20 November 2019

A structural perspective on buying an apartment

| Karyn Starmer
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Jorge Aguirre and the team onsite at The Grounds, Braddon

Jorge Aguirre and the team onsite at The Grounds, Braddon. Photos: Region Media.

Canberrans are spoilt for choice when it comes to buying an apartment.

Choosing the location and configuration can be a difficult task and that’s before buyers even consider build quality. Buyers need to make the choice between purchasing off the plan, relying on display units and computer models or buying an apartment in an existing development. Either way, quality can be hard to judge, particularly when it comes to checking the more technical elements of construction, unless you have inside knowledge, like structural draftsman, Jorge Aguirre.

With 10 years of engineering design work behind him, Jorge had the advantage of being able to see what others couldn’t when he went looking to buy his first home. Jorge’s career in engineering design started with work experience as a junior draftsman for an ACT engineering services company.

A Canberra local, Jorge started at Sellick Consultants soon after finishing school. Ten years on, Jorge now works on the commercial team specialising in engineering residential high rise projects. It was there that his future home appeared on his desk.

“We were working on The Grounds in Braddon. My first impression was the location. It is great. I have always liked inner-city living. I like the lifestyle and Braddon is close to my work. I hadn’t decided on buying an apartment at that stage, I was still looking around considering my options,” Jorge said.

The Grounds is located in the leafy Braddon precinct, bordering the city centre and overlooking heritage-listed Northbourne Oval. The development consists of 92 apartments and 48 terrace homes.

Jorge is the leading designer as a part of a structural engineering team.

“I am in charge of coordinating all the drawings both internal and external. I literally watched The Grounds come to life. It was an awesome project to get into,” Jorge said.

“I could see for myself what was going into the build. I could see how all the components were working together and I could see the quality. The builder, the architect and the contractors were all looking for quality. I was impressed.”

Jorge was so impressed he bought a two-bedroom apartment.

Construction of The Grounds

Construction of The Grounds is due for completion mid-2020.

“I liked that this development was a little smaller than some of the others going up, there are only 92 units. That gave me confidence that there would be more of a community feel to the finished project. I was not in a hurry to move so I put a deposit on a two-bedroom unit and I have been watching the team build it ever since,” Jorge said.

Jorge has been on-site and walked around in his future home. “So far it looks great. I know the fit-out will be special, too. They really have thought of every little detail,” Jorge said.

A furnished display townhouse is now open. Visit The Grounds at 7 Donaldson Street Braddon, Saturday and Sunday, from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, or learn more at The Grounds-Braddon.

Structural draftsman Jorge Aguirre

Structural draftsman Jorge Aguirre has watched The Grounds from drawing stage to construction.

This is a sponsored article, though all opinions are the author’s own. For more information on paid content, see our sponsored content policy.

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