The Narre Warren-Cranbourne Road Upgrade’s site office has been brightened up by a stunning mural by Chisholm Institute graphic design student Felicity Weston that explores the type of culture the construction industry is aspiring to.
“The inspiration behind my mural was inclusivity and the multiculturalism we already have in Australia,” Ms Weston said.
“I was trying to represent the different people and cultures who make up Australia and to have an equal representation of women and men – because the construction industry is trying to encourage more women to join.
“This is why I included a father playing with his daughter in the mural, as this young girl represents the women of the future who will have a key role to play in the industry’s long-term success.”
Major Road Projects Victoria and its construction partner McConnell Dowell last year partnered with Chisholm Institute on a competition that was integrated into the TAFE’s graphic design curriculum.
McConnell Dowell Culture in Construction Coordinator Taryn Kippen said the partnership was a “wonderful opportunity”.
“The mural captures the essence of what the Culture in Construction standard aims to achieve – giving you more time to enjoy life and what matters to you, a better work-life balance to encourage women to join the industry, and a focus on wellbeing and making everyone in the workplace feel valued and heard.”
As part of the competition, students were tasked with designing murals illustrating what the construction industry’s culture should look like.
Chisholm Institute Art and Design Manager Michelle Crotty said it was a “fantastic experience”.
“Our students were very engaged in the process and understood how valuable projects such as this are in their learning,” she said.
“They were involved in all aspects of this project, from receiving the client brief, pitching their ideas, developing concepts and producing a solution.
“Now that our teachers and students can see the mural completed and on display, we are all inspired to connect with industry projects such as this into the future, to gain critical real-life experience before moving into industry.”
The competition was inspired by the Culture in Construction initiative, which has been established by the Construction Industry Culture Taskforce to develop a new Culture Standard for the construction industry.
The Narre Warren-Cranbourne Road Upgrade is one of two Big Build projects chosen to run pilot Culture in Construction programs.
The other is the Brunt Road Level Crossing Removal Project in Beaconsfield,
The programs focus on addressing traditional industry challenges such as long working hours, lack of diversity and worker wellbeing.
The mural competition was won by Ms Weston for her artwork that portrays a construction industry with a diverse and inclusive workforce where workers enjoy work-life balance and time for family.
Ms Weston recently visited the Narre Warren-Cranbourne Road Upgrade’s site office for the first time to see her mural proudly hanging on display.
Fellow Chisholm graphic design students Jeremy Rukunayake and Rebekah Ure were awarded second and third place respectively in the mural competition.
The upgrade’s partnership with Chisholm has produced another impressive artwork, with visual arts students Olivia Calleja and Jenny Kouch accepting a brief last year to design a mural of the Narre Warren-Cranbourne Road project alignment that depicted key upcoming works.
This mural is now also on display in the upgrade’s site office, while Ms Calleja and Ms Kouch gained invaluable experience in the process having been required to submit a quotation, purchase materials, submit concepts for approval, work to specifications and finally submit an invoice.
“It’s been great to team up with Chisholm Institute on the Narre Warren-Cranbourne Road Upgrade,” said Major Road Projects Victoria Program Director Marc Peterson.
“We’ve been really impressed by the quality of the murals the students produced and the ideas they expressed about the construction industry and what its culture should look like.”
The Narre Warren-Cranbourne Road Upgrade’s Culture in Construction pilot program will run for the duration of the project, which began in early 2022 and is expected to be complete in 2025.
