Declan Marrows

6 May 2022

Role: Graduate Site Engineer
Business Unit: Building
Project: 140 Lonsdale:
State: VIC

Introduction

My name is Declan Marrows and I have recently commenced the Global Graduate Program (February 2022) with Lendlease in Melbourne, Victoria. I begin my professional journey as a Graduate Site Engineer, working on the 140 Lonsdale Street Project in the CBD, a 20-storey commercial office building.

What does your day look like?

5:45am
First alarm, unsuccessful.
 
6:00am
Second alarm, time to get up. Morning shower, grab laptop bag then out the door to walk to train station. Muesli bar on the go. 
 
7:00am.
Arrive at the site office, greet the project team, and complimented by a round of 'mornings' in unison. Instantly reminded by the Foreman that they have been in the office well before me. Time to check my emails and plan my activities for the day. I use this time to respond to anything urgent and create a bit of a to do list for the day and what I want to achieve. 

7:30am
Coffee Number 1. I have finally built up the courage to utilise the impressive site coffee machine, an upgrade from instant to say the least. 
 
7:40am
First site walk for the day, switch the RM's for steel caps and engage PPE. I am currently tracking the progress of the ground floor area where we are fitting out the areas and installing items such as wall stone, ceiling grid/tiles and joinery. I will discuss with the site Foreman about what works are happening on site for the day and if there are any design/procurement issues that may be halting the construction. 
 
8:30am
Back in the office. This time is dedicated to sending out any RFIs (Request for Information) to clients/architects about any issues/design queries that may have been raised on site by the supervisor or trade engineers. I will also chase up any outstanding RFIs and correspondences that need closing out. 
 
10:30am
Meeting time. We have a weekly subcontractor meeting which involves all subcontractor project leads gathering in the site office with Lendlease Foreman and the Site Manager to discuss upcoming works to be aware of and provides a forum for raising concerns. During the meeting we will review a 2-week look ahead of the project, safety issues, covid updates and the subcontractors forecasted labour resources. I will record and distribute all items discussed to the parties involved.
 
11:30am
As the construction industry is quite unpredictable, this time might involve a mixture of activities. This time could involve being called back on site for an inspection or meetings in the office with other Lendlease engineers. 
 
12:30pm
Lunch time. Walk on down to the notorious 'Kenny's Bakery' for their signature pork roll. Lunch time in the office consists of socialising with project team and reviewing the site footy tipping results. Coffee Number 2. 

1:00pm
Architect defect walk. We are currently in the defect stage on various levels of the project and are starting to invite the clients to come to site and perform their defect inspections. This type of inspection consists of meeting up with the area supervisor and clients on site to record any defects the client may identify. Once we have completed the walk, I will generate a defect report and issue it to the relevant trades and monitor the closing out of these items. 
 
2:30pm
Ground floor planning session in site office. I will meet with the Construction Manager, Senior Project Engineer, and the area supervisor to discuss the progress of the Ground floor construction. I am required to generate a programme for the area which we go through in detail and flag any changes/delays or areas in which we can fast-track the process. We will also discuss any design queries; materials lead times and any labour issues that may be preventing works from proceeding. 

3:30pm
PPE back on. Final site walk for the day. This will be a brief walk through to assess what task is complete for the day, mostly for tracking of key items/areas and to confirm that the follow-on trades are able to commence in the upcoming days. 
 
4:00pm
Return to the office. I use this time to check and respond to any new emails as well as any outstanding RFIs. This time is dedicated to coordinating with other engineers about anything that has been raised during the day. I will also do a brief plan for the following days works and prepare any site documentation that is required for the next day. 
 
5:00 - 5:30pm
Anywhere between 5 and 5:30 I will pack my stuff up and walk to the train station to head home. I will have a quick bite to eat then head off to footy training before retiring on the couch in front of the TV.