WOBO is pleased to share the news items from Create Digital, and Lovegrove and Cotton.
Curing concrete cancer
A microscopic marvel could help ward off a perennial problem in construction: steel reinforcement corrosion.
Steel reinforcement corrosion is a perennial problem for concrete as a construction material. Engineers are looking at novel ways to ward off this concrete cancer.
When create connects via video link with Dr Priyan Mendis, the University of Melbourne professor is in his birth country of Sri Lanka.
He has not returned for sentimental reasons, however, or to sample the island’s renowned culinary scene or magnificent scenery. Mendis is in pursuit of what he tells us is the purest graphite in the world.
Sri Lanka’s lode of ultra-pure highly crystalline vein graphite consists of more than 98 per cent carbon, according to the Graphene Council.
That purity – and the cost-effective production of graphene that it portends – could be the secret to curing concrete cancer.
Shoring up coastal infrastructure
The main issue that coastal engineers face is that we’re resolving problems left from previous infrastructure.
In coastal engineering, no one works from a blank slate. When a foreshore is redeveloped, the engineers charged with the transformation will see their work shaped by the existing infrastructure.
This is true even in a country like Australia, where coastal construction has been carried out over decades rather than centuries.
Even the influence imposed by previous construction might falter before the might of the natural forces that shift and push an area’s coastal geography.
“The main issue that coastal engineers face globally is that we’re generally resolving problems left from previous infrastructure, and that’s mostly because sand is moving along the coastline continuously,” University of Queensland School of Civil Engineering Professor Tom Baldock told create.
The hidden threat under Australia’s bridges
Worn bearings and joints can compromise a bridge’s structural integrity. A new generation of materials is helping futureproof vital infrastructure.
Lovegrove & Cotton Lawyers Bulletin – Honouring a Tradition of Reform – Founder of Lovegrove and Cotton Adjunct Professor Kim Lovegrove awarded Honorary Doctorate
On 7 June 2025, Western Sydney University conferred an Honorary Doctorate of Letters upon Adjunct Professor Kim Lovegrove in recognition of his service to construction law reform and building regulatory system design.
The award, was presented by WSU Chancellor Professor Jennifer Westacott AC.
Read the full tribute from Lovegrove & Cotton Construction Lawyers and learn why this recognition marks a significant milestone for our law firm. – Read Article
Planning Law – Building Appeals Board Modifications of the Building Regulations in Practice
On 3 February 2025, the Building Appeals Board (matter: 455647) found in favour of the Applicant in a section 160 (2) (b) Building Act 1993 (Vic) application to modify the regulations which dictated the minimum rear setback of the subject property. The Applicant was represented by Lovegrove and Cotton Construction and Planning Lawyers. Read Article