Arrow Remediate Blog

Making It Work

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 02:44:00 GMT

Making It Work

Arrow Remediate and its subsidiary, Construction Labour & Resources, came together March 2012 for some good old fashioned team building, with a difference. Instead of going out and swinging from trees or attempting to carry a team-mate in a canoe, our team had to complete a project made of Lego!

It may sound fun but with tough-as-nails Dennis as the client, teams had to deal with an inconsistent market, strict programme deadlines and even a threat of litigation. Despite everything, the message was clear; everyone needs a direction and common goal. Who knew Lego could be so educational?

We were also fortunate enough to have Robin Wakefield, of Beagle Consulting, present informative and eye-opening research on deconstructive testing and mould.

With our team spread out around the country, its important to have some face-to-face time while encouraging the development of our minds.

AIL National Conference 2012

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 02:05:00 GMT

AIL National Conference 2012

Our parent company, Arrow International, hosted their first national conference in seven years and the Remediate team were invited to take part. The theme was 'innovation' and Chief Executive, Hugh Morrison, invited all 250+ members of the Arrow group to think outside the square, get involved and help lift Arrow's game.

Over the course of three days, we were inspired by guest speaker, John Anderson (founder of Contiki), stimulated by a bunch of interesting topics presented by a bunch of Arrow staff, challenged to entertain each other with dramatic and/or musical skits, and worn out by a Top Town canoe race.

Remediate took away some great memories and key messages; push boundaries, challenge the status quo and embrace innovation.

Thanks to Christchurch for the great weather and keeping things rock steady while we were there and a big thank you to Arrow International for hosting.

2012: A New Year

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 19:58:00 GMT

2012: A New Year

The Remediate team has been back at work for two weeks now and already two projects have been set up and are now functioning sites; thanks to Neil and Peter G for their work on Pukekohe North School and to Rick for his work at Piedmont Apartments.

We're looking forward to a big year and will enjoy bringing you more information about what we're doing and how we do it. Remember, we're always looking for new subcontractors to build relationships with so if you are in a trade, or know someone who is, drop us a line!

Inaugural Remediate Awards

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 20:31:00 GMT

Inaugural Remediate Awards!

2011 has been a big year for Remediate.

We said goodbye to some good people (Des, Darryl, John and KT) and welcomed some great ones (Logan, Leith, Peter G, Tony, Mornay, Dean, Rick and Koren). Whilst we closed down some of our old projects, we started up a whole bunch of new ones all around the country and got-to-talking with engineers and body corporates that will, no doubt, end up keeping us all busy throughout 2012.

To celebrate the year and Christmas, we got together for some 1920s-style revelry at the exquisitely themed Prohibition Restaurant on Ponsonby Road. Amidst feather boas and gangster hats, the inaugural Remediate Awards were held with winners and nominees listed below:

Going the Extra Mile Award
For the person who goes above and beyond their job description on a consistent basis.
Nominees: Kim, Leith, Kerry and Peter
Winner: Kerry

Rookie of the Year Award
For the person who has been with the company for less than 12-months and is a top performer all-round.
Nominees: Rohit, Leith, Logan and Dean
Winner: Leith

Tall Poppy Award
For the person who really stands out amongst a team of great people.
Nominees: Leith, Rick, Peter, Logan, Kim and Kerry
Winner: Kim

Remediator of the Year Award
For the person who is generally awesome and everyone wants on their team. This person is a core individual who proactively contributes to the future of the business.
Nominees: Rohit, Peter C, Leith, Neil and Dennis
Winner: Rohit
Well done to everyone who was nominated by their peers, and congratulations to the winners!

We were entertained with a quiz that created quite a bit of competitive humour between teams. Congratulations to team ‘Girls Best Friend’ consisting of Logan & Yvonne, Kerry & Jenny and Leith & Karina on your (narrow) victory.

From the Remediate team to everyone else, we wish you a Merry Christmas and happy holidays.

Hugh Brown Drive Part I

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 20:56:00 GMT

Hugh Brown Drive Part I

Like many projects it all seemed pretty easy at the start, but this building wasn’t going to let us get away with an easy job.

This Auckland project started well, with the scaffolding and shrinkwrap going up easily enough and the demolition works progressing well. As the building is occupied by WINZ and BEST, noise controlled demolition and material installation was key. The team started often at 4 or 5 AM in order to erect internal partitions and the like. This commercial building was also located across the street from a residential area which added further noise and time of work restrictions.

Once the demolition was completed for Stage 1, it became clear that the existing timber infill walls were not only in bad shape, but were no longer plumb. On a building which is intended to be clad in metal cladding, with a single elevation covering three floors, and stretching nearly 50 metres, walls out of plumb were a major issue! To add insult to injury the window sills and heads were also inconsistent in height.

The team worked tirelessly to rectify these defects, install the new structural steel entry canopy and the structural steel roof section over the existing light well. With only a few weeks until Christmas, the next goal is to get the roof framing prepared for the first stage of roof replacement.

Te Akau Ki Papamoa Part IV

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 20:50:00 GMT

Te Akau Ki Papamoa Part IV

We are a few weeks away from completing the re-clad works for the entire school (excluding the gymnasium which we are submitting our tender on 9 December).

It’s a great campus that has been absolutely transformed by the work we have undertaken. With all classrooms benefiting from an enhanced learning environment, a few have even been upgraded to better utilise the space. The administration team and school leadership will start the new year in their refurbished Administration block.

With just a bit of landscaping to put in place in January, December will sadly see the closing of a project where Neil has become part of the school community. A BBQ celebrating the completion of the project is being held on 22 December @ 3.30pm, so if you're in the neighbourhood come on down and join us!

Templeton Primary, Christchurch

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 20:44:00 GMT

Templeton Primary School, Christchurch

With Stage 1 works finishing next week, the school will be back in their administration block for the start of the New Year and with any luck, back in the library before the close of Term 1.

Our Site Foreman, Logan, has been great, working tirelessly (long hours, weekends, and he’s even hinting he’ll be busy over the Christmas break!) to ensure the school has a quality facade to take shelter behind when they re-occupy.

The Christchurch Council have been a great team-mate in our project and we are looking forward to completing Stage 2 with even greater efficiency.

Long Bay Primary School

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 20:38:00 GMT

Long Bay Primary School, Auckland

Work is progressing nicely with the works on the Hall expected to be finished in the first quarter of 2012.

To date, the original demolition is completed, and we have now started on the discovered remedial works to portions of the piling supports and flooring.

Fortunately, despite looking suspect the portal framing has been lab tested through Prendos, and found to be able to be left in place. Also, the change to linea cladding overall has eliminated some incredibly fussy and problematic details above the low roof areas.

With our contract team working alongside Site Foreman, Tony, despite having significant additional works to perform, it looks like the programme slippage is minimal, and no doubt Tony will have his thinking cap on over the holidays to work out a way to bring the time back.

Piedmont Apartments, Wellington

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 21:02:00 GMT

Piedmont Apartments, Wellington

Our negotiations have come to a conclusion and the project has now been green lighted!!

Our Site Foreman, Rick is eager to make a positive impression on the Piedmont Body Corporate who have already shown themselves to be pragmatic and effective in their leadership of the process.

The project starts on 9 January with fencing to be brought onto site, scaffold going up and then Stage 1 works will commence.

Te Akau Ki Papamoa Part III

Mon, 10 Oct 2011 21:56:00 GMT

Te Akau Ki Papamoa Part III

Work at the Te Akau site in Papamoa has been progressing nicely providing much interest for staff and students at the school. The project being within a functioning primary school has meant that safety is the highest priority for our team but we wanted the children to understand how and why this could be a dangerous place to be.

Neil, our Site Foreman, and the school came to the conclusion that the best way to educate the students was to take them on a tour of the site and show them what was happening. Two students were chosen, Ryan and Brandon, and the tour took place in late September.

Hard hats and hi-viz vests were used as an example of safety tools that everyone had to wear; no safety gear, no entry! Both Brandon and Ryan understood and felt very official.

The site tour included an inside look at their old Pod 3 which was currently in the demolition phase and both boys found it very interesting.

Since the visit, the boys have passed on what they learnt to their fellow students and the site has not been entered by anyone without the proper authority.

A team that plays together...

Mon, 26 Sep 2011 21:15:00 GMT

A team that plays together, stays together.

The 2011 year for our Remediate team is all about growing and evolving. We now have employees in a number of cities, including Auckland, Tauranga, and Christchurch so its important to ensure everyone feels part of the bigger picture.

We try to have team days every few months and our most recent one was this month in South Auckland with the theme 'improve your eyesight' (translation; its time to look at our work differently).

Admin staff, site guys and management all had to work together on common goals, for example putting up a tent while blindfolded, and everyone had a blast while learning key things about each other. A strong team is one who supports each other and our team day certainly had us doing that!

Going out on a limb

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 00:28:00 GMT

Going out on a limb.

Remediate team challenge.

The 2011 year is zooming by so to say "thanks and well done" to the team, we decided to push everyone out of their comfort zone and go tree climbing out in West Auckland. This adrenaline-inducing activity was a good introduction to our four new Site Foremen and Estimator; what better way to get to know someone than 4m up in the air, in a harness?!

Everyone did extremely well and seemed to enjoy themselves.

Well done!

Mythbusters

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 01:32:00 GMT

Mythbusters!

Seismically Deficient and Leaky Buildings: it’s not that complicated!

When faced with the proposition that a property you own, or have an interest in, has a significant defect, you can’t help but feel daunted by the enormity of your situation. Trying to understand what is an appropriate resolution, who is potentially liable, and who to engage to provide advice on the repair of your building, is no easy task. For most business and/or property owners, their property represents a needed function or an investment diversification and dealing with this technically challenging problem can sometimes leave the owner searching for the “too hard” basket.

Dennis Dowling, managing director of Arrow Remediate, says that “the notion that leaky buildings are complicated is a myth! Dealing with the issues honestly, being transparent and keeping promises about what you are going to do can have significant savings and provide piece of mind for the client”.

Dennis’ success has come from designing a new business model that challenges the typical leaky building model. His angle comes from a totally commercial point-of-view, “Arrow Remediate has the best business model in the business” is a comment passed on to us by firms who work regularly with Remediate.

Client-focused, pragmatic and never afraid to change tact to suit the project, the Remediate team is forward thinking an reactive, providing clients with a flexible platform to continue their business operations with minimal interruption. “Aligning the relationship between designers, engineers and building contractors at the start of the project, I believe, is the way forward and it will have the best opportunity for the client to get the best value for dollars spent” says Dennis.

Our next blog will focus on what this means for you.

Te Akau ki Papamoa Part II

Thu, 17 Mar 2011 02:49:00 GMT

Te Akau ki Papamoa Part II

Tēnā koutou, titiro mai ki te whare tuatahi i oti ai mātou ki te kura o Te Akau ki Papamoa.

It is great to be done with the first Pod and we were very pleased when the Principal, Bruce Jepsen told us that the staff at Te Akau ki Papamoa school and the community were thrilled with the school’s new look.

The design for the refurbishment of the interior of the future buildings isn’t bedded down yet but Prendos did an excellent job redesigning the architectural façade! We are now working on Pod 2 and looking to improve on our delivery time. Shrinkforce have once again done a great job in wrapping the project, and we really would like to see shrink wrap specified on all projects as it is far superior to tarps in every way (although a bit more costly).

Vancouver Visit - Part I

Tue, 01 Feb 2011 04:00:00 GMT

Vancouver

Research - Part I. What an eye opening trip! Vancouver has been through a leaky building crisis, and is just coming starting to come out the other side. Its a great place to visit to understand the how's and why's behind a market with a similarly sized leaky building problem. Canada has a few unique drivers to their leaky building solutions;

an active warranty scheme requiring all companies to be registered and approved who provide remedial repairs
a funding scheme which requires all parties (designers, contractors and suppliers) to be qualified and approved in remedial works before funding is released
a forced repair scheme for multi-tenant housing.

These drivers and the geographic compactness of the issue has led to a consolidated supply chain, a commonality of design principals (as the warrantee provider requires certain detailing) and an efficient, cost effective and quick delivery model.

Part II of our Vancouver-related blog will focus on some differences in thinking behind the Canadian and New Zealand market - an example of this is the use of Coloursteel flashings behind cladding and the use of a redundant flashing system.

Part III will address the six million dollar question, "to occupy or not to occupy". Do occupied buildings take longer to repair - or is it the willingness to put up with discomfort that drives the programme and not whether the home is vacant during repairs?