undertake several other complicated works like mapping deep ocean floors, monitoring environmental changes and subsequent hazards, etc. They use computer imaging technologies and satellite links also during the course of their work. The good old surveyor who used ordinary instruments to measure your backyard has long gone. There are several specialisations in the field of the modern surveyor. Cadastral Survey, Engineering Survey, Mining Survey, Hydrographic Survey, Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing, Geographical Information Systems, Archaeology, Geodesy and Forensics are the various fields in surveying today. In spite of all these fancy technologies, the fundamentals of surveying, known as Land Information, remain the backbone of the survey field. Read the rest of this entry »
Construction Engineers
October 26th, 2008Construction engineers specialise in several fields, right from the construction of small individual homes to large high rise commercial complexes to highways, railroads, airports, bridges, dams, production plants, mines, etc. These engineers require not only the knowledge of engineering but also the additional knowledge of management, economics, business procedures and human behaviour. The functions of a construction engineer are varied. They require to do the basic building design, site layout survey, site testing, cost estimating, planning and scheduling the construction, materials procurement, selection of construction equipment, concrete mix design, selection of other construction materials like glass, etc. and above all safety engineering. The construction engineer should also be fully familiar with the various norms, stipulations, directions, statutes and other governmental regulations that are in force in the area of construction and the engineer should ensure that all these are fully complied with, so that there is no hindrance to building approval. Read the rest of this entry »
Commercial and Industrial Air Conditioning
October 26th, 2008Normally, air conditioning is understood as the cooling of a room with an air conditioning machine. However, the term includes cooling, heating, ventilation, humidity control and smoke and fire ventilation services. Air conditioning for commercial & industrial applications is based on the above technologies, with specialised knowledge about the area to be air conditioned, the amount of cooling or heating or ventilation needed, the number of persons that would be present in that area on an average, etc. Air conditioning consultants for commercial and industrial air conditioning should be thorough with the January 2003 amendments to Building Code of Australia, which specify the several measures and regulations on building construction and the type of building materials that are allowed to be used in Australia. Read the rest of this entry »
Fire Prevention Consultants
October 24th, 2008Most countries have made it mandatory for commercial buildings to have adequate fire protection systems installed as a condition to granting of business licence to commercial establishments. The design, package and installation of fire protection equipment have to comply with the relevant statutes, standards and codes of the local authorities. Failure to do so can result in heavy penalties for non-compliance. Read the rest of this entry »
Glass Merchants and Glaziers
October 21st, 2008Modern life cannot be thought of without a few essential products like steel, cement, plastic and glass. Glass holds a special place in present day living, serving humanity in several ways. As such, glass merchants / glaziers are indispensable in today’s construction work. Insulated glass and specially treated glass are used in buildings for keeping the inside air either warm or cool, while providing adequate condensation. This glass contains sound control qualities also and is used in halls and auditoriums for better acoustics. Doors and windows are made safe and secure with the use of tempered glass and laminated glass. Modern commercial complexes, the glass panels not only reduce the necessity of artificial lighting but also provide a distinctive and attractive look and façade to the entire building. Even homes are made to look bright, inviting and airy by the creative usage of glass doors, large windows, skylights, sunrooms, etc. Read the rest of this entry »
Commercial & Industrial Cleaning
October 21st, 2008From private homes to large business establishments, cleaning of the premises is an essential work that needs to be done regularly. Whether it is the living space of the house or the work space of the business or the garages, restrooms, furniture, fans, ducts, etc., all of them require regular cleaning. Since even a working couple find it difficult to clean a small house regularly, it would be very difficult for large business houses to have their own in-house staff for attending to all aspects of cleaning. This inadequacy is duly filled in by private cleaning contractors. There are specialist cleaning contractors for commercial and industrial establishments. They are available in all the states of Australia. Read the rest of this entry »
Security Systems in Australia
October 21st, 2008Threats to individual homes and business houses are becoming quite unimaginable and unpredictable nowadays. From petty thieves to suicide bombers, the list is a bit unnerving. There is no room for complacency or for taking things easy. The threat is not only to the valuables and property but also to the individuals, whether it is the residents of a home or the employees of a business house. In spite of the above fact, the installation of good security systems is always done as a grudging purchase. This is because people are not clearly able to weigh the advantages and costs of a good security system with the possible losses that could occur in a threat situation. Read the rest of this entry »
Building Materials
October 14th, 2008Building construction is a vast subject, ranging from the construction of a small individual home to tall skyscraper commercial complexes and huge malls. The construction of non-residential buildings like hospitals, courts, schools, etc. require specialised design knowledge and use of different type of building materials. The building materials required will have a wide variance according to the size and the budget of the said construction. Even between two individual homes of the same size, there can be a huge difference in the materials used, depending on the budget allocation. A simple home can be constructed with a few building materials, while a similar home of the same size can use a large variety of materials if there is no constraint on the budget. Read the rest of this entry »
Building Designs
October 14th, 2008Until recently, Australian architects and builders have been building designs similar to that of their counterparts all over the world. They have extensively used high performance glass with reflective coating and insulating glass in their high-rise commercial buildings and residential apartments. However, the introduction of the new building regulations is set to change the scenario drastically. Since these regulations are meant to make the buildings more energy efficient, the construction industry has to include low emissivity glass, higher performance toned glass and Solar Low E glass, etc. in their building designs. The understanding of these new materials is very low in the industry. Regulators of the industry as well as the designers and developers have to realise the benefits of the above products, the resultant energy consumption and the potential reduction in the emissions of greenhouse gases. Read the rest of this entry »
Excavation
October 14th, 2008Excavation is normally associated with archaeology, while excavations done in the field of civil engineering are generally classified and included in a much broader term ‘earthworks’. Earth working is an engineering action that is done when massive quantities of soil or rock are moved. This act was done in a crude fashion several centuries ago. However, it slowly evolved as an exact science, with the engineers calculating the issues of soil fluidity, friction, quantity estimation, etc. so that the volumes of soil in the cuts or digs matched those of the fills. These calculations were done manually with a slide rule, using Simpson’s Rule and other similar methods. However, the advent of computers has brought in specialised software for these calculations. Read the rest of this entry »