Opal Tower

Sydney's apartments are riddled with building defects

15 Oct 2021

New research reveals it is nearly impossible for buyers to find high-quality information about the apartments they are considering purchasing, placing them at considerable risk.

New defect rectification guide helps apartment owners navigate building faults

07 Dec 2020

The step-by-step guide helps strata property owners and managers with the process of identifying and rectifying defects in apartment buildings.

Year in review: the stories that shaped our cities

20 Dec 2019

From Opal Tower to Sculpture by the Sea, we look back on the top UNSW Built Environment stories in 2019.

High dramas

18 Jul 2019

When the Opal Tower at Sydney Olympic Park started cracking, residents were fearful their home was falling down around them. Lachlan Gilbert asked the Dean of Engineering, Mark Hoffman, about his leadership of the investigation into the building’s structural integrity.

Buck-passing on apartment building safety leaves residents at risk

20 Jun 2019

Regulations that are meant to protect residents from building failures and fires have been found wanting. All governments must take responsibility for fixing the defective regime they created.

After Opal Tower: UNSW researchers to investigate major building defects

28 Mar 2019

The City Futures Research Centre’s new ARC Linkage Project will put the multi-unit housing sector under the microscope and propose specific changes to protect people buying units.

Beyond Opal: a 10-point plan to fix the residential building industry

05 Feb 2019

While Opal Tower residents are more badly affected than most, up to 80% of multi-unit buildings have serious defects. Here's what government can do right now to fix the industry.

Opal Tower scare shows that badly built apartments affect us all

17 Jan 2019

Building defects in apartment blocks are far from unusual. We need to identify the systemic flaws contributing to them.

Lessons from the cracks in Sydney's Opal Tower go beyond building certification

10 Jan 2019

It's tempting to blame building certifiers and the fact they are privately employed. But the cracks in the quality of our apartment buildings go deeper and can be fixed.