GHD
June 2001
No. 112
NEWS
Hobart Federation Concert Hall
Alliance with Knight Frank
RAPI excellence award
Salinity management in SA and NSW
Contents
Strategic alliance with Knight Frank
June 2001 No. 112
INNOVATION
Alliance, Energy supply,
RAPI award
2-3
ENVIRONMENT
Audit training, Woodchip venture,
Salinity in SA and NSW
4-5
WATER
Qld distribution, Murray River
trunk main, Boat sewage
pump-out, Nestlé wastewater,
Cape York microfiltration,
Upgrades for Werribee
6-9
COMMUNITY INFRASTRUCTURE
10-14
Brisbane pool, Hobart Concert Hall,
Apartment construction,
Waste guidelines for units,
Auckland property developments,
Melbourne market, Hunter complex
MINING
Kalimantan gold mine,
ARD dam, Research, Land audits
15-16
ENERGY
Asset survey
17
DEFENCE & SECURITY
Night training
17
INDUSTRY
Food processing,
Newcastle steel cold mill
18
TRANSPORTATION
Upgraded SCATS in Perth
19
COVER PHOTO: A double elliptical shell
and acoustic outer wall eliminate external
noise in the Hobart Federation Concert Hall.
Inside GHD has combined leading edge
energy-saving technology with innovative
structural, mechanical and electrical designs.
See article on page 11.
(Richard Eastwood – photographer)
GHD News is a free publication published
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can also be accessed on our website.
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GHD Corporate Marketing Services
10 Bond Street
Sydney, NSW 2000 Australia
Tel
Fax
Eml
Web
61 2 9239 7100
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wholdenson@ghd.com.au
www.ghd.com.au
Wendy Holdenson, Editor
Alan Raby, Assistant Editor
Nigel Dique, Writer
Heywood Branding & Communication,
Design & production
© GHD Pty Ltd
ISSN 0817-3346
2 | GHD NEWS | ISSUE 112
GHD has formed a strategic alliance with international
property consultants Knight Frank to offer more
comprehensive asset and facility management services.
Knight Frank and GHD are recognised
as market leaders for services which
relate respectively to property, and
infrastructure and engineering.
Both companies have common
cultural and operating goals, including
international standards of service across
all world markets and the delivery of
innovative and superior client service.
As key members of a project team,
they recently completed a successful
asset management project for the
Queensland Government. The task
entailed the design, development
and implementation of a web-based
system which provides a best-practice
framework for the management
of assets at all levels of government.
The Government has granted the firms
an exclusive licence to market the
system, known as GAMS (Government
Asset Management System) in Australia
and overseas. Marketing will be
through a jointly owned company,
Innovative Strategic Management.
GHD Managing Director Ken Conway
says: “The alliance reinforces GHD’s
Strategy 2000, particularly the
development of mutually beneficial
alliances, operating as a global business
and providing project delivery.
The foundation of the alliance is
our commitment to putting clients’
needs first.”
GHD Facilities and Asset Management
Manager Brendan Sowry will be
responsible for managing the new
alliance and marketing the
GAMS system.
Knight Frank Executive Chairman
Robert Hannington says the firms’
collective knowledge is a powerful
and appealing proposition to any
client whose business is reliant on the
effective performance of tangible assets.
“We are very proud that GAMS is
recognised by the industry as Best
Known Practice. We recognise the
importance of a single point, and
consistent and quality service delivery.”
GAMS is being actively marketed to state
governments and internationally.
What happens if
the lights go out?
The dramatic effects of loss of power to a city were seen
several years ago in Auckland and more recently in California.
To guard against such possibilities, the reliability of power
transmission networks for Sydney’s CBD and inner suburbs
are to be augmented by increasing both the system’s capacity
and ability to switch around any problems.
The city’s growth has been accompanied
by increasing demand for electricity,
putting pressure on existing capacity.
Following a joint study by Transgrid
and Energy Australia, capacity is to
be increased with the construction
of up to eight new 132-kilovolt cable
circuits under the city.
Circuits will be installed to connect
existing substations with a new
Transgrid substation in Haymarket
and a new Energy Australia substation
in Surry Hills.
GHD completed a feasibility study
which confirmed an accessible tunnel
was the best option for Energy Australia
to convey the new cable network. The
firm has also carried out geotechnical
investigations, concept design and risk
management studies, developed design
and construct tender documentation and
will assist with registration and short
listing of tenderers. An Environmental
Impact Statement is also being finalised.
Eight 132-kilovolt cable circuits will run in
a new tunnel beneath Sydney’s Hay Street.
‘Smart growth’ project wins planning awards
A strategy for sustainable
urban growth in Sydney’s
south-west has won two
awards by the Royal
Australian Planning Institute
(RAPI) of NSW.
Developed by GHD in partnership
with Liverpool City Council,
the strategy is now recognised as a
model for future urban development.
It integrates town planning, social
and community planning, transportation
and services infrastructure for
sustainable communities.
The entry ‘Smart Growth in Sydney’s
South West – Creating Communities’
beat 20 nominations to win an award
in the category of ‘plan making and
strategies by local government’. It was
then selected from 50 nominations to
win the President’s Special Award
for overall planning excellence –
the top award.
GHD was commissioned by Liverpool
City Council in December 1999 to
undertake the “Developing Sustainable
Communities” strategic planning
project. This formed the foundation for
Council’s Smart Growth strategy.
The aim was to prepare an integrated
urban development framework
(structure plan) for three major
new urban release areas in Liverpool.
The three sites have a total area of
about 1,500 hectares and a potential
population of over 50,000 people.
“The approach will achieve sustainable
development through better planning,
and improve the quality of life of
residents,” says GHD Project Director
Tom Pinzone.
An integrated urban development in Liverpool,
Sydney, will reduce the impacts of urban sprawl.
ISSUE 112 | GHD NEWS | 3
Woodchip
venture to
boost local
WA economy
Training courses in
environmental auditing
GHD has joined forces with the Systems 3 Group to
provide training courses in environmental management
systems (EMS) auditing.
A $50-million environmentally
friendly woodchip venture
near Albany is expected to
create more than 1,000 jobs
over the next four years.
About 230 jobs will be created
immediately in harvest, transport,
mill, rail and port operations, with
the remainder throughout the region
as the economy grows.
Locally grown plantation timber
will be milled to provide woodchips
for export to Japan – estimated at
up to one million tonnes by 2007.
The plantations will be re-established
after harvest, bringing benefits to the
region’s economy and helping to fight
salinity and soil erosion.
GHD is assisting the Albany
Plantation Export Company with
the design, documentation and
construction supervision of a
$10-million timber mill, 20 kilometres
north of Albany. The company is
a joint venture between Oji Paper
and Itochu, leading Japanese
corporations.
“All aspects of the design and
management had to be carried
out within tight time frames and
according to Environmental
Protection Authority requirements,”
says GHD Project Manager John Stocco.
The woodchips will be transported
by rail from the mill to upgraded
facilities at Albany Port. The first
shipment of woodchips is scheduled
for delivery to Oji’s Nichinan paper
mill in Japan in the last quarter of this
year. Between 300,000 and 400,000
tonnes are expected to be exported
in the first two years of operations.
4 | GHD NEWS | ISSUE 112
Waste Management and Environment magazine ran
advertisements on the new EMS training course.
An increasing number of organisations
today are embracing environmental
responsibilities, requiring the
implementation of EMS. In turn this
has prompted a growing demand for
certified environmental auditors.
GHD was invited by the Systems 3
Group to assist with the development
and presentation of the Advanced
(EMS) Auditor Training Course.
The course has been approved by the
Institute of Environmental Management
and Assessment (IEMA) and meets the
training requirements for participants
to be registered as an Environmental
Auditor with the IEMA scheme.
Besides environmental professionals,
the course is recommended for:
◗ senior managers who wish to gain
a detailed understanding of how
to apply a systematic approach
to managing the environmental
performance of their organisation;
◗ people with a limited environmental
management background but who
coordinate the operation of an EMS
within their organisation;
◗ quality and safety auditors wishing
to expand their skills;
◗ people who conduct internal
and external EMS audits.
Participants learn how to effectively
plan, undertake and follow up internal
and external EMS audit tasks;
perform gap analysis audits against
ISO 14001:1996; and apply the audit
process as a business improvement tool.
Areas covered include techniques
to identify environmental aspects
and impacts, environmental legislation,
environmental risk assessment,
life cycle analysis, environmental
performance measurement and
pollution control and abatement.
The course has also been submitted
to the Quality Society of Australasia
(QSA) for approval to meet the
QSA’s training requirements for
Environmental Auditor certification.
Current and future participants have
a unique opportunity to register
under either or both the QSA and
IEMA schemes.
Further information and course
dates for the Advanced (EMS) Auditor
Training Course are available at
www.systems3.com.au, or by contacting
Chris Owen at cowen@ghd.com.au.
Salt flushing system for
Barossa vineyard
A drainage scheme at a premium vineyard in South Australia’s
Barossa Valley aims to reduce destructive salinity caused by
a rising water table.
“Services included contract negotiation,
landholder-client consultation, and
the supervision of trenching, drain
coil installation, backfill placement,
and installation of sub mains to the
pump-out tank.
Measures previously identified to
combat the salinisation included the
installation of perimeter drains and
dewatering wells. GHD Project
Manager Rick Aldam explains,
“Our solution was to install drains in
each vine row to below the root zone,
connection to collection mains to
remove the saline water and direction
to a holding tank for eventual removal
to wastewater lagoons.
“A water flushing system was
specified to flush out the accumulated
salts from the soils so vines can be
re-established. The system has been
modified to utilise the existing
vineyard dripper irrigation system.
“The landowner anticipates the replanting
of the vineyard in October 2001.”
Rick Aldam
At low-lying locations, salt scalding
was evident, accompanied by loss of
grass cover and other vegetation and
some death of vines and native trees.
Drains were installed below the vines’
root zone at an existing vineyard.
Salinity review for Lake Victoria
A salinity review has identified
a strategy to achieve long-term
improvements in land and
water management in the Lake
Victoria area of western NSW.
Water enters the lake via Frenchman’s
Creek, a small tributary of the Murray
River and, when required, is released
under controlled conditions back to
the Murray via Rufus River, another
small channel.
The review, prepared by GHD, is part
of the Lake Victoria Rangelands Study,
a precursor to the Lake Victoria
Rangelands Management Action Plan.
The lake is a significant water storage
in the Murray Darling system. It is filled
during periods of high flow and water
is released to South Australia during low
flow periods or at other specified times.
The strategy proposes the optimising of
flows in Frenchman’s Creek to reduce
the volumes of water leaking to the
water table, and a dewatering well field
near the lake to maintain groundwater
levels below the land surface.
Rick Aldam
The focus for the review is land
holdings fronting the lake and
Frenchman’s Creek, a number of which
are experiencing degradation and loss
of production due to salinisation.
In preparing the strategy, GHD
reviewed the work of a number
of earlier studies, and collated and
reviewed available groundwater
monitoring data supplied by the
Department of Land and Water
Conservation (NSW). The firm also
conducted extensive consultation
among landholders.
Degraded land north of Frenchman’s Creek
is the focus of GHD specialists.
(Salinisation in the Rufus River area
is controlled by the pumping of salty
water from groundwater interception
bores to disposal basins located to
the west of Lake Victoria.)
The review recognises the importance of
land surrounding Lake Victoria in terms
of cultural heritage, agriculture, and
environmental and landscape values, as
well as the need to maintain security of
supply for South Australian water users.
ISSUE 112 | GHD NEWS | 5
A review of irrigation
systems in Queensland
will help planners achieve
significant improvements
in water distribution
efficiencies.
The review, completed in April, covers
the major irrigation areas of Bundaberg,
Burdekin River, Emerald, Eton, Dawson
Valley, St George, Lower Mary River
and Mareeba Dimbulah. Major crop
types include cotton and sugar cane.
Kristina Sestokas
Water use
review
aims at
efficiencies
The Weemah main channel downstream of Fairbairn Dam
in Queensland’s Emerald irrigation area.
It was conducted by GHD for the
Department of Natural Resources and
Mines (DNRM) and funded under the
Rural Water Use Efficiency Initiative.
Management and operation of the areas
are the responsibility of SunWater,
a privatised enterprise.
“The methodology we developed
provides a uniform basis for efficiency
determination, performance assessment
and establishment of improvement
targets for loss minimisation in all
irrigation schemes,” says Project
Manager Kristina Sestokas.
Water balance data collected from
the operators of the different schemes
enabled determination of both actual
and theoretical distribution system
efficiencies for all sub-system
components.
Stretch across
WA’s Murray River
A 400-tonne crane was used to hoist a massive
water pipe into position across the Murray River
near Pinjarra, just south of Perth, as part of
the Stirling Dam to Tamworth Reservoir trunk
main project.
Western Australia’s largest mobile crane placed
the pipeline over the Murray River in one span.
The 37-tonne, 1400 millimetre pipe
spans 50 metres between reinforced
concrete piers.
106 kilometres south of Perth, to the
Tamworth Reservoir on the outskirts
of the city.
welded together to form the bridge.
Reinforcing plates were used over the
supporting piers.
It was specially constructed to carry
a full load of water and survive pressure
tests, thermal effects, wind loading,
seismic loads and debris loading from
a flood event. Allowance was also made
for a walkway on top.
For the Murray River crossing, a
structural combination of arch and
continuous span was chosen to satisfy
environmental, native title, landowner
and aesthetic concerns. Backspans
20 metres long return the pipe
underground.
Construction of the pipe bridge was
delayed first by bad weather and then
by concern over the capacity of the
ground to support the weight of the
crane, the State’s biggest mobile crane.
GHD, design consultant for the Western
Australian Water Corporation, designed
the entire pipeline, which will transfer
water by gravity from the Stirling Dam,
6 | GHD NEWS | ISSUE 112
The pipe was constructed in a series
of two and three-metre sections and
rolled into ‘cans’ which were then
The project proceeded smoothly, with
GHD lending technical site assistance.
The Stirling Trunk Main, costing
$109 million, was completed on time
and under budget.
Pump-out innovation for cleaner waterways
Innovative yet inexpensive
boat sewage pump-out
systems designed for the
Port Stephens-Myall Lakes
area of NSW are likely
to be adopted elsewhere
in the State.
GHD prepared the design for Port
Stephens Council and has since been
commissioned by the Department of
Land and Water Conservation (NSW)
for a site at Batemans Bay.
Following an outbreak of Hepatitis A
in February 1997 in Wallis Lake,
Forster, the Federal Government,
through the Natural Heritage Trust
Coast and Clear Seas Program, allocated
funding to improve water quality in
the tourist haven of Port Stephens.
The amount included $406,000 to Port
Stephens Council to set up boat waste
pumping stations. Funding was also
provided by the Department of Land
and Water Conservation and NSW
Waterways to support the project.
Current NSW Government regulations
prohibit the discharge of sewage from
boats into waterways such as Port
Stephens and Myall Lakes.
Port Stephens Council required a
jetty or pontoon-based ‘slops hopper’
receptacle to accept waste from portable
chemical toilets and to combine with
another system to empty on-board
holding tanks. Sewage from the
system was expected to be pumped
to an on-shore holding tank and
then to the local sewage system.
Five sites were identified, with
facilities at three to be built immediately
and the remaining two to follow
depending on funds. After winning
an open tender to develop designs for
sites at Tea Gardens, Nelson Bay and
Soldiers Point, GHD visited existing
facilities and held consultations
with parties-at-interest.
The designs by GHD led to
construction costs well below budget,
allowing a second round of facilities,
for Lemon Tree Passage and Karuah,
also designed by GHD.
The GHD design incorporates a
pump system with excellent suction
characteristics. This means the pumps
can be located remotely, providing
more space on the jetties or pontoon
stations and obviating the need for
on-shore holding tanks.
Two pumps with equal capacity accept
wastes from either source and a
switching facility alternates each pump
per cycle. This arrangement ensures the
boatwaste installation is serviceable in
the event of one pump failing.
Remote sensors trigger automatic
flushes and pump operation of the slops
hopper, minimising odours. Users of the
boat pump-out only have to press a start
button – the system automatically turns
itself off after a pre-selected time.
GHD’s new boat waste pumping
station has found wide favour in NSW.
ISSUE 112 | GHD NEWS | 7
Food giant Nestlé Australia
aims to achieve world’s best
practice in environmental
management, which it regards
as important to market success.
Jonathan Crockett
Nestlé action
on environment
GHD wastewater specialists have provided strategic advice at Nestlé plants.
the application of NEMS. Some work
will also be undertaken for Nestlé
Pacific Islands.
A key project is to assist with the
application of the Nestlé Environmental
Management System (NEMS) among
its 32 sites in Oceania.
The process entails GHD environmental
auditors going to the plants and other
sites to conduct environmental audits.
They also assist plant managers to set
up appropriate objectives and action
plans. The firm has also assisted with
training and site risk assessments.
The plants process raw materials such as
milk, cocoa beans and coffee beans into
a wide range of products with household
names such as Nescafé, Milo and Nestlé
Peters ice cream.
GHD has been engaged by Nestlé
Australia to provide environmental
management and engineering
services, including assisting with
minimisation of waste and proper
wastewater treatment. GHD wastewater
specialists are providing strategic,
plant upgrade and operations advice by:
◗ regular review of, and reporting on,
compliance and operating problems;
◗ periodic visits to assess operating
practices and identify improvements
to treatment facilities;
◗ assistance with implementing
Food plants generate considerable
wastewater, and one of the
manufacturer’s priorities is the
such improvements as
environmental approvals and
community consultation.
Clean drinking water for
Cape York communities
Installation of a microfiltration plant in Bamaga, 30 kilometres
south west of Cape York, will ensure clean drinking water
for 2,500 indigenous people occupying the northern peninsula.
Andrew Jackson
The water supply for the communities
in the area is drawn from the Jardine
River, which runs perfectly clear for
much of the year and then becomes
muddy following seasonal rains.
No more protozoa are in the local water of
one of Queensland’s most remote indigenous
communities.
8 | GHD NEWS | ISSUE 112
Investigations showed the river water
presented a health risk due to the
presence of protozoa and other
pathogens. In these wet months,
the communities are isolated and
accessible only by aircraft or barge.
Microfiltration was chosen as the
preferred technology because of its
robustness – previously only boiling
could guarantee clean drinking water.
GHD, on behalf of the Queensland
Government, evaluated bids from
a number of microfiltration suppliers,
developed the detailed design and
managed the project on site.
“We were able to draw on our extensive
experience with the technology in other
parts of Australia and South East Asia.
“Our experience working on remote
northern Australia community projects,
using local contractors was also of great
benefit,” says GHD Project Manager
Anne Lavers.
Lagoon upgrade to help
Port Phillip Bay
Melbourne Water has brought into service the first of three
major lagoon system upgrades. A key benefit is reduction
of nitrogen load in Port Phillip Bay.
How
Melbourne
redeemed
its name
The Western Treatment
Plant, previously known
as the Werribee farm, was
established in the 1890s.
Jonathan Crockett
“In those days deaths from cholera
and typhoid were common in
Melbourne, earning the city the
nickname ‘Smelbourne’,” says GHD
Project Manager Jonathan Crockett.
GHD’s Robbert van Oorschot and Jodi Kerr on an
inspection visit of the aeration basin at Werribee.
A CSIRO ecological study of the bay
identified nitrogen as affecting algal
and dinoflagellate blooms.
In addition to improving the quality
of discharge, the upgrades, at the
Western Treatment Plant at Werribee,
are designed to increase system
capacity, allow decommissioning
of odour-producing processes
and provide water for reuse.
The Western Treatment Plant is one
of two major wastewater plants in
Melbourne. It treats on average 500
megalitres a day from a population
of two million, as well as much of
Melbourne’s industrial wastewater.
GHD has a three-year assignment
to provide process design and
commissioning services, and early
performance review for the upgrade
program. The firm brought together an
international team of experts to identify,
shortlist and develop an innovative
and cost-effective upgrade strategy.
The treatment process adds a simple,
low-cost activated sludge plant to
existing lagoons in a way which
maximises their treatment capacity
utilisation and achieves the right
effluent quality targets. It also should
allow the capacity of the lagoon system
to be increased by 190 per cent.
Energy consumption is half that of a
conventional activated sludge plant and
will be further reduced by a biogas-fired
generation facility constructed by AGL.
“It was far-sighted of the authorities
to set aside such a large area of
land – around 10,000 hectares –
40 kilometres from the city for
land-farming of raw sewage.
Land-based technology was leading
edge at the time, and the processes
used were arguably more ecologically
sustainable than those of the
typical modern sewerage plant.
“The system was augmented with
treatment lagoons in the 60s and 70s
as Melbourne grew rapidly.
The plant is an excellent example
of how progressive generations of
engineers, by planning for the long
term, minimise cost and maximise
benefit to the community.”
The first lagoon system has a capacity
of 190 megalitres a day and is designed
to achieve a total nitrogen concentration
of less than 10 milligrams a litre and
ammonia-nitrogen concentration of less
than three milligrams a litre. The capital
cost is $28 million, a fraction of that
for more conventional processes.
Plant commission started in April
with three million litres of seed sludge
imported from a major treatment plant
operated by Barwon Water.
Digging the mains over 100 years ago laid
the foundation for better health.
ISSUE 112 | GHD NEWS | 9
Aquatic Centre
combines
comfort, colour
and light
The Caboolture Regional Aquatic
Leisure Centre north of Brisbane
pays particular attention to human
needs – both recreational and
competitive – with architecture
that combines advanced energysaving concepts with aesthetics
and durability.
A ‘fun in water’ theme extends throughout the leisure complex in Brisbane.
“The Caboolture Shire Council wanted
a friendly, lively environment that
would persuade visitors to return.
We achieved this with the arrangement
of the buildings, the choice of colours
and people-friendly spaces,” says
GHD architect John Wachsner.
mechanically ventilated for comfort.
The truss is isolated by a fully insulated,
fibre-cement ceiling to minimise both
the potential for corrosion and the cost
of maintenance.
Key structures of the $8-million centre
are a 37-metre single-span building
housing a heated 50-metre 10-lane pool,
1,000-seat grandstand and heated
25-metre pool.
“The roof curves to meet large open
doors to create an indoor-outdoor space
enhanced by natural lighting through
translucent skylight sheeting,” says
Wachsner. “The skylights are doubleglazed to keep out the summer heat.
A natural cross-flow of air ensures
comfort in the change rooms.
Frog comes to life
Other features are a 600-square metre
outdoor leisure pool in the shape of
the extinct Wallum Froglet; tennis and
beach volley ball courts; main building
with change rooms, crèche, kiosk, shop,
gymnasium and function rooms; and
manager’s residence.
GHD’s approach, in providing
architectural and engineering services,
was to balance the functional
requirements with a natural environment.
The main pool enclosure uses a curved
steel triangulated lattice truss supported
on a concrete ring beam and columns,
10 | GHD NEWS | ISSUE 112
Heat control and cost
“Operating costs are minimised by
a solar pool heating and backup electric
heat pumps. The pool plant has separate
filtration, heating and disinfection
systems for each pool, enabling any
to be taken out of service without
affecting the operation of the other two.
“Colour was a key design consideration,
discussed in detail with the client.
A concern was that the centre, which
represents the first stage of a larger
sporting complex in a heavily
landscaped area, would combine
harmoniously with later projects.
“Earthy colours were chosen to
complement the landscape. The external
blockwork combines terracotta and
wheat tones, with the steelwork in black
and the roof a standard Torres blue.
Inside, the ceiling is off-white and the
internal areas a light cream to reinforce
the sense of openness.
“A ‘fun-in-water’ theme extends
throughout the site, with different
coloured circles in the concrete paths
representing bubbles of water.”
The centre provides for the needs
of the disabled with a main pool hoist,
wheelchair ramp to the warm-up pool,
beach entry into the leisure pool, and
graded surrounding concourses.
A moveable bulkhead in the main pool
– unusual for a 10-lane pool – enables
division into two 25-metre areas for
training or recreation.
Hobart Concert Hall delights audiences
The Tasmania Symphony Orchestra opened its season
of concerts in its new home – the new Hobart Federation
Concert Hall – passing the audience test with flying colours.
and public sector partnering provided
funding, which included a grant from
the Commonwealth Government’s
Federation Fund.
The 1,100 seat Concert Hall, an
extension to the Hotel Grand Chancellor,
is remarkable for the use of advanced
systems designs to deliver acoustic
excellence, physical comfort and
ambience (see front cover).
The Concert Hall provides an
international standard venue for the
Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra and
more extensive conference and
convention facilities for the new
owners of the Hotel Grand Chancellor.
GHD provided all services, which
had to be designed within rigorous
environmental and aesthetic parameters.
The building is designed as a double
elliptical shell with an acoustic outer
wall to eliminate road noise and an
inner shell with concrete walls and roof.
The air conditioning system is driven
by energy-efficient hydrothermal
technology tapping into sewage
wastewater as the heat sink source.
A computer-based management system
maintains the internal environment
settings and optimises energy
consumption under changing demands.
The system uses quiet under-seat
The function and conference centre
accommodates up to 1,100 people.
positive displacement air distribution
systems for occupant comfort.
All systems were noise engineered
using reverberation pits, acoustic duct
treatments, acoustic attenuators and
vibration isolators and fixings.
Lighting systems provide flexibility
for the varying use of the concert hall,
and specialist power and TV cabling
provide for the ABC’s live outside
broadcast service.
GHD also provided the project
management and engineering services
when the hotel was developed in 1985.
The Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra
takes a bow in its new home.
Structural elements were designed to
maintain critical reverberation times
and feature prominently as part of the
interior design, with its curved painted
concrete walls and open triangular
steel roof trusses.
All the facilities were built within a
budget of $16 million, considered tight
compared with similar sized concert
halls elsewhere in Australia. Private
The Concert Hall integrates well
with the hotel and function centre.
Under-seat positive displacement air
distribution systems give extra audience comfort.
ISSUE 112 | GHD NEWS | 11
Innovative design cast in concrete
Innovative plumbing design was used to resolve a height
restriction issue affecting construction of a luxury apartment
tower on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.
The Catalina apartments comprise
two towers facing the Pacific Ocean.
The first stage, designed by
GHD for Forrester Kurts Properties,
was completed 10 years ago.
Second-stage construction was
suspended when the market faltered,
leaving only basement walls and
columns on piled foundations. Last year
the market rebounded and a decision
was made to resume construction.
However, the second tower’s design
had to conform to a height restriction
of 43 metres above the pavement
imposed by Maroochy Council in
the intervening period.
As it involved a different column layout
between the basement and the other
floors, the ground floor slab became
a post-tensioned transfer slab.
Head clearance regulations for vehicles
meant plumbing could not be slung in
the basement in the traditional way.
To provide the requisite basement space,
one option was to excavate and build
a pump well under the basement –
creating serious maintenance issues.
Another was to raise the basement
ceiling height and therefore the height
of the whole building. That would
necessitate eliminating one floor level
– and its earnings potential – to satisfy
Council height regulations.
A re-designed post-tensioned transfer
slab maintained the value of this seaside
apartment block.
GHD came up with an alternative:
to redesign the post-tensioned transfer
slab. This reduced its thickness from
one metre to 700 millimetres and cast
the sanitary and roof water drainage
plumbing within it.
The slab’s complicated tendon
reinforcement structure relied on
three-dimensional coordination by
GHD to ensure tensioning did not
damage the drainage system.
Waste guidelines for new Sydney units
Guidelines on waste handling
and recycling are to be
revamped for new multi-unit
dwellings in Sydney.
Municipal Councils and Waste Boards
want to increase recycling. One certain
way to do this is to establish best
practice guidelines for all future new
unit developments, particularly in the
inner-city.
The Inner and Southern Sydney Waste
Boards and Sydney City Council have
commissioned GHD to assist in a
review of codes of practice and
equipment for waste handling and
recycling.
Future inner Sydney apartments will be designed
for easier waste and recycling collections.
12 | GHD NEWS | ISSUE 112
The aim is to develop best practice
design guidelines for developers
and checklists for council planners
assessing development applications.
Of Sydney’s 51 councils, 18 are
within the Boards’ jurisdiction.
Project Director Frank Castino
identifies the key issues as:
◗ lack of space at ground level
to store wheelie bins;
◗ inadequate access for
collection vehicles;
◗ hygiene and odour control;
◗ contamination of recyclables
in the bins;
◗ ongoing education due to high
tenant turnover;
◗ lack of incentives to recycle.
“We will be applying experience
gained internationally in urban waste
management projects,” says Castino.
Auckland complexes advance in tandem
GHD is helping advance two very different Auckland urban
building projects – a business park and a residential complex.
The 190-hectare Highbrook Business
Park is strategically located on the
Tamaki estuary near the busy Southern
Motorway.
It aims to attract business, technology
and education tenants and eventually
accommodate 12,000 employees in up
to 500,000 square metres of floor space.
GHD was part of a team of international
designers who developed the original
concept in 1998 and obtained subdivision
concept consent from Manukau
City Council.
Other statutory consents are now
being obtained from Auckland Regional
Council to allow construction to
proceed in 2002.
More than 30 per cent of the area
has been set aside as parkland,
encompassing the Pukekiwiriki volcanic
crater. Low-impact ‘green engineering’
will ensure buildings are unobtrusive.
More than 10,000 trees are to be
planted, along with 18 hectares
of coastal and wetland vegetation.
Large wetland areas and lakes will
double as stormwater treatment systems.
GHD is managing a team of designers,
engineers, planners and surveyors for
Wickham Developments to take the
project from its market garden
origins through every stage of
development – up to arranging title.
Challenges include:
◗ the necessity for treatment
of stormwater runoff;
◗ concurrent development of adjacent
land by another developer;
◗ integration of dwellings around an
GHD has conducted extensive
consultation with the tangata whenua
(local Maori) to preserve nearly
30 archaeological sites.
Garden Court subdivision is a mix
of standard lots and high-density
residential buildings on 13 hectares
near the Auckland International Airport.
oil pipeline feeding Auckland from
a refinery in the far north.
GHD project managed the integration
of road and drainage networks between
adjoining properties. A water quality
treatment pond was built on the
adjoining land along with earthworks
and services.
Garden Court in Auckland is a mix of standard
lots and high-density residential development.
ISSUE 112 | GHD NEWS | 13
A strategy
to revitalise
Dandenong’s
fruit ‘n veg
A five-year strategy aims
to revitalise and expand the
Dandenong Produce Market
in Victoria.
The strategy, prepared by GHD for the
City of Greater Dandenong, has as its
vision: ‘to be the best people’s market
in Australia by providing the highest
level of friendly services, atmosphere
and value to our customers’.
The strategy provides for:
◗ expanded market area, truck and
customer parking;
Dandy Bacon, the figure synonymous with the market’s origins,
is the icon for a suburban shopping near Melbourne.
◗ increased hours of operation from
The strategy was developed through
consultation with shoppers and
households in the market catchment
and through focus groups, workshops
with council officers and the use
of stall holder feedback sheets.
2.5 days to five days per week and
opening a night market;
◗ market repositioning away from
general merchandise (now 75 per cent
of the market floor space) to deli and
fresh food stalls with an expanded
fruit and vegetable area;
The city’s CEO Warwick Heine says:
“GHD spent six months working
cooperatively with market traders,
market management and Council
preparing a strategy, which provides
a collective vision for the market,
to be supported by key actions.”
◗ market patronage to be more
than doubled;
◗ expansion of the customer base;
◗ increased sustainable rent to Council.
Hunter offers Shark a ‘rustic’ golf setting
To ensure all goes to plan, GHD has
been working closely with the architects
to provide solutions to geotechnical
and other challenges in the area.
The course is part of a $168 million
leisure complex known as The Vintage,
which will include 482 residential
allotments, a 150-room hotel and 375
medium-density apartments and villas.
The project is a joint venture between
Medallist AMP Golf Holdings and
the Stevens Group of nearby Erina.
The challenges include:
◗ development of a trunk drainage
system to accommodate ‘average
recurrence interval’ 100-year flooding;
14 | GHD NEWS | ISSUE 112
◗ measures to ensure there is no
flooding of proposed dwellings or
increase in flood levels downstream
of the site;
◗ the construction of pools and riffles
in the field to reduce velocities in
the channels and meet architectural
criteria;
◗ handling of highly reactive and
dispersive soils, typical of the
Hunter Valley.
For the trunk drainage, computer
models were developed of typical
trapezoidal channel sections. Using
these sections, designs were prepared
in the field to provide a ‘rustic’ feel.
Vineyards on the perimeter add to
the ambience.
Detailed geotechnical design, chemical
stabilisation and specific moisture and
compaction measures were used to
combat adverse soil properties in the
Vincent Joseph
A golf course designed by
Greg Norman in the NSW
Hunter Valley aims to blend
in with the farm environment.
Vineyards on the perimeter of this golf course
reflect the Hunter Valley ambience.
construction of dam embankments,
drainage channels and roads.
GHD is working closely with the
master planners to develop the
subdivision layout and amenity, and
to ensure the provision of efficient
storm water drainage, water and
sewerage services. The firm prepared
the initial development application
and land sale documentation on behalf
of Hunter Valley Estates in 1996.
Due diligence reviews
at Kalimantan gold mine
Kelian Equitorial Mining has
undertaken a range of measures
to improve storage capacity and
management of tailings at its
gold mine in Kalimantan, Borneo.
GHD regularly carries out due diligence
reviews on the tailings storage main
embankment. The firm also reviewed
tailings deposition methods and
recommended substantial changes,
which the mine has implemented.
Floating pipelines give flexibility
for positioning of tailings.
These measures improve the
storage capacity within the dam and
the safe management of potentially
acid-forming tailings both pre and
post closure.
GHD is also carrying out studies
of tailings consolidation, seismic
evaluation of the main embankment,
hydrological evaluation and review
of ongoing deposition patterns.
GHD funds
global
research
GHD has close links with
university research teams
in South Africa and
Australia to ensure that
our professionals in water
treatment and dam
construction have access
to the latest technology.
At the University of Cape Town,
research is being conducted
by GHD’s Dr David DeHaas to
develop leading edge modelling
of the nutrient reduction process.
He will soon complete the
assignment by testing and
calibrating on site at wastewater
treatment plants in Western
Australia and Queensland.
Acidic flows
under control
High level research into the
safety of embankment and
concrete dams has been part
funded by GHD for four years
A combined attenuation dam and
evaporation pond system has
improved the control of acid rock
drainage (ARD) at BHP Iron Ore’s
Mount Whaleback operation in
Western Australia’s Pilbara region.
at the University of New
South Wales in Sydney.
A team of PhDs and
undergraduates under Professor
Robin Fell has been researching
Abnormally high summer rainfall
resulted in an unusually large volume
of water to manage.
dam failures around the world,
To provide more efficient water
management, GHD recently designed a
large pond system. The system is linked
to the existing containment dam to
enable excess water to evaporate.
two of the major causes of
Two water attenuation dams were also
designed to intercept rainfall runoff
before entering overburden storage areas.
and conducting laboratory tests
of “piping” and “cracking”,
dam failures.
Water from BHPIO’s acid holding dam
is pumped to adjacent evaporation ponds.
Even though there are another
three years of work to complete,
GHD is finalising the redesign of
the existing ARD containment dam
to improve evaporation potential.
they have already published
a number of technical papers
on their findings to date.
ISSUE 112 | GHD NEWS | 15
Contaminated land audits in demand
Thousands of parcels of land in Australia are unsuitable for
development because of contamination. Site clean-ups can cost
tens of millions of dollars and far exceed the actual land value.
A recent example of a successful major
remediation is the former Borthwicks
abattoir fronting the Brisbane River
and project managed by GHD.
Victoria maintains a register of priority
sites. In addition, work is progressing
to establish databases of sites where
Certificates or Statements of
Environmental Audit have been issued.
The site, which contained hydrocarbons,
asbestos fibre, heavy metals and various
chemicals, is now being subdivided
for industrial use.
New South Wales adopted a similar
system in the mid 1990s and a register
of contaminated sites is maintained.
The NSW EPA guidelines for
assessment of contaminated sites,
including petrol station sites,
are used throughout Australia.
GHD professionals have become
increasingly active as independent
auditors for owners, developers and
prospective buyers who are anxious
to optimise their investment.
ACT has a similar approach, and
uses auditors appointed by NSW
and Victoria.
The National Environment Protection
Measure (Assessment and Management
of Contaminated Sites) adopted
Australia-wide in early 2000 provides
comprehensive guidelines on whether
a site is in a condition suitable for the
proposed use. The measure includes
guidance on assessing human health
and ecological risk from contaminants.
Queensland’s EPA maintains two
registers of sites. One is an
environmental management register
which includes all sites where a
‘notifiable activity’ has taken place,
or where known contamination can be
managed. The other is a contaminated
land register where contamination
presents an unacceptable risk.
South Australia introduced a system
in 1995 requiring a ‘Site Audit Report’
independent of any assessment report
using Victorian or NSW-appointed
auditors.
Western Australia has no formal
audit system but the Department
of Environmental Protection
advises on requirements if land
is to be redeveloped for a more
sensitive use.
Tasmania has a Contaminated
Sites Database and a proposal to
introduce an audit system similar
to Queensland where the assessment
firm certifies its assessment of the
condition of the site.
In addition to providing site
assessment and remediation services,
GHD has its own Environmental
Auditor (Contaminated Land) available
for advice where required. Auditors
appointed in NSW or Victoria are
recognised in the other States.
The Northern Territory does not
require assessment of land for
contamination at the moment, although
assessment is generally carried out
by responsible owners or developers.
Legislative snapshot
◗ GHD offers qualified auditing
How GHD measures up
services Australia-wide;
Victoria was the first State in 1992
to adopt a statutory audit system.
Planning authorities are obliged to
require an audit where potentially
contaminated land is to be re-zoned
for a more sensitive use.
16 | GHD NEWS | ISSUE 112
is required, GHD can provide an
auditor to undertake the statutory
audit. The auditor acts independently
of the organisations undertaking
the assessment of contamination
and any remediation;
Rachael Elhay
An independent audit is becoming
normal practice unless there is clear
evidence of no past industrial use of
land, or the land has been continuously
used for residential purposes.
◗ For states where a statutory audit
GHD’s Emily Harston takes a sample
of contaminated soil for analysis in
Melbourne’s Docklands.
◗ Appointed auditors are subject
to regular review by EPA NSW
and/or EPA Victoria.
Electricity asset survey
supports fair deal on tax
The electricity supply industry has taken the unusual step
of conducting a national survey of the ‘effective lives’ of
its assets.
Home-grown
solution to
night training
dilemma
There’s more to night fighting
using enhanced vision equipment
than meets the eye.
Studies show that, without build-up
training, troops can suffer side effects
like headaches, motion sickness
and fatigue.
The Department of Defence has
decided to build four advanced
facilities to enable troops
to train during the day or night for
night fighting: at Australia’s Royal
Military College in Duntroon;
Robertson Barracks, Darwin;
Enoggera Barracks, Brisbane
and Lavarack Barracks, Townsville.
The corporatised electricity industry is
exploring ways to reduce its tax liabilities.
The survey was prepared in response
to proposed changes to tax depreciation
rules, which could significantly
disadvantage many businesses.
“The information will help the ESAA
in negotiating a fair deal for its
members from the Tax Office,” says
GHD Project Manager Larissa James.
A schedule of the effective life assets
is proposed in addition to the recent
removal of accelerated depreciation.
“The issue of depreciation allowances
based on effective life has a strong
influence on decision making when
it comes to major capital investments.
The likely introduction of longer
effective lives could result in a
much lower tax deduction for
many businesses.
The survey has found that there
are substantial design life variations
among assets. Further, the effective life
of an asset can be less than the design
life because of the impact of economic,
commercial and technical factors.
The survey was undertaken by GHD
on behalf of the Electricity Supply
Association of Australia (ESAA),
which represents 56 businesses
covering generation, transmission,
distribution and retail. It assembled
detailed data on the range of effective
lives normally found in electrical
system components.
“The tax system should contribute to an
economic framework in a way that does
not constrain investment in new assets
which are typically more efficient than
existing assets.”
According to Ian Israelsohn, ESAA’s
Assistant Director – Regulation and
Taxation, “The application of a single
effective life figure based on physical
or design life for tax purposes will
significantly disadvantage many
ESAA businesses.”
Known as Project Ninox – after
a native Australian owl that sees
and hunts in the dark – the facilities
are part of a move to beef up night
fighting capability.
The light-proof buildings and
contents are being designed from
scratch by GHD in close consultation
with Duntroon’s Field Training Wing.
They will house two interactive ‘sets’
comprising jungle/woodland and
urban streetscape, which troops will
negotiate in various levels of
darkness, using image-intensification
(and infra-red) night vision equipment.
Australian troops’ survival can depend on
their night-time fighting capability.
James said productivity in the electricity
supply industry had improved markedly
over the last 10 years, resulting in
decreases in average real electricity
prices of about 20 per cent, making
it very competitive globally.
ISSUE 112 | GHD NEWS | 17
Wellington acquisition adds special skills
The recent acquisition of Smith Wood Engineering Consultants
by GHD strengthens the New Zealand practice and adds
special skills in servicing the food processing, storage
and distribution industry.
Kazakhstan; bakeries in New Zealand,
Australia and Papua New Guinea;
and controlled temperature
storage/distribution facilities for
vegetables, fruit and cut flowers.
The company provided most of the
process plant design as well as civil,
mechanical and electrical design
services.
Smith Wood has also been engaged
in commercial office fitout projects,
services design for two large aged
care retirement homes, and the
structural design of multi-storey
apartments in Wellington.
Previous projects include structures
and services for butter, cheese and
whey products at Kiwi Co-op dairies;
abattoirs in New Zealand, Russia and
In 2000, GHD established a major
presence in New Zealand with
the acquisition of Auckland-based
Manukau Consultants.
Ashley Smith
At the time, Wellington-based Smith
Wood was overseeing the completion
of a NZ$5 million apple juice
concentrate plant for ProFruit in
Hawkes Bay, the ‘fruit bowl of
New Zealand’. The plant is designed
to process 10 tonnes of apples per hour.
The Hawkes Bay apple juice concentrate plant
is one of many food facilities around the world
designed by the new GHD practice in New Zealand.
New cold steel mill facility for Newcastle
A new steel cold mill facility
proposed for Kooragang Island
in Newcastle is expected to create
700 jobs during construction and
360 when operations commence.
It would assist in maintaining
an industry skill base in a region
suffering from the closure of
steel production facilities.
GHD has been commissioned
by Protech Steel to undertake an
environmental impact study (EIS)
and provide engineering and project
management services. Advanced
technology, based on current
European and Japanese practices in
steel processing and environmental
protection, will be used at the plant
which will be located near the
existing coal terminal.
GHD Project Director Steve Burns says
the proposed development will assist in
maintaining an industry skill base in a
18 | GHD NEWS | ISSUE 112
Steel product that could roll out of the Newcastle mill by 2004.
region that has suffered from the
closure of steel production facilities.
The EIS will cover such issues as
air quality, noise, transport and water
quality in the Hunter River. It is
scheduled for public exhibition in
July 2001.
Financial close, which triggers the
formal commencement of the detail
design and construction phase, is
expected in late 2001. Stage 1 of
the project – to design, build and
commission the cold mill facility
– is expected to take 22 months.
Full commercial operation is
expected in the first quarter of 2004.
GHD and Protech Steel are liaising
with NSW Government agencies to
resolve land and infrastructure issues
at the 94-hectare site.
Upgrades will ensure smoother traffic flows
Computerised traffic control
systems in Perth are being
upgraded to enable traffic
to flow more smoothly during
busy times.
There will be a software upgrade and
a move from a proprietary computer
system, with limited interface
capabilities, to a Windows NT platform,
an open system.
The upgrades will improve coordination
among seven traffic control regions
in the Main Roads WA network.
Each region is responsible for between
126 and 256 traffic signal intersections.
The software being upgraded is
SCATS (Sydney Coordinated Adaptive
Traffic Control System), developed
by the NSW Roads & Transport
Authority and now regarded as
a world standard.
The project is being managed by
Stork-GHD, a joint venture which has
been providing electrical maintenance
for all signals, lighting and intelligent
traffic systems across the State.
Non-SCATS systems operate on
the basis of fixed time systems,
which are incapable of co-ordinating
platoons of traffic flow between
traffic control signals.
The new operating system can be
interfaced with a greater variety
of systems, including intelligent
transport systems.
“The new system is not only dynamic
and adaptive, but also offers greater
reliability and expandability,” says
GHD Project Manager Venkat Iyer.
“This minimises asset downtimes.”
Bullcreek, the first of the targeted
traffic control regions to be upgraded,
was completed in 2000 and plans are
being drawn up for three more. GHD’s
task included the design, specifications
and documentation and assistance
with installation and commissioning.
An operator in Perth’s Traffic Operations Centre reviews activities at the new Northbridge Tunnel.
ISSUE 112 | GHD NEWS | 19
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www.ghd.com.au
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