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A man wearing orange high vis and a hard hat smiling at camera in front of the Melbourne Arts Precinct spire
Project Manager Chris Giang in front of the famous Melbourne Arts Centre spire

Every time you travel on our roads, take public transport, attend an event, go to work or head out for some recreation time, you can be sure that engineers have played a part in creating the infrastructure you need to make it happen.

4 March is World Engineering Day, an opportunity to celebrate engineers’ contributions to a better, sustainable world for all people.

At Development Victoria, engineers play a crucial role in helping us deliver some of the state’s largest development projects.

We’re proud of the work done by the engineers in our organisation, such as Chris Giang.

Chris joined Development Victoria mid-way through 2022 as Project Manager on the Melbourne Arts Precinct Transformation, Australia’s largest cultural infrastructure project.

The Victorian Government is investing $1.7 billion to transform the Melbourne Arts Precinct into one of the great creative and cultural destinations in the world. Development Victoria is delivering the transformation on behalf of Melbourne Arts Precinct Corporation, Creative Victoria, National Gallery of Victoria and Arts Centre Melbourne.

From a young age, Chris was fascinated by watching the work done by heavy machinery on construction sites and that steered him towards a career as an engineer.

“I wanted to work in an industry where my work would help improve people’s quality of life” Chris says.

Chris graduated from The University of Melbourne with a Bachelor of Engineering (Civil) degree and has since put his skills to work on some of Australia’s largest road infrastructure projects such as the North East Link and West Gate Tunnel Project.

I wanted to work in an industry where my work would help improve people’s quality of life

Another highlight close to home was working with Traditional Owners on the $7.76 million project to revitalise Mackenzie Falls, one of the most spectacular and most visited sites in the Grampians (Gariwerd) National Park.

His work also took him overseas to Canada, where Chris was involved in the planning and design of a road underpass and overpass in Vancouver.

“A fascinating part of that project came when the team was looking at different construction methodologies to manage the high ground water table.

“We considered freezing the groundwater during the winter months to enable the construction of the underpass,” Chris recalls.

Chris is delighted that Development Victoria continues to support his professional development as an engineer.

“On the project I have worked with and learnt from a diverse range of people and stakeholders including architects, acousticians, structural, electrical and mechanical engineers, and many more,” Chris says.

“Project and stakeholder management is critical in my role. I’m faced with finding solutions to challenges, such as constructing in a live operating environment and building a tanked basement in close vicinity to the Birrarung (Yarra River).

“I’ve brought my skills in managing time, costs and risks to support our project team in delivering this project.

“Since joining Development Victoria I’ve had opportunities to attend numerous training sessions on topics ranging from contract administration through to safety - which shows the organisation’s commitment to ensuring we can continue to develop and grow our careers.”

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Updated on 15 May 2024