<p>Malaysian developer <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/s-p-setia">SP Setia</a> is the latest to jump into St Leonards booming Transport Oriented Development precinct.</p>

<p>The developer, which has previously delivered Sapphire by the Gardens apartment development in Melbourne, identified the Atchison Street site in 2023. It filed a Scoping Report around 12 months ago, and now has revealed the designs for the new&nbsp;40-storey mixed-use tower.</p>

<p>The State Significant Development Application covers <a href="https://next-portal.urban.com.au/projects/14650/summary">20-22 Atchison Street</a>, a 1,374 sqm site positioned between St Leonards Station and the new Crows Nest Metro station.</p>

<p>Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/cox-architecture">COX Architecture</a>, the project would deliver 181 apartments, above a four-storey commercial podium, five basement levels, and new public domain works along Mitchell Street. The apartment mix comprises 35 one-bedroom apartments, 39 one-bedroom-plus-study apartments, 85 two-bedroom apartments, and 22 three-bedroom residences.</p>

<p>The proposal has been lodged as a shop-top housing development under the NSW Government’s TOD planning pathway, which allows increased density around key transport infrastructure. The site sits within the recently rezoned Crows Nest Accelerated TOD Precinct.</p>

<p><img alt="First look: SP Setia targets St Leonards skyline with 40-storey TOD tower" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="b799673d-48e2-46b0-801a-0e33a9330100" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/atchinson%20site.png?VersionId=dPh0UfwfaHpbFL1R7H1cbZNbIW0CHbCC" /></p>

<p>SP Setia acquired the Atchison Street site as part of its continued expansion into the Australian apartment market. In comments made to City &amp; Country (The Edge Malaysia) in 2023, SP Setia President and CEO Datuk Choong Kai Wai described the acquisition as “a strategic move” aligned with the group’s post-pandemic market recovery strategy.</p>

<p>“Our target for this exceptional development is local and overseas buyers, including first-home buyers, downsizers and investors,” Choong said.</p>

<p>The tower has been designed as a slender vertical form rising from a mixed-use podium, with COX Architecture positioning the development as a response to the evolving St Leonards and Crows Nest skyline.</p>

<p>“The purpose of the project is to facilitate the delivery of high-quality housing at a strategically located site and deliver a built tower outcome that is consistent with the desired future character of St Leonards and aligns with the TOD controls,” the design report stated.</p>

<p><img alt="First look: SP Setia targets St Leonards skyline with 40-storey TOD tower" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="b1a85eee-76f7-436c-a6da-73ba827b9b13" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/atchinson%20entry.png?VersionId=dA9jHGPMcm.dDbwk4QfxqWiY5bfh3UVt" /></p>

<p>The podium would incorporate retail uses fronting Atchison Street, commercial tenancies, landscaped communal areas, and pedestrian improvements along Mitchell Street. Vehicle access and loading would be consolidated via Atchison Lane.</p>

<p>Residents would have access to more than 665 sqm of communal indoor and outdoor spaces, while the development proposes 96 parking spaces across five basement levels.</p>

<p>The proposal also includes a commitment for 10 per cent of residential floor space to be allocated toward affordable housing through a monetary contribution.</p>

<p>COX said the tower form responds directly to the emerging high-density character of the precinct while seeking to maximise solar access, cross ventilation, and outlook from apartments.</p>

<p><img alt="First look: SP Setia targets St Leonards skyline with 40-storey TOD tower" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="2163f85c-f63b-4be3-aafa-f8763976cec5" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Article%20Feature%20Image%20%28Grid%29_5.png?VersionId=WiAmtIKJ6.ZQ41EtYEQ1fol7AeorKBlL" /></p>

<p>“The building is orientated towards north,” the Apartment Design Guide compliance report noted, adding that the tower’s slim form was driven by the constrained inner-urban site dimensions.</p>

<p>The design also incorporates landscaped setbacks and communal open space at podium level, intended to soften the interface with surrounding streets and improve pedestrian amenity.</p>

<p>The project adds to a growing wave of redevelopment proposals reshaping St Leonards and Crows Nest following the opening of the Sydney Metro City line and the NSW Government’s push for higher-density housing around major transport nodes.</p>

<p>Last week Stockland filed plans just down the road. They want to build a <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/601-pacific-highway-st-leonards-nsw-2065">52-storey tower on Pacific Highway</a>.</p>

<p><em>Read more:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/nsw/first-look-stockland-plans-52-storey-538-apartment-st-leonards-tower">First look: Stockland plans 52-storey, 538-apartment St Leonards tower&nbsp;</a></em></p>


Joel Robinson

First look: SP Setia targets St Leonards skyline with 40-storey TOD tower

<p><a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/urban-property-group">Urban Property Group</a> has revealed plans for a new mixed-use tower at 10 Dangar Street, Wickham, advancing a proposal that would reshape the southern gateway to Newcastle’s city centre with one of the city’s tallest residential buildings.</p>

<p>The State Significant Development proposal, now on exhibition, seeks approval for a <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/bowline-10-dangar-street-wickham-nsw-2293">43-storey tower</a> immediately adjacent to the Newcastle Interchange. The project would deliver around 200 apartments, including 42 affordable housing dwellings, alongside 99 co-living units, a 171-room hotel, retail space, and new public domain integrated through the site.</p>

<p>The scheme marks a significant escalation of plans previously approved for the site. Urban Property Group took over the prominent 2,904 sqm parcel, where excavation and demolition had already commenced under an earlier consent for a 14-storey mixed-use development.</p>

<p><img alt="First look: Urban Property Group unveils Newcastle’s next supertower at Wickham interchange" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="58a96dd9-407f-4d20-86b4-94e4bfeef74b" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/wickham%20podium.png?VersionId=LGlf08pdFGAZDzvx_CXC4XakHNZRuEE0" /></p>

<p>Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/sjb-architects">SJB</a>, the tower has been conceived as a landmark transit-oriented development anchored to the Newcastle Interchange precinct. The proposal includes 245 build-to-sell apartments across a mix of one, two, and three-bedroom residences, as well as two penthouses. Fifteen apartments and one operational unit are earmarked for NDIS housing. The co-living component would add a further 99 units, while the podium would accommodate retail uses and hotel facilities.</p>

<p>SJB said the site presents “a valuable opportunity to anchor the precinct by setting the standard for design, active ground planes and character at the key southern gateway.”</p>

<p>The architecture responds directly to the site’s position beside major transport infrastructure and within one of Newcastle’s fastest-evolving urban renewal precincts. The tower form sits above a sculpted podium designed to frame new public spaces, including a through-site pedestrian link connecting Station Street to Hannell Street, landscaped plazas, and activated retail edges.</p>

<p><img alt="First look: Urban Property Group unveils Newcastle’s next supertower at Wickham interchange" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="a7bd6ff0-f7db-4ce8-a6dc-ea56e72c6149" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/wickham%20lanne.png?VersionId=xzf39VADyhj7zBQY2I9fx9vI62u2tuSb" /></p>

<p>The design report describes the project as part of the broader transition of Wickham into “a vibrant, high-quality mixed-use urban precinct” that leverages proximity to the station, open space, and regional connectivity.</p>

<p>A detailed public art strategy has also been prepared for the development. The strategy positions the project as “a transit-oriented development of state significance at the gateway to Newcastle’s city centre” and outlines a series of integrated artworks responding to Newcastle’s industrial and transport heritage.</p>

<p>Creative Road’s curatorial framework for the project, titled Unveil, draws on “stratified surfaces, carved volumes, and light-filled apertures” while referencing Newcastle’s transformation from an industrial city into a contemporary education and technology hub.</p>

<p><img alt="First look: Urban Property Group unveils Newcastle’s next supertower at Wickham interchange" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="77a882bb-14b1-4d28-99ff-9438e39508c0" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/wickham%20site.png?VersionId=cevgo_vN0eKPK78P8YcEu3mKPLkpFqE7" /></p>

<p>The proposal is being advanced through the NSW Housing Delivery Authority pathway after being declared State Significant Development in June 2025. The accompanying scoping report states the development aims to “maximise the site’s proximity to the Newcastle Interchange by delivering transit-oriented development” while increasing housing supply and affordable housing provision within the Newcastle LGA.</p>

<p>Urban Property Group’s plans align with the long-term strategic vision established under the Wickham Master Plan, which identified the interchange precinct as suitable for substantial uplift in height and density. The current proposal would significantly intensify that vision, positioning the tower among the tallest developments proposed for Newcastle.</p>

<p>The site sits immediately north of the Newcastle Interchange, bounded by Dangar Street, Hannell Street, and Charles Street. It is surrounded by a rapidly growing cluster of residential towers and mixed-use projects that have emerged following the completion of the light rail and transport interchange.</p>


First look: Urban Property Group unveils Newcastle’s latest tower at Wickham interchange

<p>Bottega House has completed settlement of a landmark riverfront site in Macquarie Street, St Lucia, representing its first major Brisbane development.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Positioned on the banks of the Brisbane River, the <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/180-macquarie-street-st-lucia-qld-4067">premium site at 180 Macquarie Street</a> features uninterrupted river frontage in one of Brisbane’s most tightly held residential precincts.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The proposed development, currently under assessment with Brisbane City Council, has been designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/plus-studio">Plus Studio</a> with interiors by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/interior-designers/mim-design">Mim Design</a> and will deliver a boutique collection of premium residences positioned specifically for owner occupiers and downsizers.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The residences are set to redefine luxury apartment living in the area, with a focus on architectural quality, refined finishes, landscape integration and elevated amenities including curated wellness facilities, resort-style pools and recreation spaces rarely seen in the local market.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Exclusive sales for the project will be led by Keenan &amp; Byrne, ahead of an anticipated launch later this year.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Bottega House Managing Director Nick Malloch said the project reflects the group’s ambition to deliver a highly curated residential offering within one of Brisbane’s most tightly held precincts.&nbsp;</p>

<p>“This is an incredibly rare riverfront opportunity and one we have approached with a long-term perspective,” Malloch said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>“Our vision from the outset was to create a boutique collection of residences that feel more like private homes than traditional apartments, with generous proportions, refined finishes and exceptional amenity throughout."</p>

<p>Malloch says there is a&nbsp;lack of premium owner-occupier stock of this quality in the market, particularly for downsizers wanting space, privacy and a true lifestyle offering without compromise.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"Demand is expected to be strong given the scarcity of premium riverfront opportunities of this nature within Brisbane’s inner-west."&nbsp;</p>


Bottega House secures landmark riverfront site in St Lucia 

<section data-scroll-anchor="false" data-testid="conversation-turn-6" data-turn="assistant" data-turn-id="request-WEB:84a2af5e-d7cf-4ddf-922a-f4d44d6c6caa-2" data-turn-id-container="request-WEB:84a2af5e-d7cf-4ddf-922a-f4d44d6c6caa-2" dir="auto">
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<p data-end="157" data-start="0">The arrival of the first piling rig officially marks the commencement of construction at SIERA’s new beachside apartment development, Exhale, in Northcliffe.</p>

<p data-end="459" data-start="159"><a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/exhale-surfers-paradise-8-enderley-avenue-surfers-paradise-qld-4217">Exhale</a>, a glass-encased tower featuring 54 large-scale apartments at 8 Enderley Avenue, is SIERA’s third Gold Coast development. It follows the recently completed PIPIS Bilinga beachfront project, which achieved suburb-record prices, and the soon-to-be-completed Chevron Island development, Tapestry.</p>

<p data-end="459" data-start="159">[smartcode_project:default project_id=112661 project_image_fid=359603]</p>

<p data-end="651" data-start="461"><a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/siera">SIERA</a> Founder and Managing Director Brent Thompson said the arrival of the piling rig represented a significant milestone for the development, which is scheduled for completion in late 2028.</p>

<p data-end="950" data-start="653">Over the next month, around 260 piles are expected to be installed as work progresses on the basement structure. The building is anticipated to rise above ground level early next year, before unveiling its sculptural glass curtain wall, developed in collaboration with specialist façade engineers.</p>

<p data-end="1081" data-start="952">“The façade was designed to maximise panoramic coastal views while creating a distinctive architectural identity,” Thompson said.</p>

<p data-end="1081" data-start="952">[smartcode_project:default project_id=112661 project_image_fid=355935]</p>

<p data-end="1307" data-start="1083">Designed by BDA Architecture, Exhale will comprise just 54 two- and three-bedroom residences across 26 levels, a level of low-density living rarely delivered in this beachside pocket between Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach.</p>

<p data-end="1522" data-start="1309">The project has been conceived as a resident-only building, with no short-stay accommodation permitted. SIERA says the model is intended to appeal to long-term owner-occupiers rather than transient holiday demand.</p>

<p data-end="1522" data-start="1309">[smartcode_project:default project_id=112661 project_image_fid=361052]</p>

<p data-end="1714" data-start="1524">Residences have been designed with large-format layouts and expansive glazing, with most apartments featuring more than 30 metres of glass frontage to maximise natural light and ocean views.</p>

<p data-end="1945" data-start="1716">The amenity offering spans two levels and centres on wellness and lifestyle, including a heated magnesium pool, sauna, yoga and Pilates studio, gymnasium, private dining facilities, cinema lounge, and dedicated surfcraft storage.</p>

<p data-end="1945" data-start="1716">[smartcode_project:default project_id=112661 project_image_fid=359607]</p>

<p data-end="2220" data-is-last-node="" data-is-only-node="" data-start="1947">More than half of the apartments have already sold. SIERA has also opened a sales gallery for Exhale at its Chevron Island commercial premises, near its Tapestry tower and the site of its second Chevron Island apartment development, which is slated to launch in early 2027.</p>
</section>
</section>

<p>[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=112661]</p>


SIERA kicks off construction at Northcliffe tower Exhale

<p data-end="320" data-start="79">Local Little Bay residents, along with buyers from premium postcodes across Sydney’s affluent Eastern Suburbs, have dominated purchases in developer-builder Urban Property Group’s first Eastern Suburbs apartment development, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/este-little-bay-jennifer-street-little-bay-nsw-2036">ESTE Little Bay</a>.</p>

<p data-end="638" data-start="322">The $250 million coastal project, one of the first new developments in the area in several years, has proven particularly popular with downsizers, especially those from Coogee and Bondi. One Double Bay downsizer paid $4.7 million for a four-bedroom penthouse, setting a new local apartment price record in the process.</p>

<p data-end="864" data-start="640">Buyers have been attracted to the combination of coastal tranquillity, premium design and amenity-rich neighbourhood living. The walkable village setting, along with proximity to three of Sydney’s leading golf courses, New South Wales Golf Club, St Michael’s Golf Club and The Coast Golf Club, has also been a key drawcard.</p>

<p>[smartcode_project:default project_id=112343 project_image_fid=352689]</p>

<p>Built across two low-rise buildings designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/hill-thalis-architecture-urban-projects-pty-ltd">Hill Thalis</a> and set along a lush, landscaped green spine, designed by leading landscape architect <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/landscape-architect/arcadia-landscape-architecture">Arcadia</a>, ESTE Little Bay offers a collection of one, two, three and four-bedroom residences with interiors by Richards Stanisich.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/urban-property-group">Urban Property Group</a> Sales Director, Tom McIvor said the response to ESTE has been "nothing short of extraordinary."</p>

<p>“Buyers have been quick to recognise ESTE as a rare opportunity to invest in a coastal sanctuary that offers both seclusion and connectivity to the heart of Sydney,” McIvor said.</p>

<p>[smartcode_project:default project_id=112343 project_image_fid=352687]</p>

<p><a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/project-marketer/srm-residential">SRM Residential</a> Senior Director, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/project-marketer/srm-residential">Clayton Ross</a> said the local market has responded incredibly well, driven by ESTE’s exceptional location and the rarity it offers.</p>

<p>“We’ve seen strong interest from a variety of buyer groups, all of whom are drawn to the exclusivity and quality of the build and construction by the 4.5-star iCIRT-rated builder / developer, Urban Property Group. There’s truly nothing else like it along Sydney’s coastline.”</p>

<p>[smartcode_project:default project_id=112343 project_image_fid=352690]</p>

<p>The project also includes robust buyer protections, including Resilience Insurance’s Latent Defects Insurance, providing 10 years of structural cover, and an independent iCIRT-rating of the developer.</p>

<p>“The iCIRT-rating adds another layer of confidence,” Ross added. “Buyers see it as a safeguard for their investment and their lifestyle.” A highlight of ESTE’s offering is its exclusive wellness amenities, including a heated rooftop infinity pool and outdoor heated spa, a state-of-the-art Technogym fitness centre, and a sauna.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/este-little-bay-jennifer-street-little-bay-nsw-2036">ESTE Little Bay</a> is topped out and is on track to complete towards the end of 2026, with residents moving in before Christmas.</p>

<p>[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=112343]</p>


Eastern Suburbs buyers snap up ESTE Little Bay apartments

Fire

<html><body>
<p>California is <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2017/12/12/us/california-fires/index" target="_blank">burning</a> – a sentence we’ve heard far too often this year. Sydney is currently on <a href="http://www.news.com.au/national/nsw-act/fire-weather-warning-issued-as-sydney-braces-for-42c/news-story/5406ccff2b5a585cd823cf0cf6908822" target="_blank">bushfire alert</a>, as firefighters battle a fire in the Hunter Valley region and temperatures are set to top 40℃.</p>
<p>A cocktail of factors, from climate change to centuries of ignoring indigenous burning practises, means that catastrophic fires are likely to become more common.</p>
<p>One of Australia’s favourite fire prevention measures is prescribed burning – using carefully controlled fires to clear out flammable materials. We’re almost obsessed with it. Indeed, it seems the outcome of every major inquiry is that we need to do more of it.</p>
<p>The Royal Commission inquiry that followed Victoria’s 2009 Black Saturday fires <a href="http://royalcommission.vic.gov.au/Commission-Reports/Final-Report" target="_blank">recommended</a> that 5% of all public land in Victoria be treated per year – a doctrine that was subsequently dropped due to impracticality.</p>
<p>Yet our research, published <a href="http://www.publish.csiro.au/WF/WF17061" target="_blank">today</a> in the International Journal of Wildland Fire, modelled thousands of fires in Tasmania and found that nearly a third of the state would have to be burned to effectively lower the risk of bushfires.</p>
<p>The question of how much to burn and where is a puzzle we must solve, especially given the inherent risk, issues caused by smoke <a href="https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2016/205/9/rapid-assessment-impact-hazard-reduction-burning-around-sydney-may-2016?inline=true" target="_blank">smoke</a> and <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/James_Ricketts/publication/252471836_Climate_Change_Impacts_on_Fire-Weather_in_South-East_Australia/links/54a86d870cf257a6360bdfea/Climate-Change-Impacts-on-Fire-Weather-in-South-East-Australia.pdf" target="_blank">shrinking</a> weather windows for safe burning due to climate change.</p>
<h2>Why use computer simulations?</h2>
<p>The major problem fire science faces is gathering data. Landscape-scale experiments involving extreme fire are rare, for obvious reasons of risk and cost. When a major bushfire happens, all the resources go into putting it out and protecting people. Nobody has the time to painstakingly collect data on how fast it is moving and what it is burning. We are therefore restricted to a few limited data sources to reconstruct the behaviour and impact of fire: we can analyse the <a href="http://www.publish.csiro.au/wf/WF05051">scar</a> on the landscape after a fire, look at case studies, or run <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301479712001752" target="_blank">simulations of computer models</a>.</p>
<p>Most research on the effectiveness of prescribed burning has been at a local scale. We need to start thinking bigger: how can we mitigate the effect of multiple large fires in a region like Tasmania or Southeastern Australia? What is the cumulative effect of different prescribed burning strategies?</p>
<p><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/199366/original/file-20171215-26014-ff04t4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/199366/original/file-20171215-26014-ff04t4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt=""></a></p>
<p><span class="caption">A large fuel reduction burn off on Hobart’s eastern shore.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/babomike/8889414172/" target="_blank">Flickr/Mike Rowe</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/" target="_blank">CC BY-NC</a></span></p>
<p>To answer these questions, we create models using mathematical equations to simulate the behaviour of fires across actual landscapes. These models include the effects of vegetation type, terrain and fuel loads, under specific weather conditions. If we simulate thousands of these fires we can get an idea of where fire risk is the highest, and how effective prescribed burning is at reducing that risk.</p>
<p>The island of Tasmania offers the perfect study system. Self-contained, with a wide array of vegetation types and fire regimes, it offers an ideal opportunity to see how fire behaves across a diverse landscape. Perhaps more interestingly, the island contains large areas of flammable landscape surrounding <a href="http://www.parliament.tas.gov.au/CTEE/Council/Submissions/ET%202.31.pdf" target="_blank">globally unique</a> ecosystems and numerous towns and villages. Obviously, we cannot set fire to all of Tasmania in real life, but computer simulations make it possible!</p>
<p>So, encouraged by the Tasmanian Fire Service, who initiated our research, we simulated tens of thousands of fires across Tasmania under a range of prescribed burning scenarios.</p>
<h2>Prescribed fire can be effective, in theory</h2>
<p>The first scenario we looked at was the best-case scenario: what happens if we perform prescribed burning on all the vegetation that can handle it, given theoretically unlimited resources? It is possible this approximates the <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01426390701767278" target="_blank">sustained and skillful burning</a> by Tasmanian Aboriginal peoples.</p>
<p>Wildfire simulations following this scenario suggested that such an approach would be extremely effective. Importantly, we saw significant reductions in fire activity even in areas where prescribed burning is impossible (for example, due to the presence of people).</p>
<p>Unfortunately, this best-case approach, while interesting from a theoretical perspective, would require prescribed burning over more than 30% of Tasmania in one year.</p>
<p>We also analysed the effects of 12 more realistic scenarios. These realistic plans were less than half as efficient as the best-case scenario at reducing fire activity.</p>
<p>On average, 3 hectares of prescribed burning would reduce wildfire extent by roughly 1ha in grasslands and dry forests.</p>
<p>In other flammable Tasmanian vegetation types like buttongrass sedgelands and heathlands, the reduction in wildfire was even smaller. This is obviously better than no prescribed burning, but it highlights the fact that this is a relatively inefficient tool, and given the costs and potential drawbacks, should be used only where it is most needed.</p>
<p>This is a fundamental conundrum of prescribed burning: though it is quite effective in theory, the extent to which we would need to implement it to affect fire behaviour across the entire state is completely unachievable.</p>
<p>Therefore, it is imperative that we not just blindly burn a pre-ordained fraction of the landscape. Rather, we must carefully design localised prescribed burning interventions to reduce risk to communities.</p>
<h2>We need a multi-tool approach</h2>
<p>Our study has shown that while prescribed burning can be quite effective in certain scenarios, it has serious constraints. Additionally, while we analysed these scenarios under bad fire weather, we were not able to analyse the kind of catastrophic days in which the effect of prescribed burning is <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301479713006531" target="_blank">seriously reduced</a>, with howling dry winds and stupefying heat.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, due to climate change, we are going to see a lot more catastrophic days in the future in <a href="http://www.publish.csiro.au/WF/WF13126" target="_blank">Tasmania</a> and indeed <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-016-0058" target="_blank">globally</a>.</p>
<p>In Hobart this is of particular concern, as the city is surrounded by tall, wet eucalypt forests that have had fifty years grow dense understoreys since the 1967 <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-02-06/tasmanias-1967-black-tuesday-bushfires-explained/8241698" target="_blank">Black Tuesday</a> fires. These have the potential to cause some of the <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378112799000663#BIB16">most intense</a> fires on the planet should conditions get dry enough. Prescribed burning is impossible in these forests.</p>
<p>To combat fire risk we must take a multi-pronged approach that includes innovative strategies, such as designing new <a href="https://www.fs.fed.us/rm/pubs/rmrs_gtr292/2001_finney.pdf" target="_blank">spatial patterns</a> for prescribed burning, <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00049158.2017.1311200" target="_blank">manually removing</a> fuels from areas in which prescribed burning is not possible, <a href="https://www.mssanz.org.au/modsim2017/H10/sharples3.pdf" target="_blank">improving the standards</a> for buildings and defensible spaces, and most importantly, engaging the community in all of this.</p>
<p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/89167/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1">Only by attacking this problem from multiple angles, and through close collaboration with the community and all levels of government, can we effectively face our fiery future.</p>
<p><span><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/james-furlaud-430100" target="_blank">James Furlaud</a>, PhD Student in Fire Ecology, <em><a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-tasmania-888" target="_blank">University of Tasmania</a></em> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/david-bowman-4397" target="_blank">David Bowman</a>, Professor, Environmental Change Biology, <em><a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-tasmania-888" target="_blank">University of Tasmania</a></em></span></p>
<p>This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/to-fight-the-catastrophic-fires-of-the-future-we-need-to-look-beyond-prescribed-burning-89167" target="_blank">original article</a>.</p>
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j.ballantyne1990-6AQqhLzZaK

To fight the catastrophic fires we need to look beyond prescribed burning

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<p>The builder behind Melbourne’s Lacrosse apartment towers which caught fire in 2014 has agreed to replace the combustible cladding on the tower.</p>
<p>It comes as Melbourne authorities move to undertake an audit of some 1400 buildings.</p>
<p>Up to 1400 Victorian buildings could have potentially dangerous panelling according to the Victorian Cladding Taskforce, chaired by former premier Ted Baillieu and former deputy premier John Thwaites.</p>
<p>It was created in July after the Grenfell fire.</p>
<p>The interim report into the extent of non-compliant cladding across Victoria concluded there had been a culture of non-compliance throughout the building sector that has meant combustible cladding has become a widespread material used on multi-storey buildings.</p>
<p>"This culture has to change," Prof Thwaites said in a statement.</p>
<p>It found that around 1400 non-government buildings most likely have aluminium composite panels with a polyethylene core or expanded polystyrene panels, but need inspecting to confirm the materials are present.</p>
<p>"Cladding is much more complicated and widespread than we first thought," Planning Minister Richard Wynne said.</p>
<p>Wynne said the Victorian Building Authority would have to "lift their game."</p>
<p>He allocated $5 million for a statewide audit, while adding all of the buildings would be safe to occupy.</p>
<p>The aim is to inspect 10 per cent of buildings each calendar year, up from two per cent.</p>
<p>LU Simon Builders have been involved in a legal dispute with unit owners over the damage bill to the Lacrosse building in La Trobe Street in the Docklands.</p>
<p>The fire, sparked off by a discarded cigarette, started a national debate again this year on flammable cladding after the London Grenfell tower fire. </p>
<p>“(This is) so that the owners and residents are not inconvenienced any further by the lengthy legal process which is underway at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal that will decide how the costs are to be divided up between the various parties,” a statement by the builder said which was carried by The Herald Sun.</p>
<p>“As part of the VCAT action LU Simon will in turn seek to recover the cost of the replacement works.”</p>
<p>The company expressed confidence that it could reach an agreement with the owners corporation, apartment owners and the municipal building surveyor soon, which would allow work on the replacement to commence in early 2018.</p>
<p>Fairfax Media reported that the builder LU Simon had made a scathing assessment of architect Elenberg Fraser's role on Melbourne's Lacrosse residential tower, accusing the design firm of failing to meet its contractual requirements over cladding used on the building.</p>
<p>In a 33-page expert witness report prepared for the builder – when fighting damages claims by the building owners in the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal – saw LU Simon argued Elenberg Fraser did not fulfil the terms of its contract because it did not clearly specify a cladding product for the building as required.</p>
<p>Elenberg Fraser disputed Bullen's report, saying it had been written without seeing Elenberg Fraser's own arguments.</p>
<p>"The report has been delivered early in the proceeding and before there has been any production or inspection of the large volume of documentation held by the parties in respect of the design and construction of the Lacrosse building," Elenberg Fraser's solicitor Sarah Metcalfe of Norton Rose Fulbright said.</p>
<p>"The report is based on a number of incorrect assumptions."</p>
<p>Testing found the cladding on the building to be combustible and Melbourne City Council order it to be replaced – at an estimated cost of $16 million or $40,000 per apartment.</p>
<p>Owners had been fighting to make the builder pay for replacement, but the builder had refused earlier.</p>
<p>The works were required to be completed by July 2018.</p>
<p>City of Melbourne Municipal Building Surveyor Steven Baxas welcomed the builder’s decision, and expressed the hope other builders would follow suit if their buildings had similar flammable cladding. </p>
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jonathanchancellor-7SQnKwU6yx

Builder agrees to replace flammable cladding on Lacrosse tower in Docklands

<div>GUEST OBSERVER</div>

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<div>The Great Fire of London in 1666 destroyed a third of the city leaving more than 100,000 people homeless – and prompted King Charles II to issue a proclamation limiting future construction largely to brick and stone.</div>

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<div>For hundreds of years, modern building codes around the world reinforced the king’s approach, severely limiting the use of timber, particularly in multi-storey buildings, due to fear of fire.</div>

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<div>However, in recent years, there has been a resurgence of mid-rise timber buildings in Europe and North America. In the Canadian state of British Columbia, for example, a change to the building code in 2009 allowing for taller timber buildings has seen more than 330 building projects earmarked for construction in timber – and more than 80 projects completed or under construction.</div>

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<div>The resurgence has been enabled by a combination of growing awareness around the environmental and cost advantages of timber, and a willingness on the part of authorities to re-think the rules in the light of contemporary technology.</div>

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<div>At the time of the Great Fire, London did not have a fire brigade. Londoners, assisted by soldiers, had to fight the fire with buckets and fire hooks– and the most effective way to stop the spread of fire was to demolish houses and create a fire break.</div>

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<div>Today, not only do we have fire brigades, we also have automatic sprinkler systems, hose reels, portable fire extinguishers, smoke alarms, fire-protective grade plasterboard and cavity barriers, intumescent seals (door seals that expand in the event of fire to block smoke and hot gases)…</div>

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<div>This year, the Building Code of Australia 2016 will include a Deemed-to-Satisfy (DTS) approach for timber buildings of up to 25 metres in effective height – typically eight storeys – on the proviso that a raft of safety features such as those I’ve discussed are included. Mid-rise buildings constructed in&nbsp;fire-protected timber&nbsp;– combined with sprinkler systems – can provide fire safety standards that not only&nbsp;equal&nbsp;conventional alternatives, but&nbsp;exceed&nbsp;them.</div>

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<div>Modelling by EFT Consulting ahead of the code change suggests there would 83 per cent fewer fatalities and almost 70 per cent less property damage from fires in timber buildings conforming to the new DTS provisions, compared to conventional buildings – where no sprinklers are required.</div>

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<div>The new provisions require: timber walls be ‘sandwiched’ between layers of fire-protective grade plasterboard of the type used in high rise commercial buildings; fire hydrants, hose reels and portable fire extinguishers similar to those for conventional buildings; fire-resisting cavity barriers e.g. mineral wool; and a fire sprinkler system.</div>

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<div>The changes were approved by the Australian Building Codes Board technical committee that includes Engineers Australia, Australasian Fire and Emergency Service&nbsp;Authorities Council (state fire brigades), the Australian Institute of Architects, Master Builders Australia and the Housing Industry Association.</div>

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<div>Just as fear of fires can be easily addressed when you look at the facts, reassurance can also be offered on other genuinely-held concerns – and enable the property domestic building industry to achieve the cost savings associated with timber, which is estimated by&nbsp;AECOM&nbsp;at 10-20 per cent in an Australian setting, largely because of faster build times.</div>

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<div>Mid-rise timber buildings can be built on top of concrete ground floors, which, when combined with standard termite prevention measures such as barriers, traps and treatments, is sufficient to protect them; the designer of any mid-rise building – timber or not – needs to consider how to counteract a range of environmental hazards.</div>

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<div>Many people also don’t realise that mid-rise timber buildings are externally clad to protect them from water damage and extend their effective life well beyond the mandatory 50 years specified by authorities.</div>

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<div>Mid-rise timber apartment buildings offer domestic builders who are prepared to innovate and upskill their teams a wonderful opportunity to reach new markets on suburban sites which may not previously have been viable, to save on costs and to build in a much more environmentally friendly manner.</div>

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<div><em>Ric Sinclair is the Managing Director of Forest &amp; Wood Products Australia, an industry group which spearheaded a two-year consultation and research process ahead of the change to the Building Code of Australia.</em></div>


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