Griffith University Conference Presentation Now Online

Francesco Andreone's presentation at the Griffith University Strata& Community Title in Australia Conference on the Queensland Gold Coast about the NCCARF research project and findings Adapting strata and community title buildings for climate change is now available online.

You can download a copy here.

Research Presentation at Griffith University Conference

On Thursday, 5 September, Francesco Andreone will be presenting a summary of the NCCARF research project and findings Adapting strata and community title buildings for climate change at the Griffith University Strata& Community Title in Australia Conference on the Queensland Gold Coast.

You can find our more about the conference here

Final Report Released

The final report, Adapting strata and community title buildings for climate change, is finished and published on the 
NCCARF website.

View the report here: www.nccarf.edu.au/publications/strata-title-buildings-climate-change

Please share the link with your colleagues and anyone who might be interested. And, if you have any relevant supplementary information (summary documents, fact sheets, videos etc.), please send it to us.

Stakeholders Manual Released

The stakeholder manual, Adapting strata title communities for climate change: a stakeholder action list manual, is finished and published on the NCCARF website.

View the manual here: www.nccarf.edu.au/publications/strata-title-stakeholder-manual

Please share the link with your colleagues and anyone who might be interested. And, if you have any relevant supplementary information (summary documents, fact sheets, videos etc.), please send it to us.

Identifying Strata Climate Change Stakeholders

Studying the impacts and challenges of climate change for strata and community title buildings involved identifying the key stakeholders.  That has allowed us to interview and survey the right people, develop profiles for each category and think about their interests, needs, skills, weaknesses and abilities.

So, how are they and why do they matter?

Developers - are a key stakeholder group since they create strata and community title buildings so have significant influence on location, configuration, design, features and quality which are probably the most significant things affecting building resilience.

Government - are also a key stakeholder for similar reasons to developers.  They also have significant influence over building location, configuration, design, features and quality through planning and other controls.  But Government also has other interests, including regulating the operation of strata and community title buildings for their lifetime and dealing with the immediate and longer term effects of emergency weather events.

Owners & Executives - are the key stakeholder in this study since they own and run the strata and community title buildings and therefore make all the decisions.  But, perhaps more importantly owners pay for the effects of climate change on buildings: either as levies to repair and upgrade them; or as increased operating and insurance costs; or by suffering rental and value losses.

Strata Managers - play a vital role in strata and community title building operation since apart from providing contracted administration services they are key influencers of owner behaviours and can identify key issues, educate stakeholders about options and become champions for initiatives.  Conversely they can easily impede building adaptation due to lack of awareness, resources and/or motivations.

Resident Managers - like strata managers, resident managers have a key influencer role in strata and community title buildings.  But, because they operate on site and have more intimate understanding of the buildings, they are the frontline of building management, upgrades and emergencies and so are often best placed to know and assess what is [and is not] needed.

Sinking Fund Forecasters - as the industry sector advising strata and community title buildings about the need for future building repair, maintenance and replacement, sinking fund forecasters have good knowledge of the physical needs and shortcomings of the buildings.  That places them in a key position to also assess and factor in climate change impacts, adaptation options and funding possibilities that go beyond routine works.

Insurers - as the last place strata and community title owners look to if climate change damages or destroys their building, insurers are a critical stakeholder in the sector strategies for strata and community title buildings to adequately cope with the impacts of climate change.  The increased frequency of extreme weather events and consequent crises in strata insurance cover have highlighted the significance of insurance and the fragility of this 'last resort' protection.  So, the future role of insurance and insurers in strategies for strata and community title building to deal with climate change induced weather damage and deterioration needs careful consideration.

By considering the impacts, options and realistically achievable changes from the perspectives of each of these stakeholders groups, the research hopes to find mutually acceptable and beneficial solutions to the challenges faced by all strata and community title stakeholders in dealing with climate change.

The Strata Building Durability Dilemma

The Strata & Community Australia Linkedin Group recently included this discussion thread started by Peter Greenham about strata building durability.

The issues he identifies link closely to many of the findings and recommendations of this research.

Peter has identified an interesting contradiction between building construction controls, strata repair & maintenance obligations and what's good for strata corporations and strata owners. We've seen this in the Griffith University & NCCARF research we're doing on climate change impacts on strata buildings.

Building standards are [as you point out] mostly focused on structural integrity and human safety which don't necessarily equate to more durable and sustainable buildings.  But, strata corporation's have never ending obligations to maintain and repair the buildings [regardless of cost] and when they deteriorate or are destroyed [usually by adverse weather] to replace them.

What strata corporations and strata owners ideally need are more durable, low maintenance and resilient buildings. But that's not happening at the development phase for many reasons and strata owners are reluctant to invest in improved building durability and sustainability.  And, when the building is damaged and repaired using insurance proceeds, it's not usually possible to improve the structures since that's 'betterment' and not covered under most policies.

There have already been and are more changes coming to improve building sustainability but they are more focused on energy use than durability, they will take a while to filter into strata buildings and they won't address existing strata stock.

So, strata corporations and strata owners will likely continue to suffer the problem of long term obligations to maintain, repair and replace buildings that were designed to be strong and safe but not, necessarily, durable.

Unaffordable Australian Flood Insurance

One of the key findings of our research is that insurance is the key strategy adopted by most strata buildings for adverse climate change impacts.

So, the availability, extent of cover and affordability of insurance cover is a crucial factor and that's become an increasing problem throughout Australia in recent times.

This article in Property Observer reveals that it's worse than many people my think.  Although the article focuses on free standing homes the problem extends to strata buildings when (and if) they can get flood insurance.

The article states that Queensland flood insurance offered by Allianz ranges from $8,200 to $19,000 per dwelling, that flood cover can cost from 7 to 17 times more than home insurance without it and 4 out of 5 domestic building insurance policies include flood cover.

And since the 2012 Federal Government recommendations do not make flood cover mandatory or contain premiums for the cover, it's likely the situation will continue to worsen for affected strata owners.

North Queensland Buildings Face Ex-Cyclone Oswald in 2013

Just as 2013 begins North Queensland buildings have been affected by another extreme weather event in ex-cyclone Oswald.

This Courier Mail update (as at 27 January 2013) outlines the affected areas.

Climate Change Questionnaire Findings: Executive Summary

The research study survey results have now been collated and a summary of the findings and resulting recommendations prepared. 

It makes interesting reading and you can download a copy here.