Renovations

The underlying consideration when undertaking a renovation in the Aurora Tower is that there are 472 apartments – many owners and tenants live here as their home. As such due respect is required around noise, rubbish, parking, common property – our bylaws cover these issues and owners/ contractors need to ensure that they comply with the bylaws.

To get started you should contact EBCM (see contact details below) to discuss your renovation – the general improvement application form will require your input with some guidance from EBCM.

EBCM General Improvement Application Form - July 2020

General Approval Requirements

• The owner is to provide the Body Corporate with the material safety data sheet if chemicals are to be used, and ensure the chemicals used do not interfere with the health and safety of owners as well as the peaceful enjoyment of lots and common property;
• All works must comply with all statutory authorities and comply with all fire regulations, including installation of sprinklers as required by Fire Authorities;
• All works must comply with the Building Code of Australia;
• For any structural work, all works must be inspected and approved by a Building Certifier;
• The works must comply with all bylaw(s);
• The Onsite Facilities Manager must be notified of the dates that services will be affected. The use and timing of visitor parking is important as there are few car parks and they are common property; Vehicle size (both length and height) of parking spaces must be carefully monitored);
• It is the owner’s responsibility for any costs associated with fire service call-outs related to the works;
• The builders are to make arrangements with the Facilities Manager regarding use of lifts at level 2 and the loading dock for transporting building materials and equipment. Building materials and equipment should not be brought through either the ground or first floor foyers;
• All rubbish associated with the renovation is to be regularly removed from the building at the owner’s expense.

ByLaw #1 (Noise)

Many people work from home now. The 7 day notice period before the noisy works commence during a renovation gives other residents the opportunity to organise those time periods effectively. It should be noted that these works affect a large number of apartments as the noise can carry many floors.

• All works must be completed during Monday to Friday 7:00am – 5:00pm;
• No noisy works are allowed before 8.00am;
• No works to the lot are to carried out on public holidays;

ByLaw #7 (Depositing rubbish etc. on common property)

A proprietor or occupier of a lot shall not deposit or throw upon the common property any rubbish, dirt, dust or other material likely to interfere with the peaceful enjoyment of the proprietor or occupier of another lot or of any person lawfully using the common property.
Plastic protective sheets must be installed in hallways between lift door and apartment door.

ByLaw #13 (Structural alterations and Additions)

No structural alteration or external addition shall be made to any lot (including any alteration to gas, water or electrical installations and including the installation of any air-conditioning system or work for the purposes of enclosing, adding to or altering in any manner whatsoever the balcony or other external area of a lot) without the prior permission in writing of the committee but such permission shall not be unreasonably withheld.

ByLaw #32 (Curtains / Blinds)

A proprietor or occupier of a lot shall not hang curtains, blinds or louvres visible from outside the lot unless those curtains, blinds or louvres have a backing of such colour and design as shall be approved by the Committee.

A proprietor or occupier of a lot shall not install, renovate and or replace a curtain, blind or louvre without having the colour and design of the backing of same approved by the Committee. In giving such approvals the committee shall ensure so far as practicable that backing used in all lots presents a uniform appearance when viewed from outside the building.

ByLaw #46 (Hard flooring)

No proprietor shall install hard flooring without the written consent of the Body Corporate and that in granting the consent the body Corporate may impose the following conditions and any other reasonable conditions it deems necessary to manage floor impact noise so as to not unreasonably affect the acoustic amenity for lower occupied or adjacent areas;

1. Any installed hard floor surface is to provide a level of floor impact isolation of LnTw 55 (ref AAAC 3 Star – www.aaac.org.au) or better, between lower or adjacent occupied or residential areas (as per ISO 140 Part 7).

2. Prior to the installation of the floor surface, advice must be sought from a recognised acoustic consulting company with regard to suitable floor treatments to meet this level of isolation. This may include:

a. a preliminary floor impact isolation test to determine the isolation provided by the base floor slab under consideration.
b. testing on a sample of the isolation system to be used to confirm the final performance outcome.
The acoustic consulting company is to provide a written report providing their recommendations to achieve the required LnTw 55, and documenting the basis for providing these recommendations.

3. Upon completion of the works the floor shall be tested to ensure that the minimum impact isolation requirement has been met. This test must be carried out in accordance with the procedures defined in ISO Standard 140 Part 7 by a company experienced with and recognised for this type of work. A system will be accepted as being in compliance with the design criterion, if the performance level is not more than one (1) unit above the compliance level (not greater than LnTw 56). This tolerance is allowed as it is recognised that impact isolation levels can vary in different locations in the same building.

4. An impact isolation test certificate is to be submitted to the Body Corporate within ten (10) days of the test showing compliance with the defined limit.

5. Should the tested floor fail to meet the Body Corporates performance requirements, it is the responsibility of the Unit Owner to rectify the matter at their own cost.

Notes:
• The Body Corporate does not endorse or recommend any particular impact isolation product or system; or acoustic consulting company.
• The selected floor impact isolation system must be laid strictly in accordance with the suppliers recommended installation procedures.
• The installed hard floor surfaces must not touch the perimeter walls with there being a minimum 5mm gap between the walls and the hard floor surface. This gap is to be sealed with a resilient sealant.
• The LnTw 55 limit provides a “good” level of acoustic isolation and significantly exceeds the Queensland Building Code of Australia minimum floor impact isolation requirements.
• LnTw is a corrected noise level in the receiving space and a lower level indicates a higher level of performance.
• For further information on this matter, refer to the Association of Australian Acoustical Consultants Guideline “Acoustical Star ratings for Apartments and Townhouses” re www.aaac.org.au.
• Impact isolation testing requires access into the lower apartment for close to thirty (30) minutes. Such access needs to be arranged by the occupier of the apartment under consideration.

DEFINITIONS
Hard floor surfaces are tiles, stone, ceramic, timber, cork, vinyl or other floor surfaces that are inherently hard. Carpeted floors normally will significantly exceed the isolation requirements and do not need to be considered under this by-law.
ISO 140 “Acoustics – Measurement of sound insulation in buildings and of building elements – Part 7 Field measurements of impact sound insulation of floors”.
LnTw – L’nT,w – Weighted Standardised impact sound pressure level; a measurement of impact sound transmission between rooms. Lower values denote better performance. The single figure measure is derived by adapting a standard response curve to measured 1/3 octave band sound pressure levels. Measured results are adjusted based upon a reverberation tone of 0.5 sec in receiving room. Normally derived from a field test. This is a measure of the room noise levels when using a standardised tapping machine with a lower number representing a higher level of impact isolation.

Floor Impact Testing Brochure 2016 (general)Impact testing Guideline 2018 (for client)Site Advice re tapping (for client) v0.3