WOBO appreciates the information and support provided by the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB ) and Create Digital
Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB)
It’s shaping up to be a big year for the ABCB, with major pieces of work underway. The NCC 2025 preview is about to go live, prior to the publishing of NCC 2025 on 1 May 2026. Alongside this, Treasury is leading important work to modernise how future editions of the NCC are developed and navigated – have your say through the current public consultation.
We’re also working on other key initiatives – from improving digital systems and updating education resources, to reviewing the CodeMark Certification Scheme, supporting the transition to lead free plumbing products, and progressing work on the national voluntary certification scheme for manufacturers of modern methods of construction.
Read the full CEO Update on our website to learn more about what’s ahead.
The NCC 2025 preview is now available
The Australian Building Codes Board has published the NCC 2025 preview, giving you early access to the next edition. Jurisdictions can consider adoption from 1 May 2026.
- water management
- carpark fire safety through enhanced sprinkler and FRL measures
- commercial energy efficiency, including mandatory on-site solar photovoltaic systems, upgraded insulation and lighting control requirements
- condensation mitigation in Volume One and the Housing Provisions
- optional all-gender sanitary facilities
- strengthened requirements supporting robust structural and fire safety Performance Solutions.
Some changes proposed during consultation are not included in NCC 2025. These include residential energy efficiency updates, EV-charging readiness provisions, and fire separation requirements for roofed outdoor areas.
NCC 2025 will be published online on 1 May 2026. Jurisdictions can consider adoption of NCC 2025 from this date.
All NCC 2025 preview volumes are now available in PDF at ncc.abcb.gov.au. Access the NCC 2025 preview
The high (and low) tech solutions to seaborne plastic waste
Engineers are pioneering innovative technologies to extract plastic from the world’s oceans.
Battling blazes in a heat-stricken country
Australia has sweltered through a heatwave – and engineers are at the frontline, developing solutions to safeguard communities against those to come.
Inside Sydney Fish Market’s ambitious engineering
To mark its opening this week, we explore the impact of hydrostatic pressure on the market’s basement, and why design for manufacture and assembly proved crucial.
Engineering desal plants that protect coastlines
What began as cause for public concern has become a model for vital environmental engineering.
What engineers should know about silica in construction
Construction workers being diagnosed with silicosis in their 30s is unacceptable – and something needs to change, says engineer Kate Cole.
A visual guide to the country’s first modern skyscraper
ICI House in Melbourne broke records when completed in 1958. Discover insights into its glass curtain wall design and how it is expected to be impacted by ever-hotter heatwaves.
Installing Perth’s ambitious pipeline project
To secure drinkable water, one utility’s engineers are sending ultra-long pipelines out to sea.
South Korea’s department store disaster
Alarming structural flaws caused five floors of a building in Seoul’s Gangnam District to collapse.
What the Iberian blackout tells us about reactive power
In April 2025, Spain and Portugal experienced a grid failure that disconnected 31 GW of load in just 90 seconds.
The Murray–Darling is being re-engineered
When the perceived value of water changes, so does engineering. Nowhere in Australia is this felt more keenly than the Murray–Darling Basin.
Lovegrove & Cotton Lawyers Bulletin
Tsigereda Lovegrove Joins the IBQC Board – a Significant Appointment for a Global Organisation with a Global Mission
We are delighted to announce the appointment of Tsigereda Lovegrove to International Building Quality Centre’s (IBQC) Board. This significant appointment reflects not only Ziggy’s outstanding expertise in construction law and regulatory reform, but also the depth of her global experience and contribution to the IBQC’s mission.
The post announcing Tsigereda’s appointment has already attracted warm endorsements from academic and judicial leaders in diverse jurisdictions.
Associate Professor Elen Seymour, who has worked closely with Tsigereda, commented: “I’ve seen firsthand how exceptional Ziggy’s work is — thoughtful, rigorous, and genuinely impact-focused. Huge congratulations on your appointment to the IBQC Board; it’s a well-deserved recognition of your leadership, and IBQC is lucky to have you.”
Her Honour Gladys Gondwe, Judge of the High Court of Malawi, also commented on the announcement: “An excellent addition. She brings a wealth of experience and the passion the board needs. Congratulations” Link to article:
How Building-Control Regulatory Architecture Could Inform the Design of AI Governance Frameworks
Law is designed to regulate human and institutional actors acting through human agency. Current artificial intelligence systems are non-sentient technical constructs. Building regulation shows how preventive oversight can be designed to detect and correct failure before control is lost. This piece is written by Professor Kim Lovegrove in a personal capacity, in collaboration with an artificial intelligence system.
Link to article: