Skill Shortages

In his last article ADAM WALKER discussed the job market in Australia and abroad as it stands for employees. In this article he discusses the current situation for employers looking for candidates to fill vacant positions. Before the credit crisis we had a deep skill shortage in the field of Quantity Surveyors, Estimators and Contract Administrators.

The Role of Stakeholders in Sustaining Professionalism

The authors report that quantity surveying education in Africa has come of age and is comparable with quantity surveying education anywhere else in the world.  However, to sustain professionalism in the face of the rapid technological changes and the differing needs of clients, quantity surveying education in Africa must be dynamic to quickly respond to changes in the built environment. 

Building Energy Efficiency
Buildings account for around 30 percent of the world's total energy consumption and a similar percentage of the world's greenhouse gas emissions.  But, according to the Asia Business Council, most buildings in Asia are surprisingly inefficient at using energy for lighting, heating and cooling. More than half of the world's new construction is taking place in China and India alone, yet the potential for efficiency gains in the building sector is largely being squandered.

Residential Property Monitor
National housing approvals in 2009 have seen positive growth each month however for the first time this year May approvals fell by 2.0%. Despite the monthly fall, the three-monthly rolling total remains positive at 2.7%.

Cost Performance of Multi-Rise Construction
Anthony Mills writes that the principal objective of this article is to investigate the `best cost performance' and possible `best design practice' for structural frames in buildings in Australia. The study was based on pricing a number of standardised building frame designs in five Australian cities. The results produced show the cost of producing the same building designs in different locations, using similar building methods.