On an annual basis industry competitors pursue the spotlight of the ACAA, and accolades for “innovation and the highest standard of work.” It is always an honour to see projects we have had a heavy hand in realising selected, acknowledging our technical excellence and skill, but as the Director of BG&E in NSW, ACT and NZ I can say these Awards meant something more for us this year.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continued to throw curve balls for all, it was a privilege to be part of building for future growth and prosperity. When it comes to the emerald city and broader NSW, the built environment industry has a pivotal role in economic revitalisation, supported in part by the state government’s investment in an $87.2 billion building program from 2017-21. ACAA recognition, now more than ever, is a testament to dedication to best practise for the future of the communities we live in, while tearing through masks and updated construction schedules.
The Quay Quarter Tower (QQT) project at 50 Bridge Street in Sydney appears on the ACAA finalists’ list, which benefited from our collaboration with AMP Capital and Multiplex to achieve industry-leading decarbonisation techniques. Our teams continue to provide structural and construction engineering, and materials testing services to support partial demolition and reuse of the original commercial building. Upon completion, QQT will be a contemporary neighbourhood with 49 storeys of commercial space, five basement levels, 104 luxury residential apartments, prime retail, green spaces and artisan cafes.
We were also proud to see the Sydney Metro City project by John Holland CPB Ghella and TfNSW project also made the ACAA finalists cut. The project will deliver the first fully-automated metro rail system in Australia. Trains will operate every four minutes with at least 15 trains per hour, accessing 15.5 kilometres of fully-lined tunnels between Chatswood and Sydenham. Our materials, civil, flooding and structural engineers were engaged by John Holland CPB Ghella, in a joint venture with Arcadis to deliver the two dive and portal structures, three open box excavations, five shaft excavations and Barangaroo Station, in addition to the Northern Corridor Works and substantial temporary works.
The third project we were pleased to have a hand in, that was recognised by the ACAA, was the Woolgoolga to Ballina Pacific Highway Upgrade project by WSP and TfNSW. The project entailed the upgrade of approximately 155 kilometres of the Pacific Highway to dual motorway. We contributed to the largest of the four design packages (Portion A), which included 49 kilometres of dual carriageway and 73 bridges, while working for GHD as sub-consultants. Although, our work on this project was completed in 2015, it is one of the projects rebuilding NSW post COVID-19.
The ACAA finalist projects are just some of the work in the built environment industry shining an economic and physical light at the end of the tunnel of the pandemic. These projects benefited from collective multidisciplinary expertise over generations, the same way future sustainable communities will benefit from their physical structures. We each have a role to play in what the future holds, and I continue to be proud of BG&E’s contribution.
