Blogs

The L29 chiller plantroom at Wynyard Place was prefabricated into 15 SUPA modules and craned into place over a single weekend—compressing the mechanical program by 12 weeks. Seismic requirements were fully integrated into the prefabricated frames via BIM, eliminating the need for on-site bracing and demonstrating how prefabrication can accelerate complex builds without compromising compliance.

When a new school needed to be built before the start of term, conventional construction methods simply couldn’t meet the timeline. Prefabricated building manufacturers were also at capacity—so the project team had to think differently. By designing the structure as prefabricated, transportable steel modules, KUSCH enabled the use of local steel fabricators and traditional trades to complete the build. This smart hybrid approach shortened the construction schedule by around 10 weeks, delivering the project on time without compromising quality or compliance.

Understanding your building’s Importance Level under AS1170.4 is critical to achieving seismic compliance without unnecessary complexity or overengineering. Each Importance Level—from IL1 to IL4—comes with its own set of design obligations that can impact everything from anchor selection to certification pathways. In this post, we break down why getting this right matters, using our work on the Lyell McEwin Hospital Expansion as a real-world example of how smart, IL4-compliant design can meet strict performance requirements while remaining efficient and buildable.

Incorrect installation of AS5216 seismic screw anchors can compromise structural integrity and lead to costly failures. Our latest blog post breaks down the most common installation mistakes—including overdriving, incorrect hole depth, and stripped concrete—and provides practical solutions to ensure compliance and load capacity. Learn how to avoid these errors and install screw anchors correctly for safe and reliable performance.

A recent air leakage test on one of our Passive House projects achieved 0.24 ACH@50 (air changes per hour at 50 pascals pressure), well under the 0.6 ACH@50 required to achieve Passive House certification! Compared to the typical range of 5.0 to 15.0 ACH@50 for houses constructed under the energy efficiency requirements of NCC2019, this high-performance home is one of the most thermally efficient buildings in Australia. Pursuit of thermal efficiency without adequate expertise and experience can result in dangerous condensation and mould issues, so it’s essential to engage a registered Passive House consultant when pursuing this level of performance. Passive...

Significant challenges were encountered in the design of this 100m tall Ø600mm pipe riser, with the initial 1000kN pipe anchor loads (gravity + bellows thrust) exceeding the limits that could be supported by the existing concrete building core. A detailed analysis of pipe thermal effects, construction sequencing and design building movements enabled a reduction in the bellows displacement demands, while the constraints on anchor loads led to the exploration of ways to accommodate movements without generating thrust loads. Articulated bellows were found to be a viable solution with multiple benefits. The bellows were able to be repositioned out of the vertical...

Seismic design, without bracing! AS1170.4 provides simple, static force-based methods for determining earthquake design actions on building services. But there’s nothing static about an earthquake. Seismic ground motions are dynamic events that shake buildings in dynamic ways, and the standard allows for the design of buildings and building services using dynamic methods. Dynamic analysis of suspended services can demonstrate that under certain circumstances, the seismic design actions of AS1170.4 will result in a relatively small dynamic response. In other words, there are scenarios where earthquake design actions will only cause suspended services to swing by a small and tolerable amount. The...

Unlocking Engineering Excellence: The New Frontier with KUSCH. Our revamped logo embodies our mission: balancing objectives for optimal design solutions. From seismic innovations to prefabricated breakthroughs, we're reshaping structural engineering. Join us in redefining what's possible.