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ARTICLE · 28 FEBRUARY 2019

Opal Tower building cracks open up important lessons for purchasers

Bartier Perry Solicitors
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Until proposed building and construction reforms are enacted, the risks when buying property off the plan in NSW remain.

AustraliaReal Estate and Construction
Julia Yassa
Julia Yassa
David Creais
David Creais
Hugh Halliday (Formerly With Bartier Perry)
Hugh Halliday (Formerly With Bartier Perry)
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On Christmas Eve 2018, while most of us were preparing for our Christmas celebrations, almost 3000 people were being evacuated from their homes at Sydney Olympic Park as a result of loud “cracking noises”, which sparked fears that the 36 storey Opal Tower apartment building would collapse.

It was later discovered that the noises were the sound of the building moving by up to two millimetres.

The nightmare did not end there – residents were evacuated again on 27 December, when further investigations revealed the full extent of the structural damage.

Why did it happen?

An interim report commissioned by the NSW Minister for Planning and Housing revealed that:

  • a number of design and contract issues are likely to have caused the damage

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