Top achievers recognised

Darin Devanny was among the ‘best of the best’ to be recognised during the presentation of industry awards at the New Institute of Building Surveyors conference held at Church Road Winery in Hawke’s Bay.

He picked up the Innovation in Building Surveying Award for designing a robot called ‘Hades’ that does the hard work seeking out damage and defects underneath a floor so the building surveyor can avoid this unhealthy and not particularly safe environment.

The remote controlled robot features a camera mounted in a protective plastic shell which feeds video in real-time via Wi-Fi to an iPad like screen.

As well as improving safety for Darin’s staff, the robot can complete a thorough underfloor investigation with great accuracy, all without the building surveyor getting dirty.

It is only 200mm high, and Darin already plans to create a second ‘Hades’ that is only 130mm high.

Richard Cakar took out the Best in Class Award for his dedication to study to complete the Institute’s 10 comprehensive modules while working full time as a building surveyor for Kaizon Building.

The Englishman has only been in New Zealand for a year, and has already graduated with a First Class Building Surveying BSc (Hons) degree from Northumbria University.

A passion for education and willingness to further improve the credibility of NZIBS members earned Warren Nevill a Service Recognition Award.

He continues to play an integral role in the drafting and teaching of the Institute’s robust, well-structured and maintained set of teaching modules. He is also a well-respected moderator of the training models to ensure each member receives a consistently high standard of education.

Darin Devanny (left) won the NZIBS Innovation in Building Surveying Award at the Annual Conference Gala.

Richard Cakar was the winner of this year’s NZIBS Best in Class award.

The dedicated service of Warren Nevill saw him win the NZIBS Service Recognition Award.