A Flying Career
By Ryan Spittel
My career path in the property and construction industry has been anything but conventional. It has been the result of chance and luck, as much as it has been hard work. For as long as I can recall, following in my old man’s footsteps to become an airline pilot was the one goal - a goal I’m glad to say, I cast aside within a few months of dipping my toes into the property industry.
Towards the end of high school, I presented dad with the flying schools I might want to apply to and became somewhat disheartened at the time to instead hear, ‘no son, you should go to university first’. Taking on his advice, and with the idea that I had a knack for design and was intrigued by beautiful houses and buildings, I resolved that a degree in Architecture would a ‘fun thing to do’. If you take one piece of advice from me, let that be: that a degree in architecture while rewarding, is by no means a fun walk in the park.
In graduating university, I was self-assured the time was right to head to flying school, when dad said, ‘you’ve worked so hard, why don’t you give Architecture a go?’ Well the problem there was that I had no intent of becoming an Architect, the primary reason being, I was significantly lacking in talent for it. An issue I assumed would hinder my career prospects as an Architect. If I was to give the industry a chance, Project Management I thought, was better suited to my skillset.
Being a stubborn young twenty-something year old at that stage, instead of diligently seeking to find employment in the property industry, I spent a year and a half tending bars around Melbourne. These years in hospitality, I’d still say were some of the best times of my life. However, when it came around to heeding my parent’s advice and thoughts of attempting to crack into the property and construction industry again became my priority, I had a bachelor’s degree in Architecture, was two years out of university and had no industry experience. In my mind, the perfect candidate for any company. Surprisingly enough though, the phone wasn’t ringing.
This is when I came across Richard Altrieth. He was looking to start up a Project Management consultancy. As my luck would have it, he decided to give me a shot. The consultancy being a start-up, I registered an ABN and did some contract work for Richard and in time began developing my skillset as a Project Manager.
A question I do get asked often, is what I actually do as a client-side consulting Project Manager. Try as my mother might to take on this question, she has recently given up trying to explain what I do for a living and has resolved to tell her friends that I’m an Architect. I really can’t blame her. You can try to sound technical and say that a Project Manager will manage time, cost, quality and risks on projects. You can put that in simpler terms to say that on behalf of a client we engage the consultant team and manage the design process to then engage the builder and manage the construction process. My favourite explanation of our role is as my friend and colleague James Creech puts it, ‘we make sure that people more talented than us are doing their job properly.’ It may be an oversimplification, but it somehow makes sense.
Fast forward a couple of years from registering my ABN, I was still contracting Project Management services but trading under a registered company - harbouring slight ambitions of a consultancy company of my own. It was around this time that an opportunity to undertake some work on behalf of Monash University presented itself to me. Coming from a background of townhouse developments and small apartment buildings, jumping onto the team delivering the Learning and Teaching Building project offered a steep learning curve. The building is an exemplar space that creates the opportunity for innovative teaching and collaborative learning.
After the Learning and Teaching Building was successfully delivered, I was asked by the University if I could take on delivery of the Gillies Hall project - a new student accommodation building, based on the Peninsula campus in Frankston. This building will forever hold a special place in my heart. Designed and built in 19 months, the team pulled off a miracle. Not only was the building delivered on time, it incorporates a mass timber structure and is to this day the largest certified Passive House building in Australia, by some margin.
This then lead to the highlight of my career so far, where I was able to take to the stage in New York at the North American Passive House Network conference to share with our peers in North America the story, the challenges and lessons learnt in delivering our project a world away in Frankston, Australia. It was even more meaningful that I was able to share the stage with the mind behind the design. The success of any project comes down to the dedication of the team, so it is always special to share in the moments and accomplishments with the team as well.
With a self-employed career seemingly on an upward trajectory, why then have I joined a consultancy? The thing about knowledge is you only know what you know from your experiences. For self-improvement, you need to surround yourself with people from whom you can learn. Around three months before I was prepared to commence a role at a consultancy, I decided to start looking around. My rationale being that if I was not in a rush to find work, I could find a place to work at where I genuinely wanted to be. Naturally, I signed a contract with the first consultancy I met and commenced with Duo Projects.
The Directors at Duo Projects have managed to put together an amazing team of ambitious individuals with vast experience from whom I learn something on a daily basis. What I appreciate most is that while individual achievements are celebrated, there are no tall poppies. Whether it is Collins Arch or the demolition of an industrial site in Bayswater, each project is delivered with pride and with the best of our teams’ ability. Going into the office day in and day out to work alongside this incredible team was something I loved doing, and look forward to doing again soon, given the pandemic we’re all experiencing at present.
With Duo Projects came the opportunity, to work on a CBD project. My role on the project is certainly Steven Bradbury-esque. The team at Duo have been involved in the project for a near 9 years, yet it has been a remarkable experience working on delivering 80 Collins Street, even if it is the latter stages. Being involved in a project of this nature is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Given the complexity of the project and the prominence of the building within the CBD, one of the principal challenges for me was to manage the project in the context of such a visible setting. Working alongside my colleagues from Duo to deliver the project will be an experience I won’t forget in a hurry.
An added perk of working on a CBD project is catching a glimpse of the building against the city skyline gives you a sense of pride. That said, the location of the building is usually of little consequence to me. I’m champing at the bit to progress works on two very exciting projects located in Collingwood and Geelong. Ultimately, it’s not the location of the project, but the team you work with that makes it memorable and overcoming the challenges makes it rewarding.
My passion however, lies in seeing the advancement of sustainable development. Those close to me may raise their eyebrows. I for one am still not sure if the bottle cap on a carton of milk must be taken off when recycling - or should I really be buying milk in a glass bottle instead? While individual contributions across the population in terms of lifestyle choice will go a long way toward solving the current climate crisis, it should be our duty as professionals in the property and construction industry to make tangible change in the built environment. The changes in the National Construction Code which came into effect earlier this year, is a giant step in striving for buildings which perform better. Nonetheless, the uptake of mass timber in construction provides another brilliant opportunity. Why not build buildings with a material that has sequestered carbon rather than pumping more carbon into the atmosphere via yet another concrete structure? There are a number of challenges to overcome for the widespread adoption of mass timber construction, primary of that being any building over 25 meters in effective height being referred to the Building Appeals Board. While I do see the rationale for the referral, a 12-month period for an outcome at the board renders projects unfeasible, in spite of there being developers actively looking to construct their buildings in mass timber. Something we as an industry must address.
As for what advice I would give my younger self or aspirants who want to work in the property and construction industry, there is a brilliant Tim Minchin video on YouTube where he shares his ‘9 Life Lessons’. Watching that would be a good place to start. In the vein of what Tim says, it is always good to have a goal to work towards, but this should not be your one focus. Instead have passion for what you do, and always carry a thirst for knowledge. Then strive towards your goal with it in your peripheral vision not your primary focal point. The winding path that gets you there will be full of surprises. When you do achieve your desired level of success, remember that you didn’t get there alone. You were helped along by family, friends and colleagues without whom it would not have been possible.
Secondly, don’t lose faith when looking for a job. Particularly in today’s climate, this can be challenging, however believe in your ability and the opportunity will come, sometimes from the most unlikely place. When the opportunity does present itself, make sure to make the most of it.
Finally, if you’re lucky enough to have parents trying to give you career advice, listen to them. We may sometimes think that they’re a bit old and out of touch, but they may surprise you. I’m certainly glad I took my parents advice.
Now, off to find some time to get myself a Private Pilot License for some recreational flying.
This piece was curated by Meleane Kaufasi.
Project Manager at Duo Projects
Bachelor of Environments (Architecture) – University of Melbourne
Ryan is a Project Manager at Duo Projects, a Project and Development Management consultancy based in Victoria. With experience in the residential, tertiary, commercial and sports & leisure sectors, Ryan takes pride in delivering complex projects by forming cohesive relationships with Clients, Stakeholders, Consultants and Contractors.