Across Australia, demand for engineers far exceeds its supply of graduates, particularly those working within civil engineering. With significant infrastructure and housing construction underway here in Tasmania, this shortage creates worrying consequences for current projects and those in the planning stages. Unfortunately, many builders find out too late that this important expertise in pre-construction can make or break a project’s success.
Who are these all-important civil engineers Tasmania needs?
The word ‘engineer’ encompasses many different specialists and even the most experienced builder, developer or renovator can be surprised by the need for a civil engineer for their project. In Tasmania today, civil engineers are working across projects where construction interacts with infrastructure, water resources and transport. Whilst this conjures up the significant project works for the Southern Outlet transit lane or the Sorrell Southern Bypass, it also includes flood management, carparks and access roadways, through to driveway design for residential developments.
A civil engineer’s skills come to the fore in applying engineering for purpose within an environment that can bring many challenges, of which the diverse Tasmanian landscape offers no shortage. It’s easy to see how the demand for civil engineers is likely to increase as our built environment continues to expand.
When to engage a civil engineer
At HED Consulting in Hobart, they’re seeing a significant increase in the demand for civil engineers, leading to growth in their team to ensure Hobart construction can keep moving forward.
Principal Engineer Andrew Walsh says, “Hobart is punching well above its weight in the quantity and scale of construction projects planned for our city and beyond. However, the engineering resources available are struggling to meet demand. We’re seeing construction companies both large and small, needing to outsource and work with partners they can trust to complete their civil engineering with the eye on detail and problem-solving skills that most complex projects need.”
It’s often the developers and residential builders that can miss the opportunity to stay ahead of the essential step that is civil engineering.
Andrew Walsh
For construction companies familiar with the pre-construction process, civil engineering is checked off early. However, Walsh says that it’s often the developers and residential builders that can miss the opportunity to stay ahead of this essential step. He recommends speaking to pre-construction experts at the concept or design stage for advice on the site in question and the early design concepts that will flag where civil engineering will need to be performed. It may be that there are pavements, carparks and sewerage systems that developers need to plan and budget for. Walsh says, “When it’s a known factor the budget, timing and allowances for changes can be made early which positively impacts a project’s success’.
Following the process for civil engineering
Civil engineering has its own set of regulations to ensure a project is constructed safely for the build itself and the environment it sits within. Civil engineer at HED consulting, Allen Wang says if a builder thinks about how their site needs to be prepared for construction on it, they often quickly appreciate the variables that need the skills of a civil engineer.
Wang outlines the work he’s been diving into with current Tasmanian projects, “We’re designing wastewater systems for multi-unit developments, factoring in geotechnical site classifications and grading design on some heavily sloped sites, accommodating bushfire hazards risks and flood water risk mitigation in sensitive Tassie locations, along with road access and interactions for large infrastructure and residential developments.”
His advice is to start early and allow time in your pre-construction process, “How long it takes does depend on the scale and complexity of the project and we work to gauge that into the timeline. But most importantly, this isn’t the place to try and cut corners, save money or attempt to do without a qualified civil engineer.”
Source an engineering partner and then work together, it will make for a much smoother process before construction even begins.
Allen Wang
Integrating civil engineering expertise
With a nationwide shortage of engineers, alongside trade and supply shortages in the industry, it’s a complex exercise to line up the expertise, resourcing and products every project needs. Tasmania might be punching above its weight with the current construction boom, but it’s also a strong industry working together to get through these challenges.
A key to simplifying the process is to integrate the experts a project needs for pre-construction from design, engineering, surveying, documentation, permit applications and certifications. When these experts sit alongside each other, they create efficiencies and keep ahead of any issues before they become problematic.
Unfortunately, the engineering shortage is not a problem that can be solved quickly, particularly in Tasmania. As Walsh says, “We’re a small team but have focused on recruiting talented civil engineers with a diversity of experience in Australia and abroad with an attitude and work ethic that supports our Tassie clients right from the start of their concept”.
Securing an engineering partner is a crucial key step for any builder, architect, developer or construction firm to safeguard its projects as much as possible from the shortage and the potential delays, issues or risks in this critical pre-construction step.
