JUDGES for NSW Case Earth Awards 2004 were impressed by the commitment to the environment and construction excellence demonstrated by the local construction industry.
Winning projects included the redevelopment of a contaminated industrial site into a 35-ha residential estate with a revitalised natural creek; and major highway works north of Sydney which features special under and overpasses for native fauna.
State winners in the six categories of this national awards program were announced in Sydney on June 18, 2004 before an audience of 700 civil contractors.
Now in their 11th year, the Case Earth Awards—sponsored by Case Construction Equipment and the Civil Contractors Federation (CCF)—recognise and reward the significant and innovative environmental reform that continues to take place in the construction industry.
Executive director of the NSW branch of the CCF, Craig Long, said the exceptional quality of the entries reflected the strength of the industry in this state. All state winners are now in contention for the national honours, to be announced on Friday November 5 at the CCF National Conference Gala Dinner in Melbourne.
“The judges were moved to suggest several high commendations because there were so many entries demonstrating outstanding environmental or construction achievements,” says Long.
Details of winning entries
Category winners of the Case Earth Awards for Environmental Excellence were the sedimentation control device at Tunks Park in Cammeray; the remediation of the PGH site at Woodcroft; and the Karuah bypass project.
Tunks Park at Cammeray has been plagued by increasing sedimentation and siltation since the 1980s. NSW Case Earth Award winner Antoun Civil Engineering, of Guildford, cleared contaminated material, re-shaped the riverbank and created a new levee and weir with little disruption to park users.
BMD Constructions of Rosehill helped prepare a former clay extraction and manufacturing site for redevelopment into a low density residential estate. The 34.5 ha site in Woodcroft, in Sydney’s west, now features a sparkling creek and a new ecosystem that is home to a range of flora and fauna. BMD developed a range of initiatives which delivered savings and resulted in the recycling of over 350,000 m3 of on-site resources.
The Karuah bypass project is part of the 10-year, $2.2 billion Pacific Highway upgrade program in NSW. The challenge to Thiess was to design and construct a world-class freeway through sensitive and protected areas with minimal short term interference with the local environment and impacts on the area’s long-term sustainability. Thiess developed initiatives to ensure the state forest, national park and Aboriginal areas around the highway were undamaged, and even constructed under and overpasses to allow native animals to cross the highway safely.
Category winners of the Case Earth Awards for Construction Excellence were the Concord Sewer Submain rehabilitation; the Iron Cove bridge deck replacement; Park Central at Campbelltown; and the restoration of Wharves 2/3 at Walsh Bay.
Girraween’s Interflow completed the rehabilitation of the Concord Submain, a 69 year old, 915 mm diameter reinforced concrete sewer in inner western Sydney, five weeks ahead of schedule with minimal excavation and minimal inconvenience to residents. Interflow used an innovative Australian system that allowed safe installation of new lining from existing manholes, without the need for workers to enter the deteriorated pipeline.
Innovative ideas were essential when it came time to replace the deck of one lane of a busy bridge in metropolitan Sydney. The Iron Cove Bridge carries road traffic from the Balmain Peninsula to Drummoyne. Barclay Mowlem Construction, from Pymble, came up with an innovative new deck design to complete the work quickly and with little disruption to motorists. In fact, they managed to dismantle the existing deck units and erect and commission the new deck in five weeks.
Park Central, Campbelltown is a vast development on a site spanning 37 ha in a rapidly growing area in Sydney’s south west. Western Earthmoving, of Seven Hills, was responsible for roads, drainage, water, electrical reticulation, traffic lights, relocation of Telstra assets, landscaping and wetland construction for the $11.5 million project. The excellent results include a road system linking the development to the Campbelltown CBD and an innovative drainage system which spared downstream properties from flooding and pollution.
Waterway Constructions, of Annandale, completed the restoration of Wharves 2 and 3 at Walsh Bay with the heritage aspects of the structure firmly in mind. The project included complete re-supporting of the structure on new piles, most of which were installed from under the wharves, and the installation of steel beams under the deck so they were not visible and did not detract from the traditional appearance of the wharves. There was also substantial re-use of timber from other structures in the precinct. The restoration returns the structure to its former glory and provides public access to one of the world’s great timber wharf structures.
Source: Construction Contractor.
