MINUTES
AUCKLAND BRANCH
TRAINING AND NETWORKING EVENT
held on
18th APRIL at 6.00PM
at
ALEXANDRA PARK,
GREENLANE, AUCKLAND
Welcome:
Branch Chairperson Glynn Robertson opened the meeting, welcoming members, new members, and guests. He then extended a special welcome to the event’s sponsors:
o Potter Interior Systems
o Conqa
Attendance:
101 people recorded their attendance
(55 RSVP’d)
Apologies:
Tineke de Villiers / Andrew collier / Peter Laurenson / Darryl Kemp / Ian McCormick
Moved: Jean Keay Seconded: Alistair Couper
Previous Minutes:
The previous Auckland Branch Networking and Training Event minutes were read and recorded as accurate. Please note the minutes are a monthly meeting notice email from our BOINZ National Office attached to the following months agenda. They are No longer being sent out separately. All minutes, including other branches can be read in your MYBOINZ portal
Moved: Pieter le Roes Seconded: Richard Fromont
Correspondence In/Out:
Board Elections
• Voting access for Board Member Elections – The matter for Auckland Council members will be addressed.
Moved: Hasan Shueb Seconded: Steven Peng
General Business:
o Paul Vernon – Megapoxy – epoxy resin construction adhesive stone to structure (Megapoxy) – has this been tested for NZ conditions? Be aware of it as long as it complies with the NZBC
Moved: Ted Jones Seconded: Steven Peng
Guest Presentation:
Keynotes: Malcom Christie, Account Manager, Passive Fire, Potters Interior Systems
o Provide products and solutions to NZ’s commercial construction market
o Potters Interior Systems is owned by CSR Building Products New Zealand Limited. Taken over in 2010
o Services include Aluminium Partitions, Suspended Ceiling Grid and Panels, Insulation, Passive Fire Protection, Whiteboards, Pinboards and acoustic wall coverings
o They are 51 years old and their annual turnover is A$2.5bn.
o They are renown for high specification and NZ/AS compliant passive fire products, systems and materials, they specialise in Commercial and industrial sectors, with Active, Passive and other areas of fire protection
o Malcom’s area is in passive fire
Active Fire protection systems:
o Products or systems which require motion and response, in order to operate efficiently in the event of a fire.
o Products are Sprinklers, extinguishers, and active detection systems
Passive Fire protection systems:
o The Containment of fires through compartmentalisation and penetration seals.
o Fire stopping, pipe collars, cable protection, fire rated openings, paints, mortars etc.
Other protection systems:
o Built in systems through FR walls and floors.
Fire stopping is a method of compartmentalisation against passage of smoke and fire.
Where walls, floors, electrical cables, penetrations, services that you’d find in a building.
Why do we need to get fire stopping right? Because of the ability to restrict and minimise the
potential harm to occupants and damage to property from both the spread of smoke and fire.
Building Code – Compliance documents C/ASX:
o Section 4.4 requirements for fire stopping
o Section 5.1 requirements for fire resistance
o C5.1.2 all fire stops shall be tested
What could go wrong?
o Installation methodology is wrong, For example, a wrong pipe or incorrect sizing.
AS1530.4:2005 testing method, is a method for fire tests on building materials, components and
structures.
o AS/NZS1530.4 – fire resistance
o AS/NZS1530.3 – flammability
AS4072.1:2005: Components for the protection of openings in fire-resistant separating elements:
o Part 1 States how you can install it, with allowable variations from a test.
o Look for the sponsor of the test, typically the manufacturer due to IP ownership.
o Assessments do expire as per AS4072.1, there is no validity longer than 10 years.
Position statement for the acceptance of fire stopping:
o Compliance with the standard 1530.4
o BS testing could be an alternative compliance pathway with support from an independent Laboratory
In an ideal world:
o Fire stopping PS2 submissions, to be included in the design at the consenting stage
o Product substitution requires amendment to formalise change.
o Everything else falls into place. (PS3 on site, PS4 sign off by engineer, Inspector sighting)
Position statement:
Testing to AS4072, engineering judgement and alternative solutions must be supported by the manufacturer. BS476, UL1479, EN1366 etc equivalent testing standards elsewhere can be demonstrated.
Products are tested in conjunction with penetrating services as a SYSTEM, never mix and match.
Ensure load bearing products are assessed & tested.
Questions:
Q – B2 durability of fire seals – how long do they last? How long does a fire sealant last?
A – A Manufacturer should provide a declaration to include expected life without maintenance, tied into
12A inspections and review on the BWOF items. Look into the test reports for specific limitations.
More research needs to be done to the products available, as no supporting evidence is available on
the market.
Q - Mastics not to be used under UV lights?
A – You need to read into the test reports and assess the limitations.
Q – At the moment the industry (passive fire) is unregulated for installation, would you see only
approved installers to install fire penetrations in the future?
A – Some form of accreditation needs to be in place to start control/police installers and the quality of installation. Small pockets of attempts been made, fire stopping is not a trade per say, it is often left to other tradesmen who require to make penetration, to fill up the hole.
Q – Back to previous question on durability. Do you disclose to future clients the products
expected lifespan? And if accessible, do you make recommendation to clients the replacement
recommendation?
A – Second part – yes. First part – It is difficult for Potter to make a 50-year durability declaration because they don’t know what is involved in the service history. In the technical contents and statement sheets they don’t often address the System/Products durability.
Keynotes: CONQA – Luke Mexted
“NZ will have the world’s best construction industry and it will be driven by quality”
Conqa is a software platform provider designed to make quality assurance simple, accountable and transparent. They help support construction companies transform QA systems to enhance progress.
o Globally, construction has grown by 1% annually over the past two decades
o Main contractors are not making profits
About Conqa:
o In 2016 there were 4 in the team, growing to 6 employees in 2017, and now in 2018 we have 23 in the team
o Subscriptions: over 200 trade contractors
o Over 120 Tier 1 & 2 trades
o 70% of their customers are trade contractors
o Simple, Accountable, and transparent quality application
o Work in the Commercial & Residential Sectors
o Civil & infrastructure
Quality assurance:
o Process of insuring building has been constructed as per designed, documented with
evidence and built plans
o Time poor inspectors
o Site not ready for inspection
o Lack of trust in the industry
o Bad workmanship result in failed inspections
Reducing Risk through Quality Assurance:
o Quality workmanship plus compliance equals quality assurance
o Provides an accurate record of works
o Ability to streamline the build process
o Trade handover records
o Live update on project status and minimise failed inspections, simply by knowing the work is up to date and ready for inspection
Product tours:
o Fully customisable and digitised content
o The user experience is easy, application is intuitive
o Accountability: Reports on all data captured. Such as, Photos, comments, sign offs, instantaneous.
o Transparency: captures all milestones, refer to the dashboard to see progress, there is live updates on progress.
o Collaboration: Includes all levels of collaboration – live.
o Various levels of customisation, to suit different Trade Professions
o Productivity: Automating the information chain – value chain
Passive Fire:
o Product and materials are required
o Is the Penetration construction complete?
o Each penetration is recorded, digitised, and tracked
NZ will have the world’s best construction industry and it will be driven by Quality
Questions:
Q – Can your system be manipulated?
A – The System has the ability to track and account on falsifications
Q – Who employs Conqa?
A – There is a monthly subscription cost paid for by the user companies
Q – If the Council has done its job properly, why would we need you?
A – Quality Assurance (QA) is integral to construction companies and is traditionally done manually and by paper. What Conqa has done is it has turned the QA to a live platform and provide instantaneous input, and output gratification. There are now accurate records to monitor and fall back on.
Q – At the end of the project, what do Councils get as a record and what does the client get as a
compliance report?
A – All exports are in PDF format, you can print specific information collated in the data that is captured during construction
Q – If a Council inspector turns up on site and realises that the Conqa QA has not been completed, does the Council have reasonable grounds to walk away?
A – It is possible, but that is on individual assessment based on Council policy.
Q – What sort of feedback are you getting from Clients in dealing with Councils?
A – There is a lack of QA in the residential build sector. Educational journey to the builders, which works well with the progressive partners who are willing to work with a system, to enhance their business efficiency and build quality.
Q – How much does it cost?
A – It is based on the contract value for the main contractor, consultant, and developer, and is a monthly subscription-based package.
Q – Could Conqa replace Council inspections?
A – The Council has legal responsibility to sign off and certify projects. Only a registered BCA can give a Code of Compliance Certificate (CCC). Conqa is simply there as supporting information and a collated document process to supplement the CCC assessment.
Next Branch Training and Networking Event: Scheduled for 20th June at Alexandra Park, Auckland
Glynn Robertson Auckland Branch Chairperson thanked all presenters, sponsors and members for their participation for the evening, and a special thank you to Grant Brown for organising the event
Meeting Closed
Glynn Robertson Closed the Meeting at 7.10pm
Steven Peng
Auckland Branch Secretary
Steven.peng@holmesfarsight.com
