1. November 2015
University of Melbourne, Master of Engineering
Placement Report: Samahir Al-Tooqi
Samahir Al-Tooqi undertook an Industry placement with Skematics, which is a Melbourne
based company which has provided architectural services and project management since
1993. Skematics is expanding its business activities into the Middle East and South East Asia
and currently, is undertaking a project in Muscat, Oman.
Professional Goals:
Samahir identified three key placement goals which would build on her professional skills:
1. Develop soft skills particularly in negotiation the communication skills in a team.
2. Demonstrate critical analysis of technical documentation.
3. Draw upon her ‘team work’ understanding to assist with project outcomes.
Samahirs’ placement commenced on the 19th
August 2015, and she worked one day a week
for eight weeks. During this period Skematics was undertaking two major projects which
Samahir was involved. These two projects were:
1. The ‘Tune hotel’ in Sydney which was a $45 mil project. The Tune Hotel was to be a
short stay hotel and offices and operate a long stay car park. Skematics were in the
last stage of document preparations consisting of 140 drawings for the project. This
gave Samahir the opportunity to have input over quality assurance with these
documentations.
Student input: There were 2 types of drawings for this project. First, the civil drawings
which showed the context of the hotel and second, the technical services drawings depicting
sub-types including: Mechanical Services, Hydraulic and Fire services and Electrical
services. Samahir reviewed these drawings for the project team and the joiner architect
reviewing the project. She depicted several anomalies which the team had to consider. This
proved valuable because appropriate changes to the drawings were carried out. Samahir
carried out a reading of the General Arrangements (GA) drawings. She also used the BIMx
program (a 3D program with gives a virtual walk inside the building). She then had

2. discussions with the owner about the three technical drawings which were significantly
mismatched with the original architecture drawings. In addition, there was an issue in the
design aspect, specifically in the control room of all the mechanical equipment for the hotel.
The issue was that the entry door of this control room in the mezzanine level was through the
café which belongs to the office side which will disturb customers each time they have a
service. Thus, a new initiative has been to have an entry door with stairs from the outside.
Reporting: A technical report was prepared by Samahir and sent to the technical consultant.
This report included all the issues that were found in the three drawings (mechanical,
hydraulic and electrical) and introduced to them a suggested solution for each case.
2. Oman: Plan and feasibility analysis of a building complex in Muscat. This project
consisted of ‘smart car-parking’ - Basement, Ground and Mezzanine levels and three
levels of open plan office space.
Student input: Samahir had the opportunity of being at the commensmant of this progect
and gain valuable insights in the negotiation and planning processes.
Samahirs’ supervisor at Skematics Mr Hani Akkawi reported that Samahir demonstrated
control of all situations. He indicated that it was good to have Samahir once a week. She
quickly picked up issues about service and engineering drawings, as a professional to co-
ordinate drawings. This was very beneficial for her learning and the team she was working.
For example, by day three she edited a full report which was used with the builders. This
assisted the builder in his understandings.
Communication style: At all levels Samahir demonstrated high level communication skills.
Her good command of English underpinned a comfortable communication style. Her shy
character and gentle personality was strongly supported by her sincerity and trustworthiness.
This was particularly helpful when dealing in the team environment. It was reported that
…”it was a joy to have Samahir around”.
Teams: The teams reported that Samphir’s involvement added value to the team performance
and outcomes. Samahir’s questioning and astute observations triggered the organisation to
ask more questions relating to current projects. As a result, the business benefited financially
from Sam’s reports. Samahir looked the technical elements of these projects and acted as a
service consultant to the project team.
It was noted that Samahir is prepared to take challenging work and is very keen to extend
herself and seek advice. It is clear from the above work that Samahir has achieved her three
key placement goals and far exceeded expectations in the short time she was working with
Skematics. She has demonstrated a high level of achievement during this Industry Placement
and passed all aspects required of her. I highly recommend Samahir to any future employer.
Regards
Dr Peter Goldsmith