victoria excellence awards booklet 2014

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VICTORIA ENGINEERING EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2014

Welcome to the VictoriaEngineering ExcellenceAwards Booklet 2014.

2014forward

The Victoria Engineering Excellence Awards are a prestigious showcase of leading edge, innovative engineering projects and products being developed and delivered by Victorian engineers.

Engineers Australia, Victoria Division extends its congratulations to all entrants of the Victorian Engineering Excellence Awards 2014. The standard of engineering and professionalism of the entries, coupled with the diversity of projects – both within and across categories, reflects some of the best that the Victorian engineering profession offers.

The rigorous judging process that entries must undergo is well documented. Numerous judging panels comprising senior engineers, community representatives, young engineers and specialists, reviewed submissions, undertook site visits and recommended presentations be made for Awards of Excellence and High Commendations in seven award categories – Infrastructure up to $20 million, Infrastructure over $20 million, Buildings & Structures, Research & Development/Innovation, Product Design and Smart Systems, Initiatives that Shape our Future and Environment.

The judging panels reported great difficulty in determining award recipients from the high standard of entries. All entries were a credit to the individuals and companies involved. Victoria’s Award of Excellence recipients are also eligible for Engineers Australia’s National Engineering Excellence Awards held at Convention 2014.

Engineers Australia Victoria Division gratefully acknowledges the support of our Principal Partners.

SponSored by

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CONTENTS

1 2014 forward4 CHAIRMAN OF JUDGES’ COMMENTS5 Award Categories7 JUDGING CRITERIA 9 BUILDINGS AND STRUCTURES14 ENVIRONMENT20 INFRASTRUCTURE (PROJECTS UP To $20 MILLION) 25 INFRASTRUCTURE (PROJECTS OVER $20 MILLION) 33 INITIATIVES THAT SHAPE OUR FUTURE38 PRODUCT DESIGN AND SMART SYSTEMS42 RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT/INNOVATION51 President’s Award

VICTORIA ENGINEERING EXCELLENCE AWARDS Judges

Chairman of JudgesProfessor John Wilson FIeAust Cpeng

Judging review panelPresident Geoff Hayes FIeAust Cpeng engexec

Deputy President Norm Tickner FIeAust Cpeng engexec

Past President Paul Collier FIeAust Cpeng engexec

panel ChairsMs Carla Cher FIeAust Cpeng

Associate Professor Colin Duffield FIeAust Cpeng

Mr Phillip Gardiner MIeAust Cpeng

Mr Roger Greene FIeAust Cpeng

Dr Anne Hellstedt FIeAust

Mrs Leni Hummffrey FIeAust Cpeng

Dr Matthew Joordens FIeAust

Mr Peter Laver HonFIeAust Cpeng (ret)

Dr Swee Mak FIeAust Cpeng

Mr Neil McLaren FIEAust Cpeng engexec

Miss Madeleine McManus FIeAust

Mr Grant Medbury FIeAust Cpeng

Mr Brian Paroissien FIeAust Cpeng

Mr Malcolm Short FIeAust Cpeng

Mr David Spink FIeAust Cpeng

Mr Andrew Stevenson MIeAust Cpeng

Mr Simon Warne FIeAust Cpeng

panel JudgesMr Ben Aldham FIeAust Cpeng

Mr Akbar Ali MIeAust Cpeng

Mr Tom Aulsebrook MIeAust Cpeng

Mr Andrew Baker

Mr Clive Baker MICe FIeAust Cpeng

Ms Soula Bennett

Mr Andrew Bethune MIeAust

Mr Warwick Bishop MIeAust

Mr Sean Blanche MIeAust

Ms Robyne Bowering

Mr Nick Brown

Mr Les Bull FIeAust Cpeng

Ms Lucia Cade

Mr Simon Cavenett FIeAust

Mr Laurence Chong Tet Len FIeAust Cpeng

Mrs Elizabeth Coe FIeAust Cpeng

Ms Penelope Collett FIeAust

Ms Pippa Connelly FIeAust Cpeng

Mr Richard Drew FIeAust Cpeng

Ms Charmaine Dunstan

Mr Richard Eckhaus FIeAust Cpeng

Mr Jarrod Edwards FIeAust

Ms Jayne Facey

Ms Elissa Fazio FIeAust

Mr Jon Fettes

Mr Colin Frost MIeAust engexec

Mr Matt Gazzard MIeAust Cpeng

Dr Anne Gibbs MIeAust Cpeng

Mr William Gilewski

Mr Peter Godfrey FIeAust Cpeng engexec

Mr Tim Gosbell FIeAust Cpeng

Mr Norm Grady FIeAust

Dr Nicholas Haritos FIeAust Cpeng

Dr Abdalla Hasna FIeAust Cpeng

Mr Michael Hassett FIeAust Cpeng

Ms Monica Hatcher

Dr Jon Hinwood FIeAust Cpeng

Mr Guy Hodgkinson FIeAust Cpeng

Mr Howard Humffrey FIeAust Cpeng

Mr Randel Jones FIeAust Cpeng

Miss Lillian Kassioras

Ms Tanya Kouzmin FIeAust Cpeng

Dr Julia Lamborn FIeAust Cpeng

Ms Gamila MacRury MIeAust

Mr Santo Magro FIeAust Cpeng

Mr Michael Malouf FIeAust Cpeng engexec

Mr Don Matthews

Mr James McNeil

Dr Graham Moore FIeAust Cpeng

Mr Jeremiah Naidu FIeAust Cpeng

Professor Saeid Nahavandi FIeAust Cpeng

Mr Justin Negler MIeAust

Mr Rory Paltridge GrAdIeAust

Mr Darren Paul FIeAust Cpeng

Mr Tim Plenderleith MIeAust

Mr Joe Randello MIeAust Cpeng

Dr Shane Richardson MIeAust

Mr Richard Salter MIeAust Cpeng

Ms Kirsten Sayers CompIeAust

Mr Juergen Schneider

Mr Glen Schumacher FIeAust Cpeng

Mr Grant Scott FIeAust Cpeng/MIeAust

Professor Murray Scott FIeAust Cpeng

Dr Noordin Shehabuddeen FIeAust

Mr Nick Stanton FIeAust Cpeng

Mr David Stewart FIeAust Cpeng

Ms Pippa Stockfeld

Mr Stephen Stoddart

Mr Chris Stoltz FIeAust Cpeng engexec

Mr Blair Stratton MIeAust Cpeng

Dr Geoffrey Sutherland FIeAust Cpeng

Mr Philip Vrettakis MIeAust

Professor Ron Wakefield FIeAust Cpeng

Mr James Wewer

Mr Andrew Widsom FIeAust Cpeng

Mr Greg Williams FIeAust Cpeng

Mr Greg Woodruff FIeAust Cpeng

professional engineer of the year Judging panelPresident Geoff Hayes FIeAust Cpeng engexec

National Councillor and Immediate Past President John McIntosh FIeAust Cpeng engexec

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CHAIRMAN OF JUDGES’COMMENTS

The Victoria Engineering Excellence Awards make a significant impact on the Victorian community on several levels. In addition to showcasing individual projects and engineers, the awards provide a snapshot of our society including key trends, solutions to community issues and the significant contribution professional engineers make to the State of Victoria.

The 2014 awards attracted 56 entries. The entries were extraordinarily diverse and of a particularly high standard. The number of entries received and the effort put into the submissions clearly indicates the professional prestige attached to receiving one of these awards.

Following the 2011 Awards Program, a thorough review was undertaken to ensure that the Award categories and judging criteria reflected the emergence, and consolidation, of positive trends within the engineering profession. A key focus of this review was to encourage maximum participation and as a result some of the 2014 Award Categories have been amended.

The judges were faced with the most difficult task of determining which of the entries were of such a standard that they could truly be given the recognition of Engineering Excellence. The assessments were not made with a view to finding the best entry in each category. Rather, the judges’ task was to determine which entries, when assessed against the criteria, ‘cleared the bar’ of engineering excellence and were recognised accordingly.

The allocation of judges and projects strictly avoided possible conflicts of interest. Panels of judges made site visits to each of the entries and all panels commented on the essential value of those visits in fully understanding and appreciating the features of the entry. I thank the judges for their time and effort, given freely, to uphold the professional integrity of these awards.

I congratulate all entrants in the Victoria Engineering Excellence Awards 2014. Their entries demonstrate, yet again, the significant impact that the engineering profession makes in the Victorian community, its businesses and our way of life. In particular, I congratulate those whose entries were recognised with an award of Engineering Excellence, a High Commendation and a President’s Award. I wish each entrant great success with their project which brings credit to their organisations, to their staff and to the State of Victoria.

Professor John Wilson FIEAust CPEng Chairman of Judges

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AwardCategories

engineering excellence Award for buildings and Structures Entrants into this award category must demonstrate excellence in the engineering and development of a building or structure completed within the last two years (30 June 2012–30 June 2014).

This category includes engineering building projects and facilities for non-industrial functions such as city buildings, housing developments, art galleries, museums, hospitals, retirement and resort villages, hotels, transport terminals, wharfs and sporting or recreational facilities. Modifications and additions to existing buildings and structures of sufficient complexity and engineering challenge are also appropriate.

engineering excellence Award for environment This award recognises engineering activities that positively impacted their surrounding environment.

Projects must have had particular direction to enhance quality of life, protect our natural environment, assess and mitigate environmental impact or to remediate environmental damage.

Victorian companies completing a project that achieved environmental conservation in the last two years (30 June 2012–30 June 2014) are eligible to enter.

Engineering Excellence Award for Infrastructure

This award is for excellence in urban or regional infrastructure projects. It recognises an outstanding contribution to city or town planning and/or facilities or major infrastructure development completed in the last two years (30 June 2012–30 June 2014).

This category comprises two award subcategories that will be judged and awarded independently:

• Projects up to $20 million

• Projects over $20 million

This category includes development, upgrade or maintenance to infrastructure for the use by or service to the community, including transport, water, sewerage, energy, waste, chemical treatment, communications, defence, electricity and gas.

Particular attention will be given to designs, concepts or systems that show ingenuity, and have contributed to productivity in the region, created economic opportunities or improved the quality of life in the relevant community.

engineering excellence Award for Initiatives that shape our FutureThis award distinguishes excellence in the reporting of engineering activities or the development of engineering procedures that contributed to the decisions, practices or future directions of a project, organisation or community.

The category includes reports and procedures covering engineering activities including development, feasibility studies, computer modelling, environmental impact, human resource practices, planning investigations and systems. There is no limit on the topics covered by the report or procedure.

The report or procedure must have been developed during the past two years (30 June 2012–30 June 2014) to be eligible. Please note that a copy of the FULL procedure or report must be submitted copy missing…e.g. by a certain date

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engineering excellence Award for product design and Smart SystemsThis award recognises projects that undertook the development or upgrade of an industrial product or manufacturing facility within the last two years, such as innovative uses of technology in the development of a smart system to market-ready stage in the past two years (30 June 2012 - 30 June 2014).

Product Design includes plant and equipment, mechanical equipment, chemical processes, bioengineering, ceramics, medical and fuel technology. This includes manufactured products, materials handling equipment and asset management. To be accepted for this category, the products, facilities or processes must have been active in the market place for a sufficient time to demonstrate a proven commercial track record.

Smart systems include products, projects and developments in control systems, networks, communications or information processing applications. This includes the design, development, integration and commissioning of control and communication systems and/or products in any industry. Particular attention will be given to smart technology systems that demonstrate ingenuity and provide an advanced, intelligent solution or benefit.

engineering excellence Award for research & development/InnovationThe scope of this category is for projects and activities that could not have proceeded without a fundamental innovation of engineering knowledge or a technology. It also aims to recognise engineering inventions of any type that have been developed by an engineer within the last two years (30 June 2012–30 June 2014).

This category considers the means by which innovative ideas are applied. R&D consists of reviewing existing engineering knowledge, formulating new engineering ideas, concepts and solutions, and testing and developing them by analysis or experiment or both. Research outcomes can include new artefacts, designs, systems, products, processes, techniques, materials and business plans.

Victorian companies involved in the development of new technology, or established firms operating in mature industries which have re-engineered an existing process or product to compete successfully in the industry sector, through the strategic use of innovation are eligible to enter.

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JUDGING CRITERIA The Judging Process

The Victoria Engineering Excellence Awards 2014 attracted 56 entries. As in previous years, the range and size of engineering projects was diverse.

The Chairman of judges was Prof John Wilson.

Upon receipt, each entry was assessed to confirm the project’s eligibility to enter. Each accepted entry was assessed by a panel of judges.

A team of 94 judges was assembled and organised into 17 panels. Each panel comprised a Panel Chair, Deputy Chair, engineers (whom had expertise relevant to the category). Particular care was taken to ensure that there were no conflicts of interest between individual judges, their current or previous employers, and the entries judged by their panel.

Each panel had a maximum of four entries to assess.

Each panel member reviewed written submissions and prepared detailed assessments against the published criteria. During the site visits, each panel member finalised their marking based on the material submitted. After all visits had been undertaken, the Panel met to collectively assess the entries and finalise its group recommendations, which were put to the Committee of Chairs Panel.

Site visits were coordinated by the Division Office and were limited to two hours to ensure:

• Fairness of opportunity to each entrant;

• An incentive to confine the material covered to the judging criteria; and

• Adherence to the tight visit schedule.

Each panel recognised ‘excellence’ and ‘exceptional achievement’ by recommending either an Excellence Award or a High Commendation. A High Commendation was allocated to a project considered to be of noteworthy achievement that did not meet the full suite of criteria for excellence. The conferring of an Excellence Award requires outstanding achievement that is excellent in all aspects of project planning, execution and community benefit.

Each of the panels compiled their assessments and made their recommendations which were passed to the Judging Review Panel for review and final determination. This Panel comprised Professor John Wilson FIEAust CPEng, the Chairman of Judges, Mr Geoff Hayes FIEAust CPEng EngExec, President of Victoria Division, Norm Tickner FIEAust CPEng EngExec, Deputy President and Mr Paul Collier FIEAust CPEng, Past President of Victoria Division.

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ENTRY SUBMISSIONS IN 2014

2014 SITE VISITS

Submissions in the 2014 Victoria Engineering Excellence Awards were extraordinarily diverse and of a high standard.

Assessments were not made with a view to finding the best entry in each category. Rather, the judges’ task was to determine which entries, when assessed against the criteria, ‘cleared the bar’ of engineering excellence. Every entry judged to be excellent was recognised as such.

As in 2011, the combination of submission and site presentations and visits worked well and ensured judges were able to base their assessments on full information relating to each entry.

As in previous years, attention was paid to issues of confidentiality and intellectual property. Entrants were requested to list parties other than entrants who should be acknowledged in Awards material, and had to attest to their ownership of relevant intellectual property rights.

Confidential material was clearly marked, judges signed confidentiality agreements in relation to this material, and all submissions were retrieved from judges for return to entrants or to be destroyed.

Panels of judges made site visits to each of the entries and all panels commented on the essential value of these visits in fully understanding and appreciating the features of the entry. Visits and presentations gave judges a better perspective and understanding of the projects and enhanced the overall rigour of the judging process.

Site visits allowed judging panels to complement and/or clarify information contained in the submissions entered. In some cases, site visits also provided the opportunity for assessing claims made by the entrants by gaining an insight into workplace culture or working methods.

JUdGInG CrITerIA And GUIdeLIneSTo view the Judging Criteria in full, please visit www.engineersaustralia.org.au/engineering-excellence-awards-victoria-division/judging-criteria

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AWARD OF EXCELLENCE RMIT, Bonacci, and AECOM RMIT : Swanston Academic Building

Highly Commended Arup New Melbourne Star Observation Wheel Design

City of Whitehorse Aqualink Box Hill Redevelopment

BUILDINGS ANDSTRUCTURES

AWARD OF EXCELLENCE

RMIT, Bonacci, and AECOM

rMIT : Swanston Academic building

The Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology’s (RMIT) transformative Swanston Academic Building (SAB) provides an iconic academic destination within the heart of Melbourne’s CBD. As the largest construction project that RMIT has ever undertaken in its 126-year history, the SAB is a 35,000m2, 12-storey innovative educational facility containing lecture theatres, classrooms and specialist spaces. The $200 million SAB accommodates 6,000 students and 850 staff, with a flexible yet tailored built form that demonstrates excellence in sustainable design and innovation.

The building has been awarded a Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) 5-star Green Star Education Rating for environmentally sustainable design, delivering a carbon intensity approximately 35% lower than average, whilst maintaining a high utilisation rate and

exceptionally high user satisfaction. Its sustainable and innovative design has been praised by students, staff and visitors, and has won numerous prestigious industry awards since opening in July 2012. The SAB has set a new global design benchmark and heralds a fundamental paradigm shift in the contribution of academic buildings to improve learning, teaching and research outcomes.

The SAB project was delivered by Brookfield Multiplex 108 days ahead of schedule and under budget, a testament to the commitment of the contractor, design and project management team.

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Highly Commended

Arup

new Melbourne Star observation Wheel designThe Melbourne Star Observation Wheel, a new landmark on the Melbourne city skyline, is the largest tubular frame compression wheel of its type in the world. Standing 120m high, the steel truss frame supports 21 passenger viewing cabins providing 360-degree views. The only giant observation wheel (GOW) in the Southern Hemisphere, its elegant design boasts a 110m diameter triangular rim truss spanning between seven diamond spokes set out in a seven pointed star.

Following commencement of the original Southern Star Observation Wheel’s operations in December 2008, defects manifested themselves which resulted in the closure of the Wheel in January 2009.

Arup was consulted in regard to the defects, and subsequently was appointed by supplier Sanoyas Rides Corporation who later became owners in October 2013 to lead the re-design of the wheel frame. There were numbers of design challenges such as the design of a fatigue sensitive structure and limited strength capacity of retaining structures. Having successfully designed a number of GOW’s around the world including the Singapore Flyer, London Eye and Las Vegas High Roller, Arup was able to bring significant international experience and global design leadership to the project.

City of Whitehorse

Aqualink box Hill redevelopmentAqualink Box Hill (AQBH) is located within Surrey Park which is a vibrant 16 hectare open space sport and leisure precinct in the City of Whitehorse. Construction of AQBH commenced in July 2012 and AQBH was officially opened on December 16, 2013.

AQBH provides;

• a state-of-the-art universally accessible facility

• a warm water therapy pool

• five heated swimming spaces

• a high quality, stand-alone, modern cafe

• a state-of-the-art gymnasium

• four multipurpose fitness spaces

• a short-stay crèche

AQBH is one of the most modern and innovative aquatic and leisure centres in Australia. It provides practical sustainable design features, diverse aquatic spaces, and spacious flexible program areas.

The redevelopment of AQBH provides health and wellbeing outcomes for all ages of our community, from aquatic education programs to warm water services that cater for older adults or people with injuries, disabilities and special needs. This facility will enhance the social and recreational experiences of the broader community.

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ENTRANTS

Hyder Consulting

Federation Square Honeycomb CanopyThe Federation Square Honeycomb Canopy is located at the eastern end of the upper plaza.

Maddison Architects’ vision of the canopy was to design a shade structure to improve public amenity and presentation of this area. The canopy is a fully glazed roof of a steel honeycomb structure supported by groups of bent columns.

Hyder Consulting provided all engineering services for this project. The canopy is a result of an innovative façade that combines functionality with aesthetics; achieved through smart engineering design. The canopy was completed without any variation claim submitted by Kane Constructions.

The design focus was on speed of construction. Key elements for the success are:

• Good project planning in both design and construction phases which resulted in a short site occupation period.

• All consultants used 3D software for design and documentation in a BIM environment.

• 3D modelling enabled visualisation of the canopy geometry and simplified design issues.

• Shop drawings were prepared concurrently as design progresses to reduce construction lead time.

• Construction constraints such as site access and carnage limitations were considered and integrated in the design.

Point 5 Consulting Pty Ltd

Camberwell Grammar School new Senior School – The Wheelton Centre The Wheelton Centre is a new state-of-the-art learning facility presenting some unique challenges in design and construction. A key challenge was to retain, and seamlessly integrate, the existing Science & Arts building (circa 1990) that we identified was unable to resist earthquake load.

The solution was based on the strategic staging of works. This logic allowed us to design completely independent structures that also form one fully integrated building that complies with the new earthquake provisions, without architectural compromise.

Adaptive re-use and earthquake resistance sets a new paradigm for our industry. Not unexpectedly, we experienced resistance from stakeholders who were reticent to believe that the relatively young existing building posed such a major constraint.

Adapting existing buildings, designed and built to old standards, requires us to cultivate a courageous quality of mind enabling us to face opposition without fear. Only then can we start to innovate.

Innovation comes before “Best Practice”. It’s essential to have bold courage to satisfy new regulations and standards with appropriate solutions, and in doing so, innovate.

In a city that has not yet experienced a devastating earthquake, we need to overcome scepticism, and leverage our culture of innovation in technology, business practice and personal performance in order to deliver results that set a new standard.

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ENTRANTS

Arup

Monash University Green Chemical FuturesThe Monash Green Chemical Futures (GCF) building is an innovative building inspired by molecular structures, located at Monash University’s Clayton campus. It is a synthesis of best practice engineering, architectural form, speed of construction and community integration. The success of this project came in all phases of design and construction; from intense cohesive development between the engineering and architectural design team, through to a flexible approach to contractor preferences without any loss of architectural expression or functionality for Monash University.

The new 9300sqm multilevel facility will support academic and industrial research within the chemicals sector in Australia, providing world-class research to expand Australia’s ‘green workforce’. GCF will be the heart of forward-thinking in chemical science, and house over 100 chemists and engineers, and new laboratory spaces for over 1000 students and 100 industry partners.

Green Chemical Futures is a highly coordinated, service intensive building, which makes significant use of prefabricated components. It was made possible through the collaborative efforts of engineers in both consulting and contracting working together with the client and architect.

The Green Chemical Futures project was funded by the Australian Government through the Education Investment Fund.

Major Projects Victoria and Metropolitan Fire Brigade

Victorian emergency Management Training Centre (VeMTC)The Victorian Emergency Management Training Centre is a world-class fire and emergency services training complex set over ten hectares in Melbourne’s north.

The $109 million state-of-the-art facility combines contemporary indoor learning facilities with an outdoor practical learning environment that replicates the city landscape. This importantly enables emergency service providers to train in realistic fire and disaster scenarios.

The unique project involved a complex needs analysis and stakeholder engagement process, the integration of specialist overseas fire training technology, and a rigorous safety approval regime.

The new VEMTC facility sets a new benchmark in Australia for training excellence in the emergency services sector, ranking among the very best in the world.

Projects objectives:

1. Learning and 5. Governance and training training value for money

2. Safety 6. Quality

3. Program 7. Flexibility

4. Budget 8. Environment

The high quality learning and training outcomes, sheer scale, flexibility and broad range learning and training capability that has been delivered is testament to the work of the project team over the last six years. In addition, the project has been delivered $2 million under budget and has also achieved key objectives relating to safety, program, budget, governance, value for money, and the environment.

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AWARD OF EXCELLENCE Goulburn-Murray Water Hattah Lakes Environmental Infrastructure Project

Highly Commended VicRoads and Glenelg Hopkins Catchment Management Authority Muddy Creek Culvert Relining and Fish-ladder, Yulecart

Parsons Brinckerhoff Remedial Works for Liddell’s Calcine Sands, Bendigo

ENVIRONMENT

AWARD OF EXCELLENCE

Goulburn-Murray Water

Hattah Lakes environmental Infrastructure project

Reviving the drought-ravaged Hattah Lakes was a visionary project to restore better health to the Hattah Lakes system of semi-permanent freshwater lakes within the Murray Darling Basin.

The lakes are one of Australia’s most environmentally and culturally significant sites and form part of the 48,000 hectare Hattah-Kulkyne National Park in north-west Victoria, on the River Murray.

River regulation and a changing climate reduced the lakes’ natural flooding patterns; rare and threatened species were under pressure to survive, cultural sites were exposed and ancient River Red Gums were dying.

The result was one of Australia’s largest environmental works projects, which included the construction of a permanent pump station (1000ML/day), four regulators and three environmental levees. The works have created

a more natural flooding regime in a permanent and sustainable way, making it possible to top up natural floods by gravity or pumping.

Today, the Hattah Lakes have been revitalised using integrated and environmentally sensitive water infrastructure to provide efficient delivery, control and reuse of our precious environmental water resources.

The project was implemented by Goulburn-Murray Water (GMW) as the constructing agency for Murray-Darling Basin Authority (MDBA), designed by GHD and under the direction of Mallee Catchment Management Authority (MCMA).

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Highly Commended

VicRoads and Glenelg Hopkins Catchment Management Authority

Muddy Creek Culvert relining and Fish-ladder, yulecartMuddy Creek is an environmentally significant waterway in the southwest of Victoria, and is home to at least five aquatic species listed under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, including the Glenelg Spiny Crayfish and Yarra Pygmy Perch.

This project involved the structural lining of twin Corrugated Metal Pipe culverts, each of 4.8m diameter, addressing structural failings identified during routine inspections. The project site presented unique challenges due to environmental, historical heritage, Aboriginal heritage and physical constraints. Through the collaborative efforts of contractors and authorities, innovative environmental mitigation and construction management measures were employed to address project risks. These included installation of a rock textured fish-ladder downstream of the culverts and measures to manage stream flows and contamination risks during construction.

A first of its kind for the region, the fish-ladder was specifically designed for the various fish species present in Muddy Creek by controlling the depth and velocity of water to cater for the swimming capabilities of the fish, and providing refuge during peak flow periods.

The project was delivered as a joint initiative between VicRoads and Glenelg Hopkins Catchment Management Authority, and has returned over 66km of waterway to native aquatic species with vastly improved waterway health.

the Singapore Flyer, London Eye and Las Vegas High Roller, Arup was able to bring significant international experience and global design leadership to the project.

Parsons Brinckerhoff

remedial Works for Liddell’s Calcine Sands, bendigoIn 2009, the Black Saturday bushfires destroyed vegetation on a 7.2 ha site overlooked by rural homes within Bendigo Regional Park exposing hummocky ground.

The exposed ground had a distinctive red/purple colour associated with deposits of tailings, known as calcine sands, from historic gold mining operations. The sands contained high concentrations of arsenic, lead and mercury. Parks Victoria needed a solution to minimise environmental and health risks from the newly exposed contaminants.

Parsons Brinckerhoff’s environmental assessment determined that the best risk management strategy was on-site containment. This solution was endorsed by an Environment Protection Authority (EPA) Victoria appointed Auditor and supported by the community as a result of ongoing consultation.

Parsons Brinckerhoff’s multidisciplinary team developed an innovative design for a contoured mound permanently covered by four layers of clean fill materials to contain the contaminated sands and infiltrating rainwater. The design included revegetation with native plants and restoration of an adjacent waterway.

During construction in 2013, Parsons Brinckerhoff provided services as Superintendent and conducted air quality monitoring, soil validation testing and occupational hygiene monitoring for worker health and safety.

In February 2014, the EPA revoked the Pollution Abatement Notices for the site and the project was completed on budget.

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ENTRANTS

Coles Supermarkets

Coles Supermarket of the FutureIn 2009, Coles embarked on a project to develop a Supermarket of the Future that would be environmentally superior, use 20% less energy and cost less to construct.

Coles worked closely with the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) to develop a rating tool to measure the building, services, infrastructure and commercial refrigeration for a supermarket. Coles Hallam was designed to achieve a ‘4 Star’ rating through inclusion of environmental initiative measures such as optimisation of outside air supply based on customer data, direct oven connected exhaust systems, improved cooling plant performance by integrating commercial and airconditioning refrigeration, insulated panel construction to reduce embodied energy and improved thermal performance, LED lights, rainwater collection for use in the airconditioning system and toilets, and utilising natural refrigerants with low global warming potential.

The result of this holistic and comprehensive package of carefully engineered environmental measures has delivered a supermarket that exceeded Coles’ environmental objectives and produced a sustainable basis for other new supermarkets. Most of the Hallam measures are now specified in the Coles Design Brief for new supermarkets and the GBCA is currently undertaking its assessment.

Nov Mono Pumps, Australia

The InviziQ™ pressure Sewer System from Mono™ AustraliaThe InviziQ™ Pressure Sewer System from Mono™ Australia is rapidly gaining popularity as an important component in the replacement of conventional gravity-fed domestic sewer networks. It provides far more reliable and controllable reticulation of sewage from the household to the treatment plant. As a sealed system it also eliminates many of the traditional environmental issues such as leakage and unpleasant odours from traditional gravity and septic systems.

Mono’s InviziQ™ system offers many impressive features. The standard system has a storage tank of approx. 900-litre capacity, a unique vertically mounted Progressing Cavity (PC) pump incorporating a macerator, an electronic level sensor and an electronic controller to regulate fluid flow, monitor fluid levels and protect the pump. Adding advanced telemetry capabilities, InviziQ™ offers highly effective remote control and monitoring of sewage networks, which allows the Water Authorities to manage sewage inflows into the treatment plants, complete with a 24-hour backup storage capability. The revolutionary new Dry Well feature of InviziQ™ keeps all pump motor and fluid level sensor electrical systems separate from the sewage, making accessing the system for servicing a far easier and safer process by minimising direct contact of personnel with raw sewage.

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Melbourne Water in conjunction with Water Resources Alliance (comprising of Melbourne Water, Lend Lease (formerly Baulderstone), UGL, Beca, MWH, and Jacobs (formerly SKM))

Western Treatment plant 55e CoverThe successful completion of Melbourne Water’s Western Treatment Plant 55E Cover represents a significant step forward in anaerobic cover design and construction. It is the world’s largest open-ended cover and the first designed and built in 11 arc shaped segments. It provides Melbourne Water with greater operational and maintenance flexibility.

Constructing the Cover was a challenging civil engineering project requiring installation from floating docks on a live, raw sewage lagoon. The environment was biogas-rich with exposure to extreme weather conditions including fog, rain, heat, wind and frost.

The new Cover increases biogas capture and helps better manage odour. The collected gas generates up to 120MWh of electricity with less emissions than a conventional coal fired plant, saving a further 40T/D of CO2 emissions.

WTP uses site-sourced renewable energy. This is approximately half the cost of grid power and in summer, exports power to the grid. Improved odour management allows land development in the surrounding area to continue with confidence of the local amenity.

The findings from the project have already benefited Goulburn Valley Water and informed future WTP planning of the new WTP 25W anaerobic reactor cover’s design.

Meridian Energy Australia Pty Ltd

Mt Mercer Wind FarmThe 131.2MW Mt Mercer wind farm near Ballarat is built to efficiently harvest the abundance of wind that sweeps along Victoria’s western volcanic plains. Producing enough renewable energy to meet the annual electricity demands of approximately 80,000 homes, Mt Mercer will, on average, offset the production of around 400,000 tonnes of CO2 from fossil fuel generation each year, that’s around 10,000,000 tonnes during its 25-year first design life. Along with all other wind farms connected to the National Electricity Market, Mt Mercer will make a positive contribution to Australia’s Renewable Energy Target and reduce the cost of energy to the market. This will allow competitive retailers such as www.powershop.com.au to pass on reduced costs to consumers.

Meridian took the lead role in the Project supported by a dedicated team comprising AEMO, Ausnet Services, Transmission Operations Australia, Downer EDI Engineering and Senvion. Together, the team worked to deliver a major heavy engineering project that was ahead of time, under budget and on specification, involving over 380,000 man hours without a single Lost Time Injury.

Mt Mercer stands today as an example of how success can be derived by properly engaging with all stakeholders and using initiative, best practice and determination to overcome obstacles.

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ENTRANTS

Gippsland Water

The Coongulla – Glenmaggie Sewerage Scheme The Coongulla – Glenmaggie Sewerage Scheme was completed to address a public health concern of septic tank systems leaching into a potable drinking/irrigation water source. The pressure sewer scheme included installation of two pump stations and 80+km of pipeline, using mostly horizontal directional drilling in areas of high conservation significance.

During project planning a generous footprint was sought to allow flexibility in asset design and installation. These impacts must be offset prior to construction and maintained in perpetuity. For high environmentally significance areas, offsets add significant on-going costs to the utility and ultimately its customers.

The project team identified that the actual impact could be minimised from the permitted impact. Gippsland Water approached DEPI with a proposal to develop a framework for a ‘reverse planning permit’, currently outside policy, allowing excess offsets to be returned to Gippsland Water’s environmental bank.

The innovative framework was approved, providing incentive for improved on the ground performance. The project outcome was a reduction of 70% in the proposed environmental impact and a significantly reduced whole of business operating cost.

Gippsland Water and DEPI are working to implement the framework for all major infrastructure projects and working towards having the framework incorporated into the overarching DEPI policy.

Tulla Sydney Alliance (VicRoads, Thiess, Parsons Brinckerhoff, and Hyder Consulting)

M80 ring road Upgrade: Calder Freeway to Sydney roadOne of VicRoads’ ongoing key priorities is to make Victoria’s roads more sustainable. The M80 Ring Road Upgrade between the Calder Freeway and Sydney Road was the first major test of this commitment.

Delivered by the Tulla Sydney Alliance (TSA), the project improved road safety and reliability, eased congestion and resulted in a 32 per cent increase in traffic flow efficiency. A truck will save one litre of fuel per trip and each car 0.5 litres, saving the community 21.6m litres of fuel per year or $32.4m. TSA developed a permanent freeway design focused on reducing or eliminating merging and weaving points and excessive gradients, which cause congestion and increase carbon emissions. Through clever design and construction innovation, TSA also achieved a massive reduction of 2,183 tonnes of CO² on the project, while 95.6 per cent of construction waste was re-used or recycled and 90 per cent of water used during construction came from non-potable sources. Focused on ‘doing things better’, the team designed an eight-span bridge over Moonee Ponds Creek to minimise impacts on an existing wetland and special measures were implemented to maintain the habitat of the Growling Grass Frog, an endangered species living in and around the site.

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Highly Commended ThyssenKrupp Industrial Solutions (Australia) Pty Ltd and Australian Gold Reagents Pty Ltd Sodium Cyanide Debottleneck Project

Metro Trains Traction Overhead Wiring Improvements at Melbourne Train/Tram Crossings

INFRASTRUCTURE (PROJECTS UP To$20 MILLION)

Highly Commended

ThyssenKrupp Industrial Solutions (Australia) Pty Ltd and Australian Gold Reagents Pty Ltd

Sodium Cyanide debottleneck project The Sodium Cyanide Debottleneck project was completed by Thyssen Krupp Industrial Solutions (Australia) and Australian Gold Reagents. The two companies worked together as a team to design and implement a safe plant for increased production of a dangerous product, sodium cyanide. The sodium cyanide produced is used for gold extraction by the Australian and international mining industry.

Sodium cyanide technology is developed but not mature, so research and development had to be undertaken, including extensive modelling of the process chemistry and thermodynamics and validation against plant operational results. This research identified new technical knowledge that the project team utilised to develop innovative low-cost solutions to extract additional capacity from the existing facility, as well as optimisation of plant operations to align with best practice and project findings.

The project has executed a series of work scopes to fit in with planned maintenance and parallel project shutdowns, and to trial innovative solutions prior to full implementation. Construction was executed over an 18 month period. It produced challenges due to working in a congested brownfields facility, restrictive PPE requirements, decontamination procedures, and other projects under construction at the same time.

The project achieved its goals, on time and under budget. Most important, there were no health, safety and environmental incidents. Finally, it has set up the business for future improvements by optimising the process and identifying future projects for further optimisation.

Metro Trains

Traction overhead Wiring Improvements at Melbourne Train/Tram CrossingsMelbourne’s rail network is one of the most extensive above-ground urban systems in the world with a service departing around every 30 seconds. Metro Trains Melbourne - the metropolitan rail operator – moves 14,000+ services a week across 869km of track. Metro also navigates services through multiple ‘tram squares’ which are essentially dual train/tram crossings located at busy intersections in the city’s inner eastern suburbs

Train speeds are significantly reduced through these train/tram crossings, so we turned to one of our youngest and brightest engineers to increase the performance at tram squares.

Marcus Avdyl is the Australasian Railway Association Young Achiever Of The Year 2013. He has designed and introduced a new bracket fitting for train/tram crossings that increases the maximum speed for passing trains. The use of the new bracket fitting, as well as changing the dish from heavy cast iron to copper, not only increases the speed of services but also reduces maintenance time.

Marcus was able to increase train/tram crossing speeds from 15km/h to 40km/h, even surpassing 50km/h during trials. This innovation has delivered substantial savings in OPR penalties under the rail franchise and has produced environmental benefits together with better traffic flows for Melbourne motorists.

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ENTRANTS

Water Infrastructure Group and Coliban Water

rochester Water reclamation plantWater Infrastructure Group partnered with Coliban Water to design, build and operate a new generation wastewater treatment plant for the township of Rochester.

The Rochester Water Reclamation Plant is the first municipal treatment plant in Australia specifically designed with new generation X-Flow Airlift membrane filtration technology.

This new approach caters for the increasing demand for compact, small footprint treatment plants that can be easily scaled to cater for future demand for increased volume and/or water quality. The Rochester plant is a showcase pilot plant and provides a model for the Australian water industry for both new plants and upgrades of existing treatment plants that are reaching capacity and require augmentation.

The advantage of X-Flow pressure membranes over traditional membranes is that they do not need to be submerged, which eliminates the need to build an additional tank or increase the size of the existing tank by adding a compartment for submerged membranes.

The X-Flow membranes require only 10% of the chemicals required to clean submerged membranes and are much more accessible and easier to maintain. Water Infrastructure Group’s Virtual Control Room is also used to automate many processes in the Rochester plant, including membrane cleaning and integrity testing. This increased automation improves the reliability of the plant and allows for unattended operation to further reduce operational costs over the life of the plant.

VicRoads Western Region

Wimmera river bridges strengthening and upgrade project, HorshamIn March 2014, commuters on the Western Highway were able to travel across the picturesque Wimmera River as VicRoads, in partnership with Cut and Fill Pty Ltd, designed and upgraded the two bridges at the eastern approach to the township of Horsham. The upgrade was necessary to accommodate higher productivity vehicles up to 77.5 tonne and provide safer and improved access over the river for cyclists and pedestrians.

VicRoads undertook all of the design, engineering services, drawings and technical specifications for the bridge and associated infrastructure for the project. Cut and Fill Pty Ltd undertook the works under VicRoads guidance.

The 12-month schedule was successfully met through a coordinated and collaborative relationship between VicRoads and Cut and Fill Pty Ltd. The bridge upgrade over the Wimmera River has delivered significant benefits to Horsham and the 32,000 commuters.

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Arup, Melbourne Cricket Club, and Tenix

yarra park Water recycling Facility An Integrated Water Management Plan was developed in 2008 for Melbourne’s world-famous sports precinct which includes the heritage-listed Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) and surrounding Yarra Park, Melbourne Park, and AAMI Park.

A key outcome of the Plan was the opportunity to develop a 600,000 litres per day Water Recycling Facility in Yarra Park. By ‘mining’ an existing sewer, a potential alternative water source for irrigation, toilet flushing and washdown at the MCG could be realised.

Recognising the need for a non-mains dependent source of water, the MCC commissioned Arup to develop the functional design for the facility and to provide ongoing technical advice during construction. Tenix was subsequently commissioned to provide the detailed design and construction of the plant. Practical Completion of the facility was achieved in November 2012.

This project was about place making; enabling visitors to the Park to enjoy the green grass and restored amenity and saving the heritage trees which are a crucial part of Melbourne’s identity. The project was also about ensuring the stadium was future-proofed from, and resilient to, future impacts of climate change.

The WRF is built underground, ensuring amenity and heritage values of the park are maintained. The recycled water process includes a membrane bioreactor, ultrafiltration, ultraviolet and chlorine disinfection. A two-stage odour control facility and full acoustic screening ensures that surrounding residents and Park visitors are unaware of the plant.

The plant is now seen by the water industry and Victorian Government as a crucial ‘proof of concept’ plant.

Jemena

Jemena’s next Generation yarraville Zone Substation (yVe)Yarraville Terminal Station was built in 1922 during the early electrification of the state and consequently parts of it are heritage listed. In the 1950s, it was converted to a zone substation (YTS) and was the oldest on the Jemena Electricity Network, consisting of four main 66kV to 22kV transformers. Three of the transformers suffered from major oil leaks and through testing were shown to have reached their serviceable end-of-life.

The project team was engaged to project manage, design, construct and commission a new zone substation on the same site, including two new transformers, a new control building, new switchgear and new protection equipment. Also included was the demolition of the old transformers and switchyard equipment and the complicated separation of services between the site and neighbouring facilities.

Practical completion was reached in May 2014 without any interruption of supply to the 5,736 customers. Improvements were achieved in environmental sustainability, operability, maintainability, and security and reliability of supply for customers in Yarraville and the surrounding areas. Jemena’s next generation Yarraville Zone Substation sets the standard for future projects on the Jemena Electricity Network.

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GHD, Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron, Parks Victoria, Fitzgerald Construction Australia, Bellingham Marine Australia, Scarlett Contracting, and Nash Management Group

St Kilda Harbour development The St Kilda Harbour precinct is a Melbourne landmark. Located in St Kilda, the harbour was constructed in the 1950s and hosted the 1956 Olympic Games sailing events.

The St Kilda Harbour Development project was a collaboration between Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron (RMYS), the Victorian Government, Parks Victoria (PV) and stakeholders. Primary objectives of the Harbour revitalisation included providing world-class marina facilities for RMYS berth holders, improving public access, improving recreational boating and fishing facilities.

The overall scope of works included extending the existing rock breakwater, installing piled connection works, constructing a new 250-berth floating marina, upgrading services, replacing an existing timber jetty and constructing a new public floating berth facility.

An excellent feature that contributed to the success of this project was the strong and cohesive partnership between all stakeholders. The effective management and preservation of this environmentally sensitive location and the Little Penguin colony was also a highlight.

The St Kilda Harbour is now a vibrant renewed recreational harbour that exists in harmony with the local ecology and with increased public space, providing a greater experience for tourists, local residents and water-sports enthusiasts.

VicRoads and Glenelg Hopkins Catchment Management Authority

Muddy Creek Culvert relining and Fish-ladder, yulecartMuddy Creek is an environmentally significant waterway in the southwest of Victoria, and is home to at least five aquatic species listed under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, including the Glenelg Spiny Crayfish and Yarra Pygmy Perch.

This project involved the structural lining of twin Corrugated Metal Pipe culverts, each of 4.8m diameter, addressing structural failings identified during routine inspections. The project site presented unique challenges due to environmental, historical heritage, Aboriginal heritage and physical constraints. Through the collaborative efforts of contractors and authorities, innovative environmental mitigation and construction management measures were employed to address project risks. These included installation of a rock textured fish-ladder downstream of the culverts and measures to manage stream flows and contamination risks during construction.

A first of its kind for the region, the fish-ladder was specifically designed for the various fish species present in Muddy Creek by controlling the depth and velocity of water to cater for the swimming capabilities of the fish, and providing refuge during peak flow periods.

The project was delivered as a joint initiative between VicRoads and Glenelg Hopkins Catchment Management Authority, and has returned over 66km of waterway to native aquatic species with vastly improved waterway health.

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INFRASTRUCTURE (PROJECTS OVER$20 MILLION)

AWARD OF EXCELLENCE Melbourne Water in conjunction with Water Resources Alliance (comprising Melbourne Water, Lend Lease (formerly Baulderstone), UGL, Beca, MWH, and Jacobs (formerly SKM)) Western Treatment Plant 55E Cover Renewal

Melbourne Water, UGL, Black and Veatch, KBR, and Lend Lease Eastern Tertiary Alliance

Highly Commended ATC Williams Sar Cheshmeh Copper Mine, Tailings and Water Management System

AWARD OF EXCELLENCE

Melbourne Water in conjunction with Water Resources Alliance (comprising of Melbourne Water, Lend Lease (formerly Baulderstone), UGL, Beca, MWH, and Jacobs (formerly SKM))

Western Treatment plant 55e Cover

The successful completion of Melbourne Water’s Western Treatment Plant 55E Cover represents a significant step forward in anaerobic cover design and construction. It is the world’s largest open- ended cover and the first designed and built in 11 arc shaped segments. It provides Melbourne Water with greater operational and maintenance flexibility.

Constructing the Cover was a challenging civil engineering project requiring installation from floating docks on a live, raw sewage lagoon. The environment was biogas-rich with exposure to extreme weather conditions including fog, rain, heat, wind and frost.

The new Cover increases biogas capture and helps better manage odour. The collected gas generates up to 120MWh of electricity with less emissions than a conventional coal-fired plant, saving a further 40T/D of CO2 emissions.

WTP uses site-sourced renewable energy. This is approximately half the cost of grid power and in summer, exports power to the grid. Improved odour management allows land development in the surrounding area to continue with confidence of the local amenity.

The findings from the project have already benefited Goulburn Valley Water and helped inform future WTP planning of the new WTP 25W anaerobic reactor cover’s design.

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AWARD OF EXCELLENCE

Melbourne Water, UGL, Black and Veatch, KBR, and Lend Lease

eastern Tertiary Alliance

The Eastern Treatment Plant (ETP) Tertiary Upgrade Project has transformed ETP into one of the world’s most sophisticated advanced wastewater treatment plants and helped to achieve Melbourne Water’s environment protection and water resourcing objectives.

The project, delivered by the Eastern Tertiary Alliance, comprising Melbourne Water, Black and Veatch, KBR, Lend Lease and UGL, was completed ahead of schedule and budget. By adopting an innovative tertiary treatment process, which was selected after a rigorous program of trials and applied research, the plant that services 1.6 million people in Melbourne’s southeast is now capable of treating 100% of ETP’s flows. The integrated sustainable water management solution, considered by Melbourne Water to be a significant success, brings multiple environmental and social benefits through:

• Significant improvements to the receiving marine environment at the plant’s discharge site, and the community’s recreational use of surrounding beaches.

• Ability to produce up to 700 million litres per day of high quality recycled water for present and future generations.

Key attributes leading to exceptional project performance included strong collaboration with multiple stakeholders, including regulatory authorities and community groups, innovation throughout the project’s delivery, application of best practice engineering principles and technologies, together with stringent project management, planning and controls systems.

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Highly Commended

ATC Williams

Sar Cheshmeh Copper Mine, Tailings and Water Management System

Sar Cheshmeh Copper Mine is located in the Middle East and since 2000, ATC Williams has undertaken all tailings and water management design for an expansion from 22Mtpa to 32Mtpa. Planning for a second expansion to 50Mtpa is under way.

The mine is in a semi-arid environment and thus the principal objectives were to:

• Provide storage for an additional 900 Mt of tailings

• Improve water utilisation

The recommended option identified by ATC Williams was installation of paste thickeners – the largest facility in the world at the time - to the water storage dam, together with raising the existing tailings dam.

Work commenced with extensive geotechnical investigations, tailings testing to determine beach slopes, tailings deposition modelling and establishment

of embankment heights. This progressed to detailed design for the dams, basic design for all mechanical components plus the construction phase.

The upgrade included:

• A 4.5km 1000mm dia gravity feed tailings pipeline

• 12 No x 24m diameter paste thickeners

• Raising the existing tailings embankments (in two stages each approximately 20m in height) to a total height of 115m

• An 84m high water storage dam on the Shur River

• A 7km 1000mm dia Return Water pipeline and pumps station system

• Temporary upstream tailings storage until Main embankment raise complete.

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Goulburn-Murray Water

Hattah Lakes environmental Infrastructure projectReviving the drought-ravaged Hattah Lakes was a visionary project to restore better health to the Hattah Lakes system of semi-permanent freshwater lakes within the Murray Darling Basin.

The lakes are one of Australia’s most environmentally and culturally significant sites and form part of the 48,000 hectare Hattah-Kulkyne National Park in north-west Victoria, on the River Murray.

River regulation and a changing climate reduced the lakes’ natural flooding patterns; rare and threatened species were under pressure to survive, cultural sites were exposed and ancient River Red Gums were dying.

The result was one of Australia’s largest environmental works projects, which included the construction of a permanent pump station (1000ML/day), four regulators and three environmental levees. The works have created a more natural flooding regime in a permanent and sustainable way, making it possible to top-up natural floods by gravity or pumping.

Today, the Hattah Lakes have been revitalised using integrated and environmentally sensitive water infrastructure to provide efficient delivery, control and reuse of our precious environmental water resources.

The project was implemented by Goulburn-Murray Water (GMW) as the constructing agency for Murray-Darling Basin Authority (MDBA), designed by GHD and under the direction of Mallee Catchment Management Authority (MCMA).

Meridian Energy Australia Pty Ltd

Mt Mercer Wind FarmThe 131.2MW Mt Mercer wind farm near Ballarat is built to efficiently harvest the abundance of wind that sweeps along Victoria’s western volcanic plains. Producing enough renewable energy to meet the annual electricity demands of approximately 80,000 homes, Mt Mercer will, on average, offset the production of around 400,000 tonnes of CO2 from fossil fuel generation each year, that’s around 10,000,000 tonnes during its 25-year first design life. Along with all other wind farms connected to the National Electricity Market, Mt Mercer will make a positive contribution to Australia’s Renewable Energy Target and to reducing the cost of energy to the market. This will allow competitive retailers such as www.powershop.com.au to pass on reduced costs to consumers.

Meridian took the lead role in the Project supported by a dedicated team comprising AEMO, Ausnet Services, Transmission Operations Australia, Downer EDI Engineering and Senvion. Together the team worked to deliver a major heavy engineering project that was ahead of time, under budget and on specification, involving over 380,000 man hours without a single Lost Time Injury.

Mt Mercer stands today as an example of how success can be derived by properly engaging with all stakeholders and using initiative, best practice and determination to overcome obstacles.

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VicRoads, Public Transport Victoria (PTV), Metro Trains Melbourne (MTM), McConnell Dowell Constructors (Aust) Pty Ltd, Balfour Beatty Australia Pty Ltd, Parsons Brinckerhoff Australia Pty Ltd, and Beca Consultants Pty Ltd

Springvale Level Crossing removal projectThe $159 million Springvale Level Crossing Removal Project involved lowering the existing rail line under Springvale Road with construction of a new premium station, car parking facilities, bus interchange and redesign of the road system. The innovation of an additional bridge crossing offered the opportunity to relocate major utility infrastructure and significantly improve traffic flow down Springvale Road.

The Springvale Level Crossing Removal Alliance identified maximising off line ‘Greenfield’ construction and the high groundwater table together with a trapped low point as the key technical challenges.

The solution adopted a CFA piling and shotcrete solution with fully tanked track slab and stormwater sump. The retaining wall design accommodated the temporary installation of a longitudinal dewatering system which allowed efficient excavation and concrete construction.

Construction of the southern retaining wall through the existing down platform, whilst maintaining through-train services, provided minimum disruption to train operators and commuters whilst offering significant cost savings.

Delivered in extremely tight timeframes with defined road and rail occupations, the project was delivered safely with no LTI’s, on time and under budget.

Widely embraced by the community, the project links the four quadrants of Springvale and will act as a catalyst for the Springvale economy.

City of Whitehorse

Aqualink box Hill redevelopmentAqualink Box Hill (AQBH) is located within Surrey Park which is a vibrant 16-hectare open space sport and leisure precinct in the City of Whitehorse. Construction of AQBH commenced in July 2012 and AQBH was officially opened on December 16, 2013.

AQBH provides;

• a state-of-the-art universally accessible facility

• a warm-water therapy pool

• five heated swimming spaces

• a high quality, stand-alone, modern cafe

• a state-of-the-art gymnasium

• four multipurpose fitness spaces

• a short stay crèche

AQBH is one of the most modern and innovative aquatic and leisure centres in Australia. It provides practical sustainable design features, diverse aquatic spaces, and spacious flexible program areas.

The redevelopment of AQBH provides health and wellbeing outcomes for all ages of our community, from aquatic education programs to warm-water services that cater for older adults or people with injuries, disabilities and special needs. This facility will enhance the social and recreational

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Tulla Sydney Alliance (VicRoads, Thiess, Parsons Brinckerhoff, and Hyder Consulting)

M80 ring road Upgrade: Calder Freeway to Sydney roadOne of VicRoads’ ongoing key priorities is to make Victoria’s roads more sustainable. The M80 Ring Road Upgrade between the Calder Freeway and Sydney Road was the first major test of this commitment.

Delivered by the Tulla Sydney Alliance (TSA), the project improved road safety and reliability, eased congestion and resulted in a 32 per cent increase in traffic flow efficiency. A truck will save one litre of fuel per trip and each car 0.5 litres, saving the community 21.6m litres of fuel per year or $32.4m. TSA developed a permanent freeway design focused on reducing or eliminating merging and weaving points and excessive gradients, which cause congestion and increase carbon emissions. Through clever design and construction innovation, TSA also achieved a massive reduction of 2,183 tonnes of CO² on the project, while 95.6 per cent of construction waste was re-used or recycled and 90 per cent of water used during construction came from non-potable sources. Focused on ‘doing things better’, the team designed an eight-span bridge over Moonee Ponds Creek to minimise impacts on an existing wetland and special measures were implemented to maintain the habitat of the Growling Grass Frog, an endangered species living in and around the site.

Mitcham and Rooks Road Alliance (John Holland, VicRoads, Public Transport Victoria (PTV), Metro Trains Melbourne (Metro), and Kellogg Brown and Root (KBR))

Mitcham Level Crossing removals The $197-million Mitcham Level Crossing Removals project was the first grade separation project to remove two level crossings simultaneously.

Delivered by the Mitcham and Rooks Road Alliance including: VicRoads, PTV, Metro, John Holland and KBR; it involved design and construction works over 1.8km between Nunawading and Mitcham to provide open roads, a new premium train station and an integrated transport hub.

Achieved in a record timeframe, it eliminated a long-standing commuter gridlock, facilitated more reliable trains and improved safety for road and rail users, pedestrians and cyclists. The project presented complex challenges but was completed in nine months with minimum disruption.

Major components included:

• Removal of the level crossings on Mitcham Road and Rooks Road by lowering the rail line and constructing new road bridges

• Construction of a new:

- premium station at Mitcham with lowered platforms accessed by ramps, stairs and lifts, and bicycle storage facilities

- bus interchange on the north and south of the rail line, including new kiss ‘n’ ride and taxi areas

- shared user path along the rail line

- access way at Simla Street for vehicles to reach the station car park

• Upgraded intersection of Mitcham/Brunswick Roads/Calcutta Street to facilitate safe pedestrian access and assist buses exiting onto Mitcham Road.

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Leighton Contractors

M80 ring road Upgrade – Tilburn road to Furlong road Leighton Contractors delivered the most technically complex section of the M80 Ring Road upgrade, from Tilburn to Furlong Roads. The $128 million VicRoads Design & Construct project involved 4.1km of two additional lanes, widening and strengthening of seven structures, resurfacing existing lanes, landscaping and installation of Intelligent Transport Systems along the whole M80 corridor. The project creates a safer and less congested freeway, substantially reducing the number of vehicle accidents between Western Highway and Tilburn Road. The project’s estimated economic benefit is $60 million annually through improved travel speeds and time.

The project involved daily working alongside 142,000 vehicles in the constrained corridor. Key successes included traffic management, innovations that strengthened worker and commuter safety, and design refinements that delivered safety, environmental and operational benefits to three bridge widenings – the 600m long land bridge over the former Sunshine Tip, the twin, five-span box girders over Western Highway and Kororoit Creek and the twin box girders over St Albans Road and Sydenham Rail Line.

The project was completed ahead of schedule with Leighton Contractors delivering $3 million in savings through design and construction innovation.

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Highly Commended Coles Supermarkets Coles Supermarket of the Future

INITIATIVES THAT SHAPE OUR FUTURE

Highly Commended

Coles Supermarkets

Coles Supermarket of the Future

In 2009, Coles embarked on a project to develop a Supermarket of the Future that would be environmentally superior, use 20% less energy and cost less to construct.

Coles worked closely with the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) to develop a rating tool to measure the building, services, infrastructure and commercial refrigeration for a supermarket. Coles Hallam was designed to achieve a ‘4 Star’ rating through inclusion of an extensive package of environmental, community and infrastructure initiatives.

The result of this holistic and comprehensive package of carefully engineered environmental measures has delivered a supermarket that exceeded Coles’ environmental objectives and produced a sustainable

basis for other new supermarkets. Most of the Hallam measures are now specified in the Coles Design Brief for new supermarkets and GBCA is currently undertaking its assessment.

Coles Hallam has set a new benchmark for supermarket design in Australia. Coles is now measuring the benefits of implementing these initiatives in all new construction and refurbishment projects.

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Informative Technology Innovations and OAK Telecom

The FTTdp Technology option for the Australian national broadband networkA small engineering investigative project with a large potential engineering impact.

The ethical engineering perspective of pursuing optimal national benefit, dictates comprehensive NBN engineering analysis. All technology options, including FTTdp, require assessment. A long-term sustainable engineering solution, minimising the need for extensive network re-engineering, but avoiding excessive up-front investment, is desired.

FTTN, FTTP, FTTdp, and HFC, are technologies being deployed globally for broadband connectivity. Peculiarities of the Australian deployment context suggest FTTdp (to the front fence) has wider applicability compared to related overseas experience. Flexibility to install micro-node devices on an as-demanded basis, while avoiding costly customisation work for the local fibre network, is key. The potential system savings amount to many billions. Sophisticated analysis utilising NBN Co internal information, is likely to readily identify the extent of expected savings.

The project has been careful to recommend a comprehensive engineering analysis to be applied to the NBN, without dictating any specific outcomes. Grass roots interest in FTTdp is spreading, and the possibility of obtaining a major positive impact on what is otherwise a fraught national project is very real.

Arup

northern Horizons - 50 year Infrastructure Strategy for Melbourne’s northThe northern metropolitan region of Melbourne represents a population of approximately 1 million residents and generates 13 per cent of Victoria’s total economic production. The region is experiencing significant growth and structural adjustment caused by the continuing arrival of new residents, combined with the impact from urban consolidation and a transition in the region away from its traditional manufacturing base. This is placing a strain on the sustainability of the region, from an economic, environmental and social perspective.

Over the coming decades, unless a comprehensive infrastructure plan is implemented, this strain is expected to increase as the regional population grows to approximately 1.6 million by 2050. In response, NORTH Link, Northern Melbourne RDA Committee, La Trobe University; and the eight municipalities of Banyule, Darebin, Hume, Mitchell, Moreland; Nillumbik, Yarra and Whittlesea commissioned Arup to prepare ‘Northern Horizons - 50 Year Infrastructure Strategy for Melbourne’s North’.

The report is a landmark strategic study that defines the current performance of infrastructure across the region and the future infrastructure strategy for Melbourne’s North for the next 50 years, to capitalise on the region’s considerable social, economic and environment potential. It represents the most comprehensive regional analysis of future infrastructure requirements for the next 50 years undertaken in Australia.

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SKIP Consulting Pty Ltd and Exova Warringtonfire Aus Pty Ltd

The Victorian Government department of Human Services Fire risk Management Guidelines The Department of Human Services and Department of Health of the Victorian Government (the Department) is committed to providing safe and secure buildings for its staff and customers/clients. A critical part of this commitment has been the development of a fire risk management strategy for its buildings. This strategy has resulted in production of the Department Capital Development Guidelines for Fire Risk Management.

The development of the latest Guidelines, launched in August 2013, was undertaken via a project control group (PCG) The majority of the PCG were practicing engineers and this ensured that accurate, detailed, scientific and risk-based information was used. The process involved a combination of engineering analysis of existing legislative frameworks, and a risk-based approach based on scientific and statistical evidence. Where necessary, the fire brigades and the Department provided the appropriate input to confirm acceptable standards of community fire safety at a policy level.

The resulting Guidelines outline the Department policy, procedures and processes to manage the risks to life and property due to fire in certain types of buildings or facilities which are owned, operated or funded by the Department.

The project highlights the significant and influential role engineers can play in assisting governments to develop and implement appropriate public safety policy.

Arup and Melbourne Water

Melbourne Water Asset Management StrategyMelbourne Water is a service delivery organisation, with a desired approach to this reflected in their vision of enhancing life and liveability.

Operating in a changing world, change is manifesting as greater cost efficiency, financial sustainability, increased customer value, and a shift to non-asset solutions reflecting the principles of integrated water management. Fundamental change was required in the way that Melbourne Water delivered services which they have responded to by transforming their business to reflect three focus areas:

• Servicing customers, not just assets

• Delivering operational excellence in core services

• Optimising the value created through new services

Within the context of this business-wide transformation, there was a need to develop an equally transformational Asset Management Strategy to support the implementation of the new approach to delivering services and to deliver a step change in value creation for customers and shareholders.

An innovative ground-up approach was developed to prepare the Strategy and develop a solution which sets a new benchmark for asset management approaches.

The approach set out clear principles, objectives and outcomes to be achieved covering issues including the diversity of assets, developing value, systematic assurance and transparency, adaptive programs of review, an emphasis on organisational capability, clear alignment with business strategies, and that the Strategy represents a transformational, not an incremental, change.

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ENTRANTS


yarra park Water recycling Facility An Integrated Water Management Plan was developed in 2008 for Melbourne’s world-famous sports precinct which includes the heritage-listed Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) and surrounding Yarra Park, Melbourne Park, and AAMI Park.






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Highly Commended GreenCo Water Pak Flat Tanks

AusNet Services Low Voltage Electricity Network Service Monitoring to Remove Public Safety (shock) Hazards

AusNet Services Distribution Feeder Automation, Fault Location and Isolation Scheme.

PRODUCT DESIGN AND SMART SYSTEMS

GreenCo Water

pak Flat Tanks GreenCo Water is proud to announce the release of its new self-assembly “PAK FLAT Tank”. Assembled in under 10 min. requiring no skilled labour, it can be retrofitted inside existing built facilities.

Storing water for household use should be easy and inexpensive. Anyone should be able to purchase and then easily install for themselves a cost-effective means of saving water whether they live in a small unit or a large rural property.

Our tank is a very trim 1000L. They’re literally PACKED FLAT, so there is no need to worry about the size of doorways or entrances to your property or worry about how it’s going to be transported, weighing just 23kg. It fits in the back of a family-sized wagon or 4WD and certainly into the back of a builder’s or plumber’s ute saving 85% of cost in logistics.

Our PAK FLAT Tank is designed, tested and built to the highest Australian standards, is ISO9001 compliant, available in different colours and can be easily joined in series. Made from a UV-resistant HDPE outer and an aseptic, laminated nylon it has a 10-year warranty. Extremely versatile also suitable for transport and storage of liquids such as edible oils, vinegar etc.

AusNet Services

Low Voltage electricity network Service Monitoring to remove public Safety (shock) HazardsThe project comprised the development, testing, validation and operationalisation of a data analytics- based application, using the smart meter data, to significantly reduce this public safety risk by detecting when the neutral connection is compromised to the extent of being “unsafe” and to take remedial action to remove the hazard as soon as possible.

The first part of the project was successfully delivered at the start of 2013 and since then over 700 of these safety hazards have been successfully removed within the AusNet Services network.

The second part of the project included an automatic detection of the safety hazard by embedding the functionality into the respective fleet of smart meter communications modules via an “over the air” method of upgrading.

The project has also successfully identified mechanisms to predict pending failures of the LV service connection so that these issues can be addressed in a planned manner rather than having to respond in an unplanned manner thus saving costs, improving power quality and enhancing customer service.

The project was implemented within a broader business case and the component costs were well within the budgeted allocation. The value gains well exceeded the anticipated benefits.

Highly Commended

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VEEA


AusNet Services

distribution Feeder Automation, Fault Location and Isolation Scheme.In 2006, AusNet Services developed in-house a centralised autonomous fault location, isolation and rerouting scheme, known as the Distribution Feeder Automation (DFA) technology, for its electricity distribution network servicing 660,000 homes and businesses.

This ‘self-healing’ technology has been deployed on 264, 22kV electricity distribution feeders, servicing more than 90 per cent of AusNet Services network.

DFA is the only technology in Australia that can automatically restore power supply within 60 seconds of a nearby fault, significantly improving the reliability and safety performance for AusNet Services customers.

AusNet Services’ approach locates the fault before locating the switch; it concentrates in restoring electricity supply to where the fault isn’t. The resulting scheme is best in class and is based on a true asynchronous algorithm.

The scheme has been engineered to provide network operators with real-time visualisation of what the algorithm is doing to the network and the switching decisions it is requesting of the field devices. Communications with field devices is via a number of methods; mobile data communications, private radio and fibre optic cable. The scheme generates a number of documents in near real time so that post-event evaluation can readily be made.

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Melbourne Water, UGL, Black and Veatch, KBR, and Lend Lease

eastern Tertiary AllianceThe Eastern Tertiary Alliance at the Eastern Treatment Plant, Melbourne is a landmark wastewater and recycled treatment project for Australia, due to many ground-breaking advancements in tertiary treatment. Through this project, Melbourne Water has been able to achieve its two key objectives of improving the 700ML/day treated water discharge to the receiving marine environment, as well as producing new high quality Class A recycled water for the benefit of future generations.

The integration of the new tertiary treatment step with the existing secondary treatment plant, the high standard of output water quality required, and the requisite high level of reliability of the plant dictated the need for a very sophisticated control and communication system. The control system processes developed during the Alliance achieved outstanding results in terms of value for money, timeliness and operator satisfaction.

To deliver the upgrade comprising design, construction and commissioning phases, Melbourne Water entered into an alliance agreement to form the Eastern Tertiary Alliance, a consortium including Melbourne Water, Black & Veatch, KBR, Baulderstone and UGL.

Cyient

e Survey for Improved planning, designing, construction and operation

“An increasing population and ever-changing technology have put forth a challenge for utility and telco infrastructure providers worldwide. To meet these challenges, the providers have to accurately know WHere their assets are and WHo their customers are. This information puts the providers in a position to meet the needs of their customers. The answers to the WHere comes from GIS systems and answer to WHo is from Information systems. The knowledge of assets and customers takes the provider to the next step of maintaining the assets and providing efficient service by improving and excelling at their operations. operational excellence comes from knowing the assets in a time domain, by conducting timely asset inspection and maintenance. The traditional methodology for field survey using logbooks and printed maps enables the providers to get useful information. However, the missing link to operational excellence is having up-to-date data, which comes at the risk of a bloated operational expenditure ratio. The answers to these issues have come with the revolutionary growth of Smart phones and tablets, which started a new chapter in Asset Management, often referred to as Mobile Asset Management (MAM). The Cyient solution described in this paper demonstrates a way to take MAM to the next level through the delivery of field data direct to operations. The innovative aspect of the solution is the ability to update the geometry information of the network and communicate the change in network topology to operations at the touch of a button.”

ENTRANTS

41

VEEA


RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT/INNOVATION

AWARD OF EXCELLENCE Land Engineering Agency Mine Blast Test Capability

La Trobe University TIGER 3 Radar - Digital High Frequency OTH Radar

Austeng, Cytomatrix Pty Ltd and Deakin University Multi-scale Manufacturing for the Production of Novel Short Nanofibre Materials

Highly Commended Furnace Engineering Pty Ltd New Carbon Fibre Furnaces

AWARD OF EXCELLENCE

Land Engineering Agency

Mine blast Test Capability

Recent military operations have exposed Australian Army personnel and vehicles to attack by land mines and improvised explosive devices (IEDs). To reduce the risk to personnel, the Land Engineering Agency (LEA) is responsible for the assessment of in-service vehicle survivability performance and associated design enhancements. A major problem in this endeavour has been the ability to accurately, realistically and cost-effectively assess survivability enhancement options.

The solution has been the creation of an innovative reusable Mine Blast Capsule and the development of a standardised Mine Blast Test Bed. Developing this capability has involved significant research into soil-explosive interaction and elevated LEA into a global leadership position in the area of mine blast survivability.

Improvements in test repeatability have also enabled LEA’s significant Finite Element blast simulation capability to be rigorously validated to the point where it too can be classed as world’s best practice.

Since its completion, the capability has been successfully utilised to optimise and evaluate designs that have been integrated into vehicles to support operations. The designs have included a blast attenuating gunner’s platform, advanced energy absorbing seating for vehicle occupants and a new universal small arms weapon mount designed to ensure that weapons do not become secondary projectiles in the event of mine blasts.

43

VEEA


AWARD OF EXCELLENCE

La Trobe University

TIGer 3 radar - digital High Frequency oTH radar

“The department of electronic engineering at La Trobe University, in conjunction with consortium partners including newcastle and Adelaide Universities, and dSTo, has recently developed a new digital high-frequency (HF) over-the-horizon radar for ionospheric, meteorspheric and remote sea state research. The radar is located at buckland park near Adelaide and extends the capability of two previous radars developed by La Trobe, operating in Tasmania and new Zealand. These three instruments, collectively known as TIGer (Tasman International Geospace environment radar) are key elements within the international SuperdArn HF radar community.

The buckland park radar is the first fully digital HF radar of its type. Compared to existing SuperdArn radars it represents an order of magnitude improvement in capability. This has been achieved through innovative electronic engineering including extensive use of reconfigurable on-chip hardware, coupled with a new antenna design and layout. engineering and physics students have, and continue to be, extensively involved in the design, development and use of the radar data, providing invaluable experience for the next generation of engineers and scientists. The radar clearly demonstrates Australia’s capability as a world leader in the development of advanced remote monitoring instrumentation. Accordingly, the radar design is now also being used by research groups in South Africa and the United Kingdom.”

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AWARD OF EXCELLENCE

Austeng, Cytomatrix Pty Ltd and Deakin University

Multi-scale Manufacturing for the production of novel Short nanofibre Materials

“Multi Scale Manufacturing for the production of novel Short nanofibre Materials”

Deakin University, together with biotechnology company Cytomatrix, and engineering company Austeng have together created a world-first manufacturing process for a new class of high value materials. An innovative State Government funding model has enabled the realisation of this new manufacturing capability offering new employment opportunities in the region.

Geelong-based innovation activity has led to Deakin University and Cytomatrix developing a new, world-leading method for making short nanofibres – a range of unique fibre materials with nanoscale diameters and micrometre lengths. These novel materials open up a wide range of new applications in biotechnology, medicine, materials science and other fields.

A successful, dynamic and interactive collaboration between academic and industrial partners has realised a multi-scale approach to short-nanofibre manufacturing. In a concerted effort, the various project partners

contributed unique know-how with Austeng (project leader) providing fluid-systems engineering expertise, and Cytomatrix/Deakin providing the short nanofibre know-how and rapid prototyping capabilities including 3D printing. In 2014, Austeng manufactured, delivered, installed and commissioned the short nanofibre manufacturing plant.

Key engineering innovations of this project derive from design principles from the aeronautic and auto industries applied in an entirely-new context to generate highly-tuneable nanoscale fibre materials.

This world-first for short nanofibres is a major enabling step along the path to achieving commercial and industrial success for this innovative technology and ensures each partner organisation is poised at the forefront of this new industrial and scientific field.

45

VEEA


Furnace Engineering Pty Ltd

new Carbon Fibre FurnacesFurnaces for the production of Carbon Fibre on a pilot scale were designed and recently commissioned at the Carbon Fibre Research facility (Carbon Nexus) at Deakin University in Geelong.

It was an objective to set benchmarks that would get the attention of overseas future potential customers through: • Very good atmosphere sealing in spite

of having open ends

• The ability to confirm the furnace is airtight prior to production

• The ability to drastically reduce atmosphere purge time and gas consumption

• Effective cooling of the emerging fibre while under inert atmosphere

• Significantly reduced losses, electrical energy and Nitrogen consumption.

Novel features were incorporated in order to achieve objectives. Losses were reduced by good thermal insulation and a reduction in water cooling of power connections and casing. A new atmosphere curtain design was implemented to keep air out and fumes in the chamber. The HT chamber is equipped with removable end-caps enabling the entire furnace to be quantitatively vacuum-checked for leaks. An active cooling method allows rapid waterless cooling to ambient under inert atmosphere. Emerging fibres are cool enough to handle without gloves.

The features have enabled the furnaces to make good quality fibre with remarkably low power and nitrogen consumption.

Highly Commended

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VicRoads

easy Access Tram Stops, bridge road, richmondThe ability to implement level access to tram stops on the remainder of Melbourne’s tram network, without impacting on the traffic capacity of the arterial road network, is severely limited. The objective of the Bridge Road Easy-Access tram stop project was to develop a solution to provide level access to trams on four-lane undivided arterial roads without compromising the traffic capacity of the road or safety.

The concept pursued on Bridge Road as a Demonstration Project was the Easy-Access Stop solution. Easy-Access Stops involve raising the kerbside lane by 290mm in such a manner to tie in with the footpath and meet the floor of an adjacent tram. The central lane where trams operate remains at the existing level, while tram passengers wait on the footpath. This provides level access from the footpath onto trams, while maintaining two lanes of traffic (during clearway hours).

As the project was innovative in nature, a comprehensive post-opening study was undertaken, the results of which indicate that the primary objectives of providing accessibility without compromising traffic capacity or safety were successfully achieved. This solution is potentially applicable to a large proportion of the remaining tram stops on Melbourne’s unique tram network.

Arup and RMIT University

Smartnodes prototypeSmartNodes is an exciting research project instigated by the Independents’ Group, an international research platform for interdisciplinary exchange and collaboration that brings together leading academic and industry partners to develop prototypes for the future of the built environment.

SmartNodes tackles relatively small components which have implications for larger scales of building form and structural stability. It explores Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) and Selective Laser Melting (SLM) manufacturing of components. Customised parts are produced and tested to verify material strength and tolerance.

The SmartNodes research explores the potential for enabling customised and complex building form through the pairing of high-tech, customised components with off-the-shelf, standardised parts. The project brings together a broad, trans-disciplinary team of experts from architecture, structural design and manufacturing and addresses the design of a lightweight framing system, able to be used as either a canopy or building façade.

The system is underpinned by a series of custom manufactured structural nodes, designed and optimised with digital algorithms and produced using the latest in additive manufacturing technology. These link simple beams and planar panels. Through the customised geometry of each element, the system has the potential for a broad range of design outcomes without significant cost penalties.

ENTRANTS

47

VEEA


GreenCo Water

pak Flat Tanks GreenCoWater is proud to announce the release of its new self-assembly “PAK FLAT Tank”. Assembled in under 10 min. requiring no skilled labour it can be retrofitted inside existing built facilities.

Storing water for household use should be easy and inexpensive. Anyone should be able to purchase and then easily install for themselves a cost-effective means of saving water whether they live in a small unit or a large rural property.

Our tank is a very trim 1000L. They’re literally PACKED FLAT; no need to worry about the size of doorways or entrances to your property or worry about how it’s going to be transported, weighing just 23kg. It fits in the back of a family-sized wagon or 4WD and certainly into the back of a builder’s or plumber’s ute, saving 85% of cost in logistics.

Our PAK FLAT Tank is designed, tested and built to the highest Australian standards, is ISO9001 compliant, available in different colours and can be easily joined in series. Made from a UV-resistant HDPE outer and an aseptic, laminated nylon it has a 10-year warranty. Extremely versatile, it is also suitable for the transport and storage of liquids such as edible oils, vinegar etc.

AusNet Services

distribution Feeder Automation, Fault Location and Isolation SchemeIn 2006, AusNet Services developed in-house a centralised autonomous fault location, isolation and rerouting scheme, known as the Distribution Feeder Automation (DFA) technology, for its electricity distribution network servicing 660,000 homes and businesses.

This ‘self-healing’ technology has been deployed on 264, 22kV electricity distribution feeders, servicing more than 90 per cent of AusNet Services network.

DFA is the only technology in Australia that can automatically restore power supply within 60 seconds of a nearby fault, significantly improving the reliability and safety performance for AusNet Services customers.

AusNet Services’ approach locates the fault before locating the switch; it concentrates in restoring electricity supply to where the fault isn’t. The resulting scheme is best in class and is based on a true asynchronous algorithm.

The scheme has been engineered to provide network operators with real time visualisation of what the algorithm is doing to the network and the switching decisions it is requesting of the field devices. Communications with field devices is via a number of methods; mobile data communications, private radio and fibre optic cable. The scheme generates a number of documents in near real time so that post event evaluation can readily be made.

48

AusNet Services

Low Voltage electricity network Service Monitoring to remove public Safety (shock) HazardsThe project comprised the development, testing, validation and operationalisation of a data analytics- based application, using the smart meter data, to significantly reduce this public safety risk by detecting when the neutral connection is compromised to the extent of being “unsafe” and to take remedial action to remove the hazard as soon as possible.

The first part of the project was successfully delivered at the start of 2013 and since then over 700 of these safety hazards have been successfully removed within the AusNet Services network.

The second part of the project included an automatic detection of the safety hazard by embedding the functionality into the respective fleet of smart meter communications module via an “over the air” method of upgrading.

The project has also successfully identified mechanisms to predict pending failures of the LV service connection so that these issues can be addressed in a planned manner rather than having to respond in an unplanned manner thus saving costs, improving power quality and enhancing customer service.

The project was implemented within a broader business case and the component costs were well within the budgeted allocation. The value gains well exceeded the anticipated benefits.

SKIP Consulting Pty Ltd and Exova Warringtonfire Aus Pty Ltd

The Victorian Government department of Human Services Fire risk Management Guidelines The Department of Human Services and Department of Health of the Victorian Government (the Department) is committed to providing safe and secure buildings for its staff and customers/clients. A critical part of this commitment has been the development of a fire risk management strategy for its buildings. This strategy has resulted in production of the Department Capital Development Guidelines for Fire Risk Management.

The development of the latest Guidelines, launched in August 2013, was undertaken via a project control group (PCG) The majority of the PCG were practicing engineers and this ensured that accurate, detailed, scientific and risk-based information was used. The process involved a combination of engineering analysis of existing legislative frameworks, and a risk-based approach based on scientific and statistical evidence. Where necessary, the fire brigades and the Department provided the appropriate input to confirm acceptable standards of community fire safety at a policy level.

The resulting Guidelines outline the Department policy, procedures and processes to manage the risks to life and property due to fire in certain types of buildings or facilities which are owned, operated or funded by the Department.

The project highlights the significant and influential role engineers can play in assisting governments to develop and implement appropriate public safety policy.

ENTRANTS

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VEEA


ThyssenKrupp Industrial Solutions (Australia) Pty Ltd and Australian Gold Reagents Pty Ltd

Sodium Cyanide debottleneck project The Sodium Cyanide Debottleneck project was completed by Thyssen Krupp Industrial Solutions (Australia) and Australian Gold Reagents. The two companies worked together as a team to design and implement a safe plant for increased production of a dangerous product, sodium cyanide. The sodium cyanide produced is used for gold extraction by the Australian and international mining industry.

Sodium cyanide technology is developed but not mature, so research and development had to be undertaken, including extensive modelling of the process chemistry and thermodynamics and validation against plant operational results. This research identified new technical knowledge that the project team utilised to develop innovative low-cost solutions to extract additional capacity from the existing facility, as well as optimisation of plant operations to align with best practice and project findings.

The project has executed a series of work scopes to fit in with planned maintenance and parallel project shutdowns, and to trial innovative solutions prior to full implementation. Construction was executed over an 18 month period. It produced challenges due to working in a congested brownfields facility, restrictive PPE requirements, decontamination procedures, and other projects under construction at the same time.

The project achieved its goals, on time and under budget. Most important, there were no health, safety and environmental incidents. Finally, it has set up the business for future improvements by optimising the process and identifying future projects for further optimisation.

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Heading Beon Rule Ed qui cusandi volesdelitaqui occus as

Heading Beon Rule Ed qui cusandi volesdelitaqui occus as

Heading Beon Rule

Ed qui cusandi voles

delitaqui occus as

Arup, Melbourne Cricket Club, and Tenix Yarra Park Water Recycling Facility

President’s Award

President’s Award


yarra park Water recycling Facility

An Integrated Water Management Plan was developed in 2008 for Melbourne’s world-famous sports precinct which includes the heritage-listed Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) and surrounding Yarra Park, Melbourne Park, and AAMI Park.






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victoria excellence awards booklet 2014

Documents

awards of excellence

standard of engineering

victorian engineers

young engineers

senior engineers

award recipients

high standard of entries

diversity of projects