Yep! Metroworks has adopted an elephant – welcome Malkia!

The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust does great work in Kenya rescuing and caring for elephants and other African wildlife that have been orphaned. Their teams rescue animals from their circumstances – some orphaned by poachers, some by drought, some by human-animal conflict and others stuck in mud or wells. The aim is to rehabilitate them in safety so they can enjoy their life back in the wild when they are healthy and grown.

Rescued on 16 September 2016, when she was only around 6 months old Malkia is now nearly 4 years old and too cute to believe! As part of the adoption process, we get regular updates on her progress and will be able to follow her as she blends into her new herd. Malkia was the daughter of a beautiful matriarch who was a regal old lady of the plains of Tsavo. Sadly, the drought in 2016 was too much for her aging body to bear and she died leaving milk-dependent  Malkia at her side. Malkia was undernourished presumably as a result of her mother’s compromised condition and lack of milk.

But the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust have skilfully nursed her back to health and she is doing well along with her other orphan brothers and sisters. She is apparently a “very determined and mischievous little girl” who has been “loving and affectionate to her Keepers from the outset”.

Melissa is very proud to play even a small part in Malkia’s future. You can join in the love too and adopt your own elephant, rhino or giraffe through the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. Just click on this link: www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/orphans and follow the directions.

See the video of Malkia’s rescue and recovery below.

OK – so let me be honest right up front. This post is in no way related to architecture or building, rather about achieving a life goal.

Still in Africa – currently at Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe – I had booked in for a tour to walk with lions. Really? Yep, really. Walking…with LIONS!! No chains, no collars, lions that were free to rip my face off at any point!!

To be so close to them and to pat them has always been life goal for me. As many of you know, I am a tragic cat-lover. In my later years, I will probably end up like the cat lady from The Simpsons! But to see these beautiful, strong, majestic creatures up close was truly a privilege.

It was all made possible by a group called the African Lion and Environmental Research Trust (ALERT) who are trying to improve and increase the ever-dwindling population of lions in Africa. Figures from the IUCN show a 43% decrease n lion populations in the past 21 years (up to 2014) with only around 20,00 remaining in the wild. They are vulnerable to loss of habitat, conflict with humans, hunting, disease and inbreeding as the population gets smaller.

The lions I walked with were brother (Pax) and sister (Penga) and were about 20 months old. The plan is to release the pride into a protected area with no human contact in the next 12 months where they can live freely. Beyond that, they will then be released into the open plains a few years down the track when they are ready. That is, if the Zimbabwean Government get behind the programme again. Unfortunately support for their work has dropped since the recent change of government, so the timing of their future remains in limbo.

It is important to note that there are some disreputable companies in South Africa that allow tourist interaction with lions, only to release them later into game parks for hunters to shoot. Disgusting. I did my research and made sure that the tour I went on was not with one of those organisations.

As some readers may know, I’m currently on a tour of Southern Africa. That tour started in Cape Town, South Africa where I was able to visit a most extraordinary building – the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary African Art. The building itself really should be considered one of the works of art and so I wanted to share my impressions with you.

Originally opened in 1924, the Grain Silo dominated the Cape Town skyline. At a height of 57m, it was once the tallest man made structure in sub-Saharan Africa.  Located directly on the docks, the silos were perfectly positioned to contain grain harvests for transport. However as ships got larger and required more draught and dock space, the location of the silos became impractical and so they were retired in 1995. The whole waterfront area has been beautifully redeveloped and has become both a local and tourist hub in Cape Town, but the future of the silos were unclear.

Since the early 2000’s, Jochen Zeitz was putting together a collection of contemporary art from Africa, with a plan to create the first major museum dedicated to this on the African continent. At the same time, designer Thomas Heatherwick was introduced to the silo buildings and agreed to help reinvigorate the space. In Zeitz’s hunt for the perfect space for his collection, he met with the waterfront authorities and they agreed to work together.

The two buildings, elevator and 42 silos were joined to create one building. The most spectacular space is the atrium at the entrance. It has been carved out of the interior of the silos – an “industrial cathedral” lit from above by glass ‘lids’ capping each of the silos. The shape of the cutout space was modelled from a single grain found in the silos that was 3D scanned and enlarged to 7 stories high. The structural integrity of the building relies on new “re-sleeve” concrete tubes that support the existing structure and were cast prior to the demolition work.

Lifts travel up and down the interior of two silos like pistons and a spiral stair in another silo represents a drill. The rooftop sculpture garden allows visitors to walk on the glass lids on the tops of the silos and provides beautiful views to Table Mountain and beyond. Heatherwick also designed the “pillow windows” that feature in the upper level of the silos and the exclusive hotel occupying the upper levels of the main building. Apparently Beyoncé stayed there, but too pricey for me!

Overall, this is one of the most stunning repurposing projects I have ever seen. A must visit if you find yourself in Cape Town.

Five Steps to Help You Find the Right Builder

Now you may ask – isn’t the builder for me the one with the lowest price? My answer will be: not necessarily. It may sound counter-intuitive, but I can’t stress how important it is that you know WHO is building your new house or renovation project, not just how much they are going to charge you.

The builder with the cheapest price may be attractive, but taking the following five steps before you sign on the bottom line will help you avoid becoming one of those nightmare building stories your friends are so keen to share.

1. Check that the Builder is registered

Under Victorian Law, a Builder must be registered with the Victorian Building Authority (VBA) before they are allowed to carry out work worth more than $10,000 and using a combination of skills/trades eg. plastering andpainting and/or to carry out work that requires a building permit (regardless of it’s value). This is so easy to check online at the VBA website using their “Find A Practitioner” link. It is worth also considering how long they have been registered as well. Have they changed their registered name? If so, why?

2. Check that they are eligible to get insurance for your project

Again, under Victorian Law a Builder is required to take our domestic building insurance for any project worth more than $16,000. This is gives you, the Owner, limited cover in case the builder dies, disappears or becomes insolvent during your project, or fails to comply with a Tribunal or Court Order. It needs to be in place before the Builder takes a deposit.

In order for the Builder to be eligible to purchase this insurance, they must first undergo a financial assessment by the Victorian Managed Insurance Authority (VMIA). In this assessment, the VMIA consider the risk of the builder undertaking works that might not be completed, or which are defective and the risk of the builder becoming insolvent.

You can check any Builder’s eligibility easily on the VMIA website.

3. Check how long they have been in business and trading under the same name

Ideally, you want to work with a Builder who has been in business for a long time and therefore is more likely to be around for a long time into the future, after your building project is complete. Not only is this a good indicator of their ability to manage projects and project finance, it will also be beneficial should you need to contact them about building defects down the track. Again, this is an easy check done online at the ASIC website.

4. Talk to the builder

Yep! Have a chat and ask them about their business and how they would run your project. Do they have a defined Project Manager for your project? Someone who is familiar with the work required and will oversee work on site and off relating to your project. Who would be your point of contact? Will you have a single person available so you always know who to contact? Do they have permanent trade staff, or is all the work sub-contracted out to others? Sub-contractors can be harder to track down if something goes wrong. Will the Builder be working on their own development projects at the same time as yours? Project focus is crucial. Trust your gut – as a species we humans are pretty good at judging whether we can work with another person pretty quickly.

5. Ask for references

Good Builders will have a few favourite clients they like to refer prospective clients to – those whose projects have gone well and with whom they have built a great relationship. But you should also speak to your architect or even other architects who have worked with them to see their thoughts on their project management skills and build quality. If you can, go and visit some of the Builders recently completed projects. Ignore the design aspects that you may or may not like and focus on the level of quality and attention to detail in the final finishes. Ask the builder if they intend to use the same team of tradespeople on your project.

You may have noticed that all of the five steps above can be done for free. They won’t cost you a dollar, but could save you plenty! If you are not confident in working through the steps yourself, ask your architect to do it for you. They know the right questions to ask and are likely to have experience working with lots of builders, so they know what to look for.

But what about the price?

Well, that is important of course but in my opinion, it is more important to remember that for a large renovation or a new home project, you will be working with your builder over a long period of time – often 12 months or more. You will also be transacting large sums of money with them too. So you need to find someone you trust, someone you like and someone with the same goals as you for your project.

When do I need to find my Builder?

Most people think that they don’t need a builder until all the design and documentation is done. Indeed, that is the time at which the Builder increases their involvement with the project but may not be their first contact with you or the scope of work.

In fact, I recommend to all my clients that they choose their builder early and work with them throughout the course of the project. They can be engaged very early on in the design process to advise and prepare preliminary budget estimates so that you know where you are headed cost-wise before you fall in love with your new house on paper. Their ongoing cost and “buildability” advice throughout the course of the design and documentation is invaluable.

If I select a Builder that early, how do I know they won’t take advantage and over-price the job?

You still have the option to put the project out to tender with other Builders. (Of course, you will have done your five-step check on each of them too, won’t you?) But the tender process does not always give you the best prices either – attention can slip if a Builder is particularly busy, there is a temptation to low-ball the price if they need the work, or a busy builder may even increase the price so they can put on extra staff to complete it.

By far the best way to arrive at the best price is to select your builder early and get to know them – building up that two-way trust along the way so that you can talk about the cost of the project freely together. It may be that your wishlist and your budget are just incompatible, so your Builder and your Architect can help you prioritise your needs and advise you on where your money will have the greatest impact. If you feel the need for an independent price check, you should engage a Quantity Surveyor or Cost Planner either to review the Builder’s price directly, or to prepare their own detailed estimate for comparison.

Results

At the end of the day, you and your builder both want the same thing – for your project to be built well, in a reasonable time and for a reasonable price. When that happens, you will have a fabulous new home to live in and will tell all your friends how wonderful your Builder was (and your Architect!). At the same time, the Builder will feel that they have been paid appropriately for their level of skill and attention and will hope that your friends will be beating down their door to have them build their next home or renovation!