Opal Tower Apartment Project
Project: Opal Tower
Completion Date: August 2018
What happened at Opal Tower?
A structural defect was identified in Opal Tower on Christmas Eve 2018 which Icon and Kajima were quick in responding to. Multiple engineers were immediately mobilised, including 2 of Kajima Japan’s most senior structural engineers sent from Tokyo the next day. Our response was proactive and comprehensive, including thorough investigations on site, coordination of expert structural engineers and consultants for the development of a rectification design and carrying out the rectification works to allow residents to reoccupy and enjoy the building.
Icon and Kajima supported apartment owners and tenants during this process, and until the building was reoccupied, and continue to stand behind the Opal Tower today with a 20 year warranty to cover any major defect in the structure.
What was Icon’s response to the Opal Tower events?
Icon’s response to the Opal Tower issue was swift, proactive and comprehensive after the events of December 2018. The number one priority was the welfare of residents and rectification quickly under the supervision of multiple engineering experts to minimize disruption to owners and tenants. This response cost Icon over $40 million including:
- Managing the design, detailing, approval and completion of all of the rectification works at its own cost;
- Funding alternative accommodation expenses;
- Covering all relocation and storage costs;
- An allowance to every resident for food and incidental expenses;
- Offsetting increases in insurance premiums;
- A helpline and online portal for residents to fast-track support services;
- Providing a 20-year warranty to cover any major defect in the structure of the Opal Tower – the Home Building Act in NSW requires six years.
Our Values
Environmental Commitments
How is Icon working towards a cleaner, greener future?
Icon is one of the first builders in Australia to make a Science Based Targets commitment to lower our emissions footprint.
We believe that reducing our impact on the environment cannot be done by purchasing offsets alone, and to make sustainable change we need to change the nature of the way we do business.
To avoid the most significant effects of climate breakdown, we must halve greenhouse gas emissions before 2030, achieve net-zero emissions before 2050 and halt global temperature rise to 1.5°C
As a business, we are not going to wait for government mandates to take action ourselves and our clients and community are now expecting business to take independent steps.
We are proud to be leading this race and encourage all other industry participants to join the Race to Zero.
How does Icon’s partnership with Kajima contribute to our environmental sustainability?
Our environmental sustainability efforts are boosted by our parent company Kajima’s investment in KaTRI(Kajima Technical Research Institute), which was established in 1949.
Made up of more than 300 engineers, KaTRI invests approximately A$120m every year on R&D into emerging construction practices and building technology. KaTRI's R&D focuses on environmental, social and governance measures to promote sustainable societies, digital technology and open innovation.
We also promote Kamija's Global Environmental Vision of ‘Triple Zero 2050’ which seeks to align with the targets laid out under the Paris Agreement in 2016 and strive toward zero carbon, zero waste and zero impact. This vision is being implemented via Icon’s adoption of a Science Based Targets commitment to CO2 emissions reduction.
Living Our Values
What are Icon’s values and how do we live them?
Think People
We look out for each other. As our most important asset, our people are top of mind in everything we do. We create safe, healthy and supportive workplaces that celebrate diversity and allow our people and the community to thrive.
As part of this, Icon is Australia and New Zealand’s first construction company to offer a five-day work week on all construction projects across the country.
The initiative aims to retain and attract skilled people and directly address significant industry concerns around mental health and personal wellbeing.
Act Together
We are stronger together. We know actions speak louder than words. Consistently working as a unified team delivers higher quality outcomes for everyone. Our people embody a collaborative spirit, working with our clients, partners and the local communities as a collective force wherever we operate.
Create Possibilities
We know it takes hard work to get the job done. We are passionate about setting new benchmarks for our industry and take pride in delivering superior outcomes. We are open-minded and solutions driven, taking responsibility for our actions and demonstrating leadership, especially when faced with challenging situations.
Earn Success
Our highly skilled team strives to excel at everything we do. We consistently challenge ourselves to be the best we can be and recognise that creativity, innovation and continuous improvement are crucial to sustainable success.
Commitment to Quality
How does Icon live quality in every way?
We are a quality-driven, construction partner that stands behind our product. We are at our best when we’re working as one with the client, project and subcontractor teams, to get the job done with a shared commitment to a quality project.
Led by an industry-leading Quality Assurance Manager, we aim to change the culture and attitudes towards quality and are trialling industry leading technology to control and manage outputs on and off site to exacting standards.
We’re proud to be the first company in the Asia-Pacific region to join the Get It Right Initiative (GIRI) demonstrating our industry-leading approach to eliminating error through inception, through operation, to completion.
How does Icon participate in the industry?
As active participants in an industry we love, we are members and proactive supporters of the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC), a not-for-profit organisation formed in 1995 that strives to help champion and empower women in the construction and related industries to reach their potential.
We have also joined forces with the Australian Constructors Association (ACA) to show our support for construction and infrastructure contracting companies. Dedicated to promoting a sustainable construction industry for Australia, the ACA is helping to build an industry that benefits both member companies, as well as stakeholders across the sector.
We work hand-in-hand with clients and suppliers on every project to select the best partners and ensure we always put safety first, while being mindful of best practice in sustainability.
Construction industry workers’ mental health and suicide prevention is something Icon is extremely passionate about and we are proud to have Icon’s New Zealand Director Dan Ashby on the board of MATES In Construction NZ, an organisation that actively works to support people within the industry.