march - april 2016| business world australia · march - april 2016| business world australia. wor a...

March - April 2016| Business World Australia

Business World Australia | March - April 2016

ICONICINNOVATION

New Farm Riverwalk Replacement Project


FRIENDLY, STRONG, HONEST CULTURE

JohnHolland isoneofAustralia’s leadingandmostdiversifiedcontracting,engineering,andserviceproviders.Overtheirlongandsto-riedhistory,theyhavedevelopedareputationforprovidingsmarter,safer,andmoreinnova-tivesolutionsacrossabroadrangeofindustrysectors. Recently, that reputation was affirmed bythe result the company achieved on the New Farm Riverwalk Replacement Project – a chal-lengingandiconicjobthatJohnHollanddeliv-eredwithskill,commitment,andvision. The Riverwalk is one of Brisbane City Coun-cil’skeyriverconnectionsbetweenNewFarm

andtheBrisbanecitycentre.Theoriginalfloat-ingwalkwaywasconstructedin2003andwasusedbymorethan3,000cyclists,pedestrians,and runners daily. It was a visionary project that was all but swept away in the Queensland floodsofJanuary2011,whenhalfofthewalk-waybrokeawayfromtherestrainingpilesandfloateddownstream. After the flood event, the Brisbane CityCouncilwascommittedtoreinstatingtheRiv-erwalk as a key river connection. First, theycommissioned an assessment of the failure mechanism,whichmade itclear thatamorefloodresilientstructurewouldberequired for


the Riverwalk’s replacement. In April 2013,John Holland was awarded the contract to de-liver that structure. The New Farm Riverwalk Replacement Project is comprised of an 850 metre inte-gral walkway structure that connects fromthe Howard Smith Wharf Precinct to Merthyr Road,NewFarm.Itissupportedon30singlepiers and two abutments. One section near thedownstreamendincludesaSwingBridgewhich opens to allow private boats to access theBrisbaneRiver.Bybeingfixedratherthanfloating,thenewstructureachievesits“flood-resilient”mandate, and is designed to last a

minimumof100years. Inadditiontobeingmoredurable,thenewRiverwalkwasalsodesignedwitha ‘zig-zag’alignmenttocreateamoreinterestingjourneyalongitslengthbyexposingusersofthewalk-waytodifferentriverviews.The‘zig-zag’ for-mationalsoallowsforthecreationoffiverestnodesatchanges indirection,whichprovideuserswithinterestingviewingpoints. ThenewRiverwalkalsofeaturessegregat-ed,fibre-reinforcedcolourconcretepedestrianand cycle paths, which are 2.5 metres and3.5metreswiderespectively.Thesegregatedpaths–combinedwith thechanges indirec-


A ONE-TEAM APPROACH

tionalongthewalkway–areexpectedtoslowdown cyclists and therefore provide safer envi-ronment for all users. Tofurtherenhancethesafetyofusers,thenewRiverwalkincludes24hourlightingalongits length,anon-slipconcretesurface,CCTVcapability,andwaterstationsatallfiveoftheshaded rest areas.

JohnMcDonnellwastheProjectManageron the New Farm Riverwalk Replacement. He says the success he achieved on the project is acredit to thestrong relationshipsJohnHol-

land formed with every member of the project team. In the case of the client, Brisbane CityCouncil (BCC),McDonell saysastrong rela-tionshipwas forged right from the beginningof the project.He recalls howBCC’sProjectDirector and Project Manager attended fort-nightlymeetingstodiscussallaspectsof thework,andhowtheydemonstratedan“in-depthunderstandingofthedesignandthechalleng-esthatwererequiredtoberesolved.” “A one-team approach was establishedearly to ensure we maintained a mutually ben-eficial relationship throughout thedurationof


theproject,”hesays.“Itwasveryimportantforthe team that transparency was maintained and that every effort was made to ensure the safe and successful delivery of the project.”“BCCandtheirdesigners’supportwasinvalu-able to the John Holland team and was a ma-jorfactorintheoverallsuccessofRiverwalk,”he adds. Speaking of the project’s designers, Mc-Donnell says both the temporary works and SwingBridgedesigners “performeddiligentlyand established sound relationships with key personnel at the project.” He says this was an important working relationship, and was es-

sential to producing the most advantageoussolutionstodesignmattersinatimelymanner. “Weeklymeetingswereheldwiththe leaddesignerswho all worked professionally andadoptedaproactiveapproachtotheprocess,”heexplains.“Theserelationshipsformedattheproject will continue to evolve in future projects delivered.” Throughoutthelifeoftheproject,strongre-lationships were also developed with the site team,workforce,andsubcontractors.McDon-nell says the site team demonstrated a highlevel of commitment and dedication to achiev-ingthebestoutcomefortheproject.


“The relationship with our workforce andsubcontractors was admirable,” he says.“Therewasmutualrespectandaclearunder-standingofthesitesafetypolicies,allowingusto achieve many project milestones with posi-tive results.” Due to the strength of their relationshipsatevery level, theteamatJohnHollandwasable touse innovative thinking toproactivelyaddress project challenges, and ensure theywereidentifiedandresolvedefficiently. Onesuchchallengewastheinstallationofa total of 30 steel piles into the river bed toanchor the walkway and provide solid foun-

dations for the structure. These piles were a keycomponentforfacilitatingfloodresilience,guaranteeing the newRiverwalkwould havealonger lifespanthantheoriginal,aswellasreduced maintenance costs. “The teamdevelopeda unique system toinstallthesacrificialoversizedpiles,1,200mil-limetres and 1,500 millimetres respectively,which allowed for the permanent piles to be installedwithinatoleranceof100millimetres,”McDonnellexplains.“All30pileswereinstalledwithin this tolerance.” Inanefforttoovercomethevaryinggroundconditionsoftheriverbank,theteamalsode-


velopedanumberofuniquesolutions toen-sure sustainability, and adopted innovativeprocessesforheavyliftingtechnologies.PilingrigsweremountedontobargesintheBrisbaneRiver to allow concrete pumps to connect to thebridgeviaasecurefloatingpipeline fromland. Anotherchallengewassupplyingconcreteto the marine piles. To do that, the team atJohn Holland utilised an innovative 150 mil-limetre floating concrete line in the BrisbaneRiver. To ensure that the floating line would besuccessful, the project set up a trial on land

with1,000millimetresofpipe,whichincludedanumberofcurvestosimulatedifficultpump-ing conditions. The trial was successful andthe line was incrementally installed as the pil-ingworksprogressed. “All concreteworkswere carried out suc-cessfullywithoutincident,”McDonnellreports. Finally, unpredictable weather conditionswhilst working on the river bed representedanother significant challenge. To overcomethat challenge, the project team installed anumberofanchorsystemstokeepthebargestable during the construction operations. Atemporary works check was also carried out


allowinganchoragetosomeofthepermanentpiles.Whereanchoragewasnotpossible,pre-cast blocks were used. Again,McDonnellsaysthesolutionswereimplemented successfully, ensuring no un-plannedbargemovements.

Atthe2015AIBNationalProfessionalEx-cellence Awards, McDonnell and John Hol-land’sinnovativeworkontheNewFarmRiv-erwalk Replacement Project was recognisedwithawinintheInfrastructurecategory. TheAIBawardscelebratebuildingprofes-

sionals who have demonstrated leadership andassistedwith theon-timeandon-budgetdelivery of challenging projects. They reflectthe highest standards of building and con-struction management inAustralia, and theyareconsidered tobeamong themostpresti-gioushonoursinthebuildingindustry. McDonell credits the recognition on theNew Farm Riverwalk Replacement Project to the dedication and hard work of the project team,andinparticulartheirtalentforinnova-tion.Hereiteratesthateveryonecametogeth-er to develop a number of innovative ideas,which were implemented on the project to help

INDUSTRY RECOGNISED


overcomechallengesandensureitssuccess. Suchideasincluded:3Danalysisofgirderreinforcement for early detection of issues; construction of reinforcement jigs and liftingframes unique to the project; construction oftemporary running rails for girder transporta-tion; and construction of a purpose built steel mould,whichcouldbejackedupanddowntofacilitategirderproduction. Other innovations on the project included the utilisation of polystyrene void formers in gird construction, aswell as the recycling ofthose polystyrene void formers. There was also the aforementioned innovative floating

concrete line. Theteamalsodevelopedtemporarygirderseatingplates,whichwerewelded to the topofthepileliner.Afterthegirderswereplacedonthoseplates,theywerestitchedtogetherbycastinganin-situsectionofconcretebetweenadjacentgirdersoverthetopofthepier.This‘stitch’eliminatedtheneedforbearingsontheproject, allowing the structure to rely on theflexibility of relatively tall piers to absorb thedeck movements. Theproject’sapproachtosafetywasalsoinnovative,McDonnelladds. “The workforce was committed and dedi-


catedtotheproject,”hesays.“Thehighlevelof professionalism which was displayed when carryingoutdutiesensuredsafetywasalwaystop of mind.” To recognise good safety behaviour, theteam at John Holland introduced “MonthlySafetyAwards,” where staff were nominatedand awarded by their peers. The winners re-ceived an award at a dedicated presentation duringamonthlyBBQonsite. “Theawardsprogramwasgreatlyappreci-ated by the teamand highlighted the impor-tance and commitment they all played in en-suringsafeworkingatalltimes.” McDonnell says a strong safetymessagewasdemonstratedfirstbyhimselfastheProj-ectManagerinordertoallowaflow-oneffectto theworkforce.AsProjectManager,heat-tended project inductions, tool box talks, aswell as all the monthly safety awards in order “tokeepthesafetymessagecurrent.” Through the effective implementation oftheSafetyManagementPlan, theNewFarmRiverwalk Replacement Project was delivered with no Lost Time Injuries. “WhilemaintainingallaspectsofourSafe-ty, Quality, Environment (SQE) and commu-nityobligations,wereconstructedoneofBris-bane’smosticonicfeatures,”McDonnellsays.“Wesuccessfully installed30steelpileswithrocksocketsintheslopingrockterrainoftheBrisbaneRiver; poured all 30 piles using an

850 metre long floating concrete line; con-structed30precast,250T,30metrelongpost-tensionedgirdersonsite;transportedthegird-ers by site rail to a purpose built dock; installed all30girdersusinganinnovativesynchronisedhoist system and completed all balustrade and Node Construction without incident.” McDonnell reiterates that the New Farm Riverwalk Replacement Project was a com-plex and technically challenging project, andthat every aspect of the permanent and tem-poraryconstructionrequired“carefulplanningandexecutiontoensuresuccess.” “Theprojecthadanumberofuniqueaspectswhich were predominately self-performed by theJohnHolland team,”heconcludes. “Iamvery proud of the team who delivered the proj-ect and who I had the opportunity to lead on suchahighprofile infrastructureupgrade forthe Brisbane city. I utilised all of my previous experience toassist in themanagementandexecutionoftheprojecttasks.”

march - april 2016| business world australia · march - april 2016| business world australia. wor a...

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