Australian Embassy in Ethiopia
Project No. 6218
The BE Collective Team have provided due diligence advice to in procuring a chancery building in Addis Ababa for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). Our role was to provide, and equip the building to be appropriate for a diplomatic posting. Our involvement included a one week site visit where two prospective buildings were examined with respect to their ability to comply with Australian codes, and the ease with which they could be upgraded to meet diplomatic security considerations. A comprehensive assessment of all engineering aspects of both buildings under consideration was presented to DFAT, which provided sufficient guidance for one building to be selected for detailed consideration. This has been followed up with an assessment of the works required to upgrade the building so that budget estimates could be developed.
In providing structural advice as to the seismic strengthening of the building, BE Collective were able to draw upon seismic strengthening methods used elsewhere in the world, and the likely sources of potential weakness based on the building and material construction.
Selection and nomination of appropriate building services equipment for the building has been done in careful consideration of the geographic location, the need to reduce whole of life costs, and the availability of replacement parts. This has been informed by our previous experience designing for overseas conditions.
In 2016 BE Collective’s efforts on the Australian Embassy in Ethiopia were awarded a High Commendation in the Small Business Ventures and Projects Category (pictured below hanging proudly in our Brisbane Head Office) at the Australian Engineering Excellence Awards.