ISSUE 2 / 2010OUR GLOBAL VIEW OF A VIBRANT WORLD

360°

THE ISSUE Urbanisation

FACE TO FACE with Murray Coleman of Bovis Lend Lease & Professor David Brereton of the Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining

EXCELLENCE Inspirational engineering

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CONTENTS

THE ISSUE 04 05

07

15

17

23

29

FACE TO FACE 36

36

41

EXCELLENCE 44

44

47

360°

AN URBAN PLANET The sustainable city challenge

CITY LIVING Creating vibrant sustainable cities

SECURING CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE

SOME FOR ALL FOREVER Water resource management

on an urban planet

TRANSFORMING TRANSPORT The 21st century urban challenge

URBAN ENERGIES

RESOURCES DEMAND AND COMMUNITY IMPACTS

A 360° face to face interview

BUILDING A LEGACY Creating an agile global culture of

inventiveness, safety and sustainability

NEW SKILLS MAKE THE SUSTAINABLE DIFFERENCE

INSPIRATIONAL ENGINEERING CAPTURING THE VISION

Welcome / 03

“One of the most pressing current trends for the communities in which we operate is that of the increasing movement of people to cities. The impact of massive population shifts to the urban environment is starting to be felt around the globe, particularly in developing worlds”This issue of 360° contains a strong focus on urbanisation and how we as an engineering, management and specialist technical services group might address the issues that challenge future urban environments.

From designing systems that provide for the efficient movement of people and resources, to planning urban cityscapes or addressing energy and water resources issues, our people are partnering with our clients to develop innovative solutions to this growing phenomenon.

This issue also features two in-depth interviews, one of which I had the pleasure of conducting personally with Murray Coleman, Group Head of Project Management, Design and Construction at Bovis Lend Lease, who had some interesting insights on the management challenges that face such a global company. I was particularly interested in Murray’s statement that “…if we can get our best people to collaborate there’s very little we can’t do in delivering those opportunities.” This is something Aurecon, too, believes in wholeheartedly. Our collaborative business model focuses on tailoring the best Aurecon team across sectors and geographies to deliver success on our clients’ terms.

The other interview provides a fascinating insight into the issues facing the mining and resources sector and trends and technologies that might address these issues in coming years.

It’s my firm belief that this issue is, once again, a testament to the collaboration between our people, and the partnerships they form with our clients. These relationships are at the heart of what we do, and will enable us to continue fostering human achievement in the decades to come.

Paul Hardy

Global Chief Executive OfficerAurecon

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“Rapid urbanisation has dramatic impacts on our cities, threatening their ability to remain financially and socially viable”

URBANISATUUURBANISATION: AN URBAN PLANET / 05

It is estimated that in the year 1800, 3% of the world’s population lived in cities. By 1900, that number had reached 14% and by 2000, it had risen to 47%.1 Urbanisation has continued apace, with the tipping point reached in 2007, a year in which demographers estimated that the majority of the planet’s population was living in cities. This trend is unlikely to cease, and the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs’ Population Division estimates that by 2030, 5 billion people, or 60% of the world’s population, will be ‘urbanised’.

Rates of urbanisation, however, are not consistent across the globe. Driven by a growing middle-class in the developing world, and the expectation that their growing lifestyle expectations will be more readily met in cities, urbanisation is occurring more rapidly in the developing world. Indeed 93% of all urban growth over the next 40 years will be in developing countries.2

The issues for urban environmentsThere is a demonstrable link between resource use and urbanisation. Whilst cities occupy only 2% of the world land mass, they use as much as 65% of its resources, including energy.

Many of the world’s challenges therefore lie in cities and the solutions will also lie in appropriately managing our citiesHowever, these challenges are significant. The traditional model for urban growth characterised by urban sprawl, private transport and the reliance on rural areas supplying the resources to satisfy the demands of an urban area, is no longer adequate. This is likely to continue to lead to issues of housing affordability, the provision of fresh water, waste management, air quality, efficient transport systems, access to education and health, protection of heritage and open spaces, and demands for energy, all of which urgently need to be addressed.

The “sustainable city” provides us with an opportunity to address these challenges. A sustainable city is an outcome of sound urban planning, design, construction, operation, management and remediation. A sustainable city is efficient, safe, establishes equal opportunities for all, is responsive to change, and is vibrant and diverse.

Solutions for sustainable citiesThe social and economic conditions of urbanisation will inevitably vary between communities, throwing up a range of challenges that demand different solutions, tailored to local need.

Compelling evidence is now available showing that large scale solutions alone are not appropriate, and that small scale “distributed” solutions at a local or micro-scale will also play a role. For example, individual dwelling-based solar heating may be more effective and appropriate than the establishment of large scale power stations.

While governments are looking at possible policy-driven, regulatory and market based mechanisms to address the issues, these need to be underpinned by rigorous, thorough and well tested planning, design, scientific and engineering solutions. Companies such as Aurecon are assisting both governments and the private sector in addressing community infrastructure and resources needs.

Rapid urbanisation has dramatic impacts on our current cities, threatening their ability to remain financially and socially viable. It is crucial to formulate development plans that create an environment that would underpin long term sustained growth. Ideally, a development plan would be based upon a sound economic model for the city, supported by a sound spatial framework and transport system, creating the space for entrepreneurs to invest in opportunities that provide revenue to the region. An integrated network of infrastructure assets would then service the commercial, industrial and residential areas of the city, and these assets maintained through detailed asset management strategies. A sound balance with the environment needs to be maintained, ideally using the principles in ‘Green Buildings and Precincts’3. Finally, the financial and institutional models need to enable the sustained growth of the city.

This edition of Aurecon’s 360° looks at many of the key issues: creating efficient urban travel networks; considerations for the urban built environment; urbanisation and the energy markets; water resource management; and the security of critical infrastructure in urban areas.

Footnotes

1. UN State of the World Population Report 2009

2. UN State of the World Population Report 2009

3. Green Building Council of Australia

AN URBAN PLANET The sustainable city challenge

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CITY LIVINGCreating vibrant sustainable cities Smart urban planning and management strives to go beyond delivering ‘basic needs’. For people to enjoy the experience of living in a city, the city and its components must be planned, designed and constructed to evolve with the residents’ needs in mind and be in harmony with the environment. When we achieve this, we start creating “sustainable cities”, cities that function efficiently but are also designed to adapt and flourish in the future.

Pyrmont Park, Australia

Best public urban project 2009 CCAA Public Domain Awards

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“Green building investments can reduce vulnerability to operational risks and provide net financial returns” World Resources Institute report on the Asian real estate sector1

Mitchell Communications Group Head Office, Australia

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“The principles of what makes one urban environment superior to another remain relevant regardless of the location or state of economic development,” says Tim Paterson, General Manager, Community Development and Infrastructure, Asia Pacific, Aurecon “Good planning and execution is always underpinned by a clear urban planning philosophy, it is not delivered by simply having access to rivers of cash.”

Opportunities for change to the urban environment are diverse and challenging. In a 2009 Property Council of Australia submission to government, the Council called for the establishment of an Urban Renewal Initiative. The call was in response to the establishment of a Major Cities Unit within Infrastructure Australia. In its response, the Property Council stated:

“Australia’s next leap in competitiveness and living standards will occur in its cities and major regional centres. While ongoing reform programmes focus on key sectoral drivers, such as transport, health, education and infrastructure, we need to hardwire these programmes into an overarching

strategy that addresses the urban communities which generate 80% of the nation’s GDP.”

Within the African continent, there are now 52 cities with a population of more than one million people. The McKinsey Global Institute forecasts that by 2030, about 50 percent of the African population will be living in cities. Across Africa, construction is booming as new cities rise to meet the demand created by population growth and relocation. The challenge for Africa (and Asia and South America) is to source investment to develop and construct the new megacities that will provide a reasonable quality of life for these growing populations.

Our cities and urban fabric are not geared to pro-actively respond to massive shifts. A new and creative approach to urban planning is needed. Since urbanisation contributes to increased growth in consumption – the challenge is to encourage and foster consumption that benefits GDP, while reducing consumption that results in negative effects on the social and environmental fabric within cities and communities.

City Square, Australia

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“Smart buildings must form part of precinct planning and be underpinned by effective masterplanning to deliver more than just the physical outputs of the built environment” Ermis Marques Sector Leader, Property, Africa Middle East, Aurecon

Greening our worldAdopting an environmentally focused philosophy to urban development and renewal presents an opportunity to change the way we view the built environment – now and in the future.

According to data from the US Energy Information Administration2, ‘…buildings are responsible for almost half (48%) of all energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Globally the percentage is even greater. 76% of all power plant-generated electricity is used just to operate buildings. Clearly, immediate action is essential to reduce this sector’s contribution to climate change.

“The latest thinking has a lot to do with ‘total energy required’ to provide an ‘environment’, to build it, sustain it and keep it going,” says Jeff Robinson, Sustainable Building Group Leader, Aurecon. The latest trends include using natural energy (such as using waste to generate electricity) and ‘closed cycle’ living which allows the re-use of resources.

“Future planning could see water harvesting and recycling as commonplace activities that are not regarded as a cumbersome nuisance, but an integral part of urban responsibility to conserve and protect the planet,” believes Marni Punt, a Landscape Architect at Aurecon.

Cutting-edge technology and science, such as Aurecon’s ecologically sustainable design (ESD) services, address these evolving challenges.

Aurecon is regularly applying a range of powerful environmental modelling tools to optimise the performance of buildings in terms of improved air quality, maximising access to daylight and achieving optimal temperatures.

There is an entire cluster of engineering sciences that can combine to produce better, smarter buildings which are fit-for-purpose creations – engineers are developing light, heat, acoustic and air solutions that support a more sustainable built environment.

Leading sustainable design features An Aurecon project currently under construction and due for completion in November 2010 is the new head office for Mitchell Communications Group in South Melbourne. This project has been awarded a 5 star Green Star rating which represents Australian Excellence for Environmental Design.

Incorporated in the design are sustainable features including:

• Activated thermal mass for decreased energy consumption in heating and cooling as well as improved occupant thermal comfort

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• An underfloor air distribution system to promote improved indoor air quality

• State-of-the-art high performance glazing to promote high levels of natural daylight with decreased glare and energy consumption

• Energy efficient lighting systems, greywater and rain water recycling for use throughout the building

• Significant cyclist facilities and implementation of a Green Travel Plan to decrease the reliance on cars for staff

• The use of materials with low amounts of off-gasing to improve internal air quality.

The combined effect of these initiatives is a predicted energy and water consumption 40% less than that of a typical office building in Melbourne. In addition, the high level of indoor environment quality is expected to increase staff productivity and decrease the incidence of sick leave, while reducing headaches and sore eyes that can occur within typical buildings.

Green buildings provide a range of cost and revenue benefits over their lifetime through:

• Lower operating costs

• Higher return on investment and higher rental income

• Higher overall capital value

• Lower tenant churn and vacancy rates, opening the building to new tenant markets

• Lower environmental footprint and greenhouse gas emissions

• Improved indoor environment quality

• Money saved investing in energy infrastructure

• Future-proofing against tenant demands and government regulations

• Making the building more attractive to investors

• Improving corporate image

“Investment drivers for green buildings include energy and water saving technologies to reduce utility costs for owners and tenants which, in turn, improves rentability,” says Bruce Penman, Environment & Sustainability Development Leader at Aurecon.

“Growth in the green building market is expected due to critical issues such as water scarcity, energy insecurity and climate change impacts. In addition, there is an increased awareness of financial and social benefits in private and public sectors and growing consumer demand.”

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Mixed-uses in the urban landscape “Mixed-use buildings are likely to provide more residential opportunities for families in cities – requiring ongoing changes in the urban landscape to attract people to live and work in family-friendly town centres,” says James Bennett, General Manager, Property, Asia Pacific, Aurecon.

This trend reflects a new approach to building design, moving away from single-use buildings, such as office blocks, which stand abandoned for part of the day. Buildings need to be designed to accommodate more uses, such as blending residential and office functionality together. This trend will also drive masterplanning that takes into account residential and leisure requirements, embedded in traditional office and retail centres, as well as the related needs of pedestrian, cycling and vehicle traffic.

PermacultureMarnie Punt foresees community food gardens and believes permaculture will become a common sight, even in middle class suburbs and business districts in countries like South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

“I imagine hanging food gardens on northern façades of office buildings or flourishing veggie gardens on rooftops in Johannesburg’s CBD,”she enthuses.

“When designing and developing the built environment, stakeholders need to consider not only the functioning of buildings, but also the needs and requirements of communities and the environments surrounding them.”

This substantial improvement in energy efficiency will benefit building owners, the industry and the wider community and can be applied to cities the world over.

Effective masterplanning Effective masterplanning is the key to creating effective urban areas of the future in both the developing and developed worlds.

Retro fitting commercial buildingsMuch of our existing urban environment is developed already. As urban density and demands on commercial building performance increases, the opportunity to retrofit existing building stocks to deliver better performance across the board increases.

Relifing old buildings and precincts gives property owners the opportunity to breathe new life into functioning and, in many cases, underperforming buildings.

A recent report by the World Resources Institute on the Asian real estate sector found green building investments can reduce vulnerability to operational risks and provide net financial returns relative to conventional buildings. The cost of refurbishing buildings continues to fall and property owners are achieving return on investment within increasingly shorter periods.1

According to the City of Melbourne’s 1200 Buildings programme, if 1200 existing commercial buildings are retrofitted to improve energy performance by 38%, the potential for greenhouse gas reduction is 383,000 tonnes of CO

2-e per annum.3

Endless citiesAnother phenomenon the UN-Habitat (the UN agency tasked with managing human settlements) has identified as emerging is the so-called “endless city”. Continuous and unending urban sprawl may present one of the most significant challenges for the way people live and how economies grow in the next 50 years.4

This trend adds to transport costs, increased energy consumption and creates pressure on resources, while at the same time reducing prime farmland and greenbelts. What it implies is an emerging need to plan for pedestrian and non-motorised transport (NMT) to avoid dormitory suburbs sprawling into good agricultural land around towns.

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Energy, water, food, transportation and recreational needs are integral to the modern city. Since space is at a premium, buildings may become multi-functional, returning to a high tech version of the way our forefathers lived where market gardening, roof gardens and recreation spaces, rainwater harvesting and services within walking distance were a critical part of city life. Masterplanning can play a key role in supporting this.

Many urban developers may be nervous about recouping costs and achieving desired profit margins in areas of historically low amenity. However, clever masterplanning through integration of landscape design and innovative infrastructure can pave the way for cost-effective solutions, which can be accommodated through developer contribution schemes that build strong collaboration between a developer and government so that all stakeholders benefit.

Top 5 building trends 20 years from now• Sustainability mandate - will go beyond individual buildings to sustainable precincts and sustainable cities that

have low-energy, low-water and low-waste efficient infrastructure

• Intelligent infrastructure – adaptable environments based on weather or the user’s pre-programmed preferences

• Voice controlled devices - such as lights, connectivity to internet and building registering user locations within the structure

• Mandatory recycling - when a building is demolished, materials will be preserved and concrete crushed for reuse in other buildings or infrastructure

• Buildings will be more self-sufficient: energy panels, water reduction, on-site treatment and reuse will be common

“Smart buildings must form part of precinct planning and be underpinned by effective masterplanning to deliver more than just the physical outputs of the built environment,” explains Ermis Marques, Sector Leader, Property, Africa Middle East, Aurecon.

Masterplanning integrates numerous skill sets, including planning, urban and landscape design, civil design, movement, built form and environmental considerations.

All of these elements combine to deliver functional, practical and cost-effective outcomes in the context of each site or area and with consideration to surrounding land uses. Aurecon delivers masterplanning across brownfield and greenfield sites.

“Masterplanning is a valuable tool for renewal/regeneration as much as it is a catalyst for new development in the urban environment. Aurecon applies its masterplanning skills in brownfield and greenfield situations to create the optimal site outcomes in terms of development yield, quality design, meeting social and community needs, economic viability and sustainable performance,” says Bruce Penman.

“We embrace consultation to inform our masterplanning outcomes: we analyse the issues, we test the ideas, we review the concepts and we deliver the solutions that will enable our clients to obtain their desired objectives.”

Department of International Relations and Cooperation campus, South Africa

Footnotes

1. World Resources Institute, SurveyingRisk, Building Opportunity, 2010

2. U.S. Energy Information Administration, Annual Energy Outlook 2010, May 2010

3. City of Melbourne, 1200 Buildings Programme, Launched March 2010

4. UN Habitat, Planning Sustainable Cities, 2009

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As populations grow and cities expand, critical infrastructure is vital to guarantee the continuity of communities and promote social well-being. Essential services such as water, food, health, electricity, gas, transport, communications and financial services must all be resilient against a broad range of potentially disruptive or disturbing events. These ‘risky’ events may include natural or industrial disasters, technical failures or human error. Critical infrastructure must also adapt to changing patterns of use as urbanisation continues apace.

SECURING CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE

“Critical infrastructure operators need to prepare for unanticipated or unlikely risk events” Kevin Foster Risk and Security Leader, Aurecon

All essential services are interconnected in various ways and the failure of one can lead to cascading failures in the others. For example, a significant failure of a transport system to cope with increasing demand can delay product movement in supply chains, which may result in reduced food availability. Reduced electricity availability can result in unreliable communication systems and reduced economic performance.

Such loss of critical infrastructure elements may have a substantial adverse impact on communities so it is important that critical infrastructure is future proofed to be resilient to disruption. This is challenging.

Two risk control strategiesFirstly, critical infrastructure operators will need to aim for highly reliable operations. To do this they need to anticipate hazards and threats and consider ways to reduce the likelihood of significant adverse events, and mitigate the consequences of those events. A risk control strategy is very important. Technical specialists need to ensure that critical systems are provided with sufficient redundancy to ensure continuous operations. There needs to be a culture of compliance with standard operating procedures. As a general rule in this “high reliability” mode of operations lead times for anticipating failures of critical infrastructure are usually longer than the lag times for responding to and repairing localised faults.

Secondly, critical infrastructure operators need to prepare for unanticipated or unlikely risk events. A different strategy is necessary to cope with risk. It may not be economically feasible to mitigate low likelihood – high impact risks. Therefore the emphasis is on surviving the disaster and adapting to the new operating environment. A resilience management framework is needed to provide guidance on how to recover from extreme disasters and crises.

The recent tragic situation in the flooded lowlands of Pakistan is a graphic reminder of the vulnerability of whole communities when critical infrastructure fails and relief efforts struggle to organise an adequate response.

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Water resource management on an urban planet

Water is a prerequisite for human and ecosystem health, as well as for the success of a wide range of industrial and agricultural enterprises. Water security through responsible resource management is an essential safeguard of a sustainable urban environment. Aurecon is focused on delivering technical, economic, social and environmentally-friendly solutions that aim to meet the water needs of communities across the globe.

Water security and supply In 2010, global warming may be the headline grabbing issue, but water security and supply is a significant social and environmental concern for many countries around the world.

At a humanitarian level, many countries around the globe are currently on track to meet or even exceed the Millennium Development Goals concerning safe drinking water, so that the number of people without access to safe water might be halved by 2015. At a consumer level, the public is becoming increasingly concerned about, and aware of, protection of the natural environment. Recycling water is becoming as widely accepted as any other form of recycling.

In terms of augmentation of existing bulk water availability and supply, critical consideration is currently being given to the “three Rs”: water reclamation, recycling and reuse, while in water resources planning, the goal is to sustainably harness and deliver ‘some for all forever’.

Supply and treatment: the three R’sWater reclamation, recycling and reuse are part of a continuum that begins with the treatment of wastewater and ends with the resultant potable or non-potable product being used by a designated target, depending on the level of treatment (e.g. greywater starts off with zero treatment).

Water reclaimed from wastewater or polluted stormwater by conventional treatment has long been recognised as an important potable or non-potable source in urban environments, but also to help restore over-utilised streams and wetlands. Water industry groups and water professionals now recognise that the technologies which yield the highest grade water for reuse – ultrafiltration, reverse osmosis and ultraviolet disinfection – have become more affordable and more effective options to deliver safe bulk water.

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WATERSOME FOR ALL FOREVER

Looking to the future, water reuse has the potential to make a huge difference to water security for cities around the world. Unfortunately, the impact on supply continuity due to water reuse has been mixed, with a significant proportion of water suitable for reuse probably still being wasted.

With many growing cities facing the prospect of ongoing water shortages, high grade urban water reuse offers an attractive economic option to support water derived from large dams, groundwater aquifiers, river abstractions or desalination.

“In water resources planning, the goal is to sustainably harness and deliver ‘some for all forever”Desalination In 2010, numerous desalination projects are being delivered to cities and communities around the globe. The Global Water Intelligence report ‘Desal Data/Desalination Markets 2010’ puts overall global capital expenditure at US$9.2 billion.

The report states that: “growth was driven by major programmes in Spain, Algeria and Australia, as well as by frenetic activity in the Gulf region in general, and Dubai in particular1.” In addition, both China and India will probably emerge as major markets for desalination as urban growth continues.

According to Professor André Görgens, Aurecon’s Water Sector Leader in Africa Middle East, coastal cities in South Africa will increasingly need to turn to desalination to meet the growth in their water needs. Professor Görgens believes that 20 years from now, desalination will become what he calls “a standard option” for augmenting water security in South African coastal cities.

With much of Australia, areas of New Zealand, Asia and Africa having been in the grip of record-breaking droughts, desalination is seen as a solution to uncertain water supplies for major coastal cities.

However, desalination is only one element of a larger, multi-pronged and holistic approach required to achieve water security and continuity of supply to communities. Once the bulk water is available, no matter what the means of sourcing it, the next challenge is to effectively deliver it to people and locations.

How this is achieved is dependent on geographical, economic, social, political factors and the availability, or affordability, of infrastructure to supply communities.

Recycling With the prospect of drier and longer summers facing many communities, water for irrigation is becoming a critical issue.

Recycled water suits use in food growth, municipal environments (for parks, gardens, recreational facilities, etc.) or in greywater networks for use by industry or communities. Most recycled water is used for crop irrigation, landscaping, golf courses and public parks and gardens.

However, the extent of treatment of the recycled water depends on where the water ultimately goes. This means that if people are more likely to come into direct contact with it, the water must undergo more treatment than if it were to be used in an oil refinery or in cooling towers at a power station.

Within the Asia Pacific region, practices such as generating recycled water from raw sewage has been identified as one of the potential sources of water for use in irrigation.

“Aurecon is increasingly being called upon to undertake and deliver feasibility studies which provide information to enable recycled water users to assess costs and risk trade-offs, and enable a decision if they want to progress to a business case,” said William Yong, General Manager, Water, Asia Pacific, Aurecon.

“Typically, our investigations aim to establish the feasibility and costs of a scheme to extract, treat, store and distribute recycled water for use. Recycled water schemes are demand-driven and a critical task is to establish the total demand profile for recycled water for all options being considered.

“Whether we are involved in urban or rural water supply, irrigation or drainage, we cover the project lifecycle from feasibility studies and master planning through to detailed design and actual delivery of water.

“A key strength we have as a global group is that we are able to leverage on the expertise and knowledge that exists within our various centres of excellence in treatment, storage and delivery in Asia Pacific and Africa, to create innovative and holistic solutions for clients.”

Bulk water supply – Water reconciliation studiesIn South Africa, water resources management is increasingly being supported by a series of water reconciliation studies. These studies involve the use of innovative tools developed by Aurecon, which forecast and manage supply and demand on a community by community basis.

“Historically in South Africa, each municipality or metro would develop their own water services development plan, sometimes without taking our government’s overarching water resource management strategies into account,”

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says Professor Görgens. “These master plans are primary building blocks for water security across the nation and are especially topical in light of growing urbanisation within rapidly developing countries like South Africa.”

“For our part, Aurecon has been working closely with many municipalities and national government to assess and resolve bulk supply and demand priorities. To this end, we developed an in-house, water reconciliation tool which we then use to analyse water balance scenarios for the medium and long term future and highlight suitable interventions for each scenario. This approach is cutting-edge in terms of ensuring water security, not just for countries like South Africa but for many other developing nations.

“We used this tool very successfully in the Western Cape and Algoa Reconciliation Studies which were commissioned by our national Department of Water Affairs to develop regional strategies to secure a sustainable future water supply for, respectively, the Greater Cape Town region and the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality and Coega Industrial Development Zone in Port Elizabeth.

• The average person in the developing world uses 10 litres of water every day for their drinking, washing and cooking.2

• The average European uses 200 litres of water every day for their drinking, washing and cooking. North Americans use 400 litres per day.2

• According to predicted trends over the next 20 years, humans will use 40% more water than they do now.2

“It is intended that these regional strategies would guide the optimal selection of interventions and studies to meet anticipated future water requirements, resulting in the ongoing and vital provision of water according to sustainability principles.”

“20 years from now, desalination will become what he calls ‘a standard option’ for augmenting water security in South African coastal cities”Professor André Görgens Sector Leader Water, Africa Middle East, Aurecon

Catchment and drainage management At the other end of the urban water spectrum is catchment and drainage management planning. With the likelihood of more extreme storm events occurring more frequently due to climate change, the importance of development assessments, flood risk assessment, emergency management planning input and flood and storm tide inundation modelling studies cannot be underestimated.

“Our philosophy is to invest time and effort in the data acquisition stage, ensuring useful information to produce useful results,” said William Yong.

“We have invested in developing our technical specialists and in acquiring the most up-to-date modelling software. We are not affiliated with any particular software developer, and will recommend the right package for the right solution on a case by case basis.

“Around the world, we maintain close ties with many universities and other research institutions enabling us to stay at the forefront of research and development, as well as augmenting our capabilities with support services such as physical modelling.”

“On a broader project basis, our network of water specialists work closely to leverage experience and skills on myriad projects. We now have colleagues from Africa based in our Asia Pacific offices who bring greater depth to our water resources management and planning capability in the municipal market together with water management and regulatory capacity in the mining and industrial marketplace.

“Equally, we have one of our specialist mechanical engineers from Asia Pacific working in the Olifants River Water Resource Development Project Phase II in South Africa.

“Recycled water schemes are demand-driven and a critical task is to establish the total demand and demand profile for recycled water for all options being considered” William YongGeneral Manager Water, Asia Pacific, Aurecon

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This is part of our global competencies and integration programme. We now draw upon resources right across our business to deliver water projects that utilise the whole team, no matter where they are located.”

Challenges and opportunities Water security is one of the great challenges of the 21st century. It is a challenge that governments, business leaders and technical consultants must address together.

Traditionally, the public sector leaders and non-governmental organisations have driven the debate on water policy, but increasingly a growing number of progressive private-sector companies have begun to work with consultants to effectively manage water resources and usage.

To address usage concerns, progressive companies are developing technologies that deliver more products for the water they use during production. Other companies are developing new technologies for treating water and wastewater to improve resource utilisation.

One thing is certain, the water security and management debate will continue to evolve and broaden over time. Positive outcomes are being discussed, designed and implemented. In the meantime, engineering, management and technical services companies such as Aurecon will continue to deliver innovative and practical solutions that address the needs of the urban water marketplace – now and in the future.

Footnotes

1. Global Water Intelligence, The desalination market returnshttp://www.globalwaterintel.com/archive/11/7/market-insight/desalination-market-returns.html

2.”WaterAid – International website”, Statistics – global statistics, water facts from NGOs, donor aid, etc. http://www.wateraid.org/international/what_we_do/statistics/default.asp#

“The impact of transport on economic development is a very direct one” Dr Paul Lombard Global Leader, Sectors, Aurecon

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The 21st century urban challenge As urban populations expand, the effective movement of people and goods will become increasingly challenging. “Urban transportation has increased in both scope and complexity and managing its growth is one of the most important challenges of the 21st century,” comments Phil Hendricks, Sector Leader, Transportation Infrastructure, Africa Middle East, Aurecon. He adds that transportation in urban areas is highly complex due to the varying modes available, density of the built environment in urban areas, the multiplicity of origins and destinations, and traffic volumes.

TRANSFORMINGTRANSPORT

“As the transport market evolves, challenges arise which require non-traditional approaches and innovative solutions” Bill CoxGeneral Manager, Transport, Asia Pacific, Aurecon

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Population growth and the inability of infrastructure to keep up with demand is a hot topic that is being widely discussed across transport planning and urban infrastructure forums. In cities around the world, it is believed that the transport sector needs to embark on an ambitious and continuous process of rejuvenation - but just how will this be done?

The policy solutions Some say this will require innovation in policy, processes and technology to maximise network capacity and ensure strong linkages between human behaviour, land use and transport planning. New approaches are needed to support more effective, accessible, cleaner, and safer flow of passengers and freight.

Most governments recognise that their major regional centres are essential to the ongoing prosperity of their national economy and improved global competitiveness. Australia, for instance, has articulated a set of national planning criteria focused on delivering liveable, productive and sustainable cities. Accordingly, all future Australian government infrastructure funding will be linked to compliance with these national criteria. It will be focused on delivering compact, well planned and world-class urban areas with credible plans to meet growing needs, sustainability criteria and to reduce greenhouse emissions.

A renewed focus on public transportAnother focus area for governments is the provision of adequate public transport. “Transport is key to creating jobs, reducing the reliance on cars and providing the services for people needing to commute vast distances,” believes Bernard van Biljon, Transport Planning and Traffic Engineering Group Leader, South Africa.

He explains that the face of transportation in South Africa has experienced a rapid and dramatic change during the past three years. The changes have mostly taken place in the larger metropolitan areas with the introduction of bus rapid transit (BRT) systems, high speed rail and upmarket commuter rail services catering for specific market segments. “A number of highly attractive commuting options have now been introduced,” says van Biljon, adding that these are likely to attract commuters who have been previous private car users. “The renewed focus on public transportation was spurred on by increased economic pressures on personal income due to the worldwide recession and the recent focus on efficient public transportation as part of the successful hosting of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Even some of the older modes of public transportation (mini-bus, taxi and commuter rail) are now viewed differently by many commuters within a new and vibrant public transportation context.”

Similarly, across Australia, New Zealand and Asia, Aurecon is involved in planning and designing multi-modal public transport systems that are enhancing travelling mode options for commuters, improving travelling efficiencies, relieving congestion and reducing emissions in urban areas.

It is believed that the transport sector needs to embark on an ambitious and continuous process of rejuvenation - but just how will this be done?Shaun Hardcastle, one of Aurecon’s transport and logistics leaders, says, “Aurecon has the front end modelling capabilities to enable clients to complete effective strategic planning for transport assets. We use our demand forecasting, economic modelling and system modelling expertise to ensure best outcomes for communities and clients. On Brisbane’s Northern Busway Project, for example, Aurecon was able to validate our client’s strategic transport model and forecast likely demand for the proposed busway by interfacing the strategic transport model with a traffic simulation model and using the combined outputs to guide the ideal location, design and implementation plan.

The new mix of commuters brings with it a new playing field of economic opportunities. Evidence of this can be seen in many big cities around the world where the location of public transportation nodes can often be discerned by looking at the city skyline and spotting a ‘mushroom effect’ of densification taking place within those precincts.

What makes a destination? Planning for high capacity transport networksAlthough not a new concept, Aurecon’s Asia Pacific Development Leader for Urban Design and Place-Making, Andrew Russell, believes that Transit Oriented Development (TOD) will continue to be a key concept in meeting important sustainability and economic goals in the transportation environment. “TOD is an urban design model that creates compact, higher density, mixed use activity centres around transit nodes and along transit corridors,” explains Russell.

He adds that this kind of development is crucial to creating sustainable communities because it helps reduce the environmental footprint of our cities. “We can create a compact urban form by linking efficient transit corridors with public transport, walking and cycling to create vibrant, economically sustainable centres,” he explains.

For example, in Queensland, Australia, Aurecon is currently providing design and advisory services for a 13km dedicated light rail corridor which will pass through key activity centres on the Gold Coast, including important university centres, business and tourism districts. It is estimated that the light rail system will replace up to 75 million car trips within its first ten years of operation and become an iconic feature of this region. The Gold Coast Rapid Transit project was named the Worldwide Project of the Year last year at the 2009 Light Rail Awards held in London.

“We can create a compact urban form by linking efficient transit corridors with public transport, walking and cycling to create vibrant, economically sustainable centres” Alastair MacRitchie New Zealand Transport Development Manager, Aurecon

In contemplating truly effective TOD, Russell believes that we need to ask: ‘What makes a destination?’ “At the heart of all great places is a vibrant and diverse streetlife. We need to plan destinations as an authentic experience and then facilitate convenient travel to get there,” he believes.

However, Russell emphasises that there are still challenges facing this kind of development. These include:

• Managing the competing interests of land value versus affordability

• Creating urban form that embraces cyber connectivity

• Creating active and diverse ‘places for people’ as the first priority

• Creating housing density with broad appeal

• Creating an overall transit experience that is compelling for the community

(Based on Richard Rogers 1997)

360°THE ISSUE

Improving transport routes for economic and environmental benefits “The impact of transport on economic development is a very direct one,” comments Dr Paul Lombard, Aurecon’s Global Leader, Sectors. He suggests that governments are increasingly focusing on the creation of effective transportation corridors.

The decision to upgrade the city of Auckland’s SH16 North-western Motorway corridor is a perfect example of the recognition that the efficient movement of people and goods leads to enhanced economic productivity. The upgrade is part of the Auckland Government’s Seven Roads of National Significance programme, which is planned to support and enable economic growth for the country. It will form a vital link in the Western Ring Route alternative motorway system, providing resilience within the overall motorway network, improving capacity and integrating the multi-modal character of the corridor.

Because a section of the SH16 North-western Motorway consists of a causeway that suffers from flood inundation during extreme events and is located immediately adjacent to a national marine reserve, the project aimed to achieve the highest order of environmental protection in New Zealand.

“In-depth investigations determined the optimum height to raise the causeway, taking into account potential environmental effects and mitigation measures,” explains Alastair MacRitchie, Aurecon’s New Zealand Transport Development Manager.

He adds that because the causeway sits on soft marine sediments, innovative design solutions and construction methodologies have been developed to protect the environment and derive value for money for the New Zealand Transport Agency.”

Encouraging new growth centres Beyond simply improving transportation routes, the interaction between land-use and transportation planning becomes a vital one as precinct plans are developed. More and more people are recognising that even a corridor of low intensification can be optimised to create new growth centres. Alternatively, regeneration could also be kick-started by the introduction of a transport facility.

The City of Johannesburg’s Growth and Development Strategy is very clear about its vision for urban spaces: i.e. that of creating “a spatial form that embraces the principles of integration, efficiency and sustainability, and realises tangible increases in accessibility, amenity, opportunities and quality of life for all communities and citizens.”

Aurecon assisted the City of Johannesburg with the formulation of development portfolios for selected BRT and rail station precincts. The project presented an opportunity to determine a development strategy for Johannesburg’s BRT and rail precincts, aligned with the city’s vision of optimising the development of the surrounding precinct. “The end goal is to stimulate development in the area and to eventually establish and/or upgrade infrastructure to meet this goal,” explains van Biljon. Added to this is the overriding imperative of serving the community by creating an effective, efficient, convenient and safe environment through increased accessibility to public transport.

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The Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project (GFIP), South Africa

360°THE ISSUE

URBAN ENERGIESAround the globe, energy demand continues to spiral upwards and this is being compounded by increasing urbanisation. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), energy demand will increase by at least 40% by 2030. The global energy mix will continue to be dominated by fossil fuels, with countries outside of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) accounting for around 90% of this increase.1

Differing views on how to optimise the mix of energy supply and demand management will dominate future global debate in the energy industry.

In this feature, four of Aurecon’s energy experts look at some crucial issues in the sector. They share some of their thinking around how the world might meet greater demand from urbanising populations against a backdrop of increased scarcity of natural resources and climate change concerns.Footnotes

1. World Energy Outlook 2009 reference scenario: International Energy Agency

PATTERNS OF CONSUMPTIONBy Jason Mayer, Competency Leader, Power Transmission and Distribution, AureconThe increasing trend for populations to move into urban areas will change the traditional patterns of energy consumption. Presently, these typically involve a main CBD area with high load density, surrounded by surburban areas with lower load density. Due to increased pressure on transport corridors and increasingly scarce inner city space, urban areas will be forced to develop multiple satellite CBDs. This will mean existing surburban areas will be transformed by the replacement of existing low density buildings with high density accommodation. The impact on

electricity infrastructure will be enormous as the existing suburban sub-transmission systems will not cope with the higher load densities. As a result, increased use of relatively high transmission voltages and direct transformation zone substations will be necessary. Additionally, community concerns with overhead transmission and outdoor substations will mean an increased use of high voltage cables and indoor gas insulated substations, resulting in significantly increased project costs, which are ultimately passed on to consumers.

Along with increased population density and resulting load density, security of supply will be paramount. Public safety and law and order will (continue to) rely on a secure electricity supply. There will be a much higher focus and political sensitivity as blackouts become more prevalent which will affect more people as load densities increase.

Another big challenge going forward will be ageing infrastructure. Along with growing electricity demands, more and more infrastructure will reach its end of life, increasing cost and time pressures on already stretched utility budgets.

Many of the above issues will be relieved, at least partially, if an efficient, economical, distributed generation technology, coupled with storage, can be developed to reside within units/building or neighbourhoods supplying locally-requisite energy. Fuel cells, solar, wind and geothermal energy are all potential options that may become feasible for this application in the future.

In developing areas (many of which do not have access to electricity) economic development may actually be linked to electrification. Many of these are informal communities with low load densities and simple electricity needs such as lighting, pumping, refrigeration and cooking. Governments that wish to lift their populations out of poverty will look to electrification schemes to deliver these needs. The re-emergence of Single Wire Earth Return (SWER) distribution systems will play an important role in connecting electricity to these communities in an economic manner. SWER is a unique distribution type, based on a single high voltage conductor, using the ground as a return conductor. The advantages are simple and economic construction that can supply power to large, sparsely populated areas. These systems were initially used in the 1940s to provide electrification to rural areas in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and North America and, with the support of the World Bank and others, we expect it to be rolled out to a broader audience.

This programme is expected to create greater economic opportunities and widespread community benefits for a relatively modest outlay.

The dilemma is then how to deliver power to high density communities when you have ageing infrastructure, increased demand and, traditionally, centralised generation.

360°THE ISSUE

A “smart grid” is more than just a physical asset. Instead, it is a new way of augmenting existing resources and managing the flow of energy within the system. For the user, smart grids enable active participation by consumers, accommodate new generation and storage options, and enable new products, services, and markets to develop.

For the asset owner, smart grids optimise the existing asset utilisation in order to operate efficiently and minimise system stresses. They also anticipate and intelligently respond to system disturbances (self-heal), coping resiliently against attack and natural disaster. As a result, smart grids have intrinsic value – they are more reliable, more economic, more secure and safer, enabling better efficiencies to be achieved.

The introduction of smart grids will enable our already stressed electricity distribution networks to cope with the rapidly rising energy demands associated with

increasing urbanisation but, to be effective, a key ingredient will be the requirement for more comprehensive engagement by the end user – the customer.

Smart grids and societyBasically, there is a need for a fundamental mind shift and the consumer (and other key stakeholders) will no longer be able to look at energy as an infinite resource. Traditionally, people were closely connected to the resources that sustained them – food, water, and energy. They understood the limits to consumption. As isolated farm houses became villages and then towns and cities, people have disconnected from this knowledge. Food comes from the supermarket, not the farm. Similarly, energy flows in limitless quantities from the plug in the wall, at a price which undervalues its utility and, as a result, is often squandered.

In the urban world of the future, we will need to see more of a connection with our neighbours and our surrounds. Just as droughts

URBANISATION: URBAN ENERGIES / 31

THE SMART GRID SOLUTIONBy Dr Geoff Walker, Project Engineer, Aurecon

THE SMART GRID SOLUTIONBy Dr Geoff Walker, Project Engineer, Aurecon

have heightened our awareness of the value of water, and fostered a return to water restrictions, constraints on energy supplies will bring about a revaluation of energy, resulting in enhanced value and modified behaviour.

As a society, there is likely to be a voluntary move towards energy efficiency, local generation and demand management. If this occurs, our currently strained energy networks will be given a new lease of life essential to future growth and development. A smart grid will be the key enabler of this rebirth.

Within the energy industry, we believe this is the critical tipping point. At the moment, we are at an important juncture – energy use is increasing exponentially as more and more people move into urban landscapes. The adoption of smart grids by energy and network providers together with energy users can decouple urban growth from energy demand and implied network growth.

360°THE ISSUE

Lake Bonney Wind Farm, Australia

RENEWABLE ENERGY OPTIONSBy Blair Walter, Competency Leader, Renewable Energy, Aurecon

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• Concentrating solar Photovoltaic (PV) – (striving for highest output for a given surface area of cells)

• Thin film solar PV – (seeking cheapest installation cost regardless of area required)

• Solar thermal – (numerous technologies currently aiming for best economics by balancing cycle efficiency with land usage and cost)

Within each of these technologies, there are a number of variations in materials, configuration and operation.

“Ongoing efficiency gains and equipment price reductions are bringing solar into the mainstream” Blair Walter The global solar resource is extensive and solar power may one day meet the majority of our energy needs. The modularity and flexibility of PV technology means that it can be effectively deployed within the existing urban environment and even be an integrated part of new building façades, while large centralised PV and solar thermal facilities outside cities could provide major power generation volumes. However, they will have to overcome the current challenge of storing energy in such a way that it can be called on when the solar resource is not sufficient to satisfy the demand.

The major challenge in dramatically increasing the use of renewable energy will remain the economics. Renewable energy options are likely to remain more expensive than fossil-fuel technologies, meaning that consumers will ultimately need to pay a premium to achieve the clean energy supply that they desire.

While our energy supply is moving towards sustainability, a key social transition is working in the opposite direction: urbanisation. Moving to cities often provides opportunities for improved standards of living. With an increased standard of living comes increased energy consumption so this major demographic change, combined with the predominance of fossil fuel based power generation, is contributing to an increase in greenhouse gas emissions.

Rapid growth in the use of renewable energy is being stimulated by governments around the world in an effort to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and the associated effects of climate change. Government support of renewable energy is generally needed as the capital investment for renewable energy forms, such as wind and solar, are generally higher than those for traditional fossil-fuel energy options. In this regard, developed and developing nations alike are instituting commercial mechanisms to stimulate renewable energy uptake, ranging from markets to trade ‘green’ certificates from renewable energy production, through to auctions of specified amounts of renewable energy generation to be purchased by governments.

Whilst the specifics vary, the commercial mechanisms deployed around the world all place an effective price on carbon emissions from fossil-fuel sources in an attempt to level the playing field.

Current legislative support is generally aimed at accelerating the growth of the renewable energy industries. Most mechanisms are achieving a small but meaningful penetration into the energy supply. In countries rich in renewable resources and employing mature energy conversion technologies, such as New Zealand and Iceland with significant hydro and geothermal power generation, penetration of renewable energy is already significant. However, in most industrialised countries, and particularly those with abundant cheap fossil fuels, renewable generation remains a very small part of total energy supply and current subsidies generally limit renewable energy to a small part of the energy mix. In the long-term, increasing control and enforcement of the reduction of carbon emissions will likely promote significant replacement of fossil fuels with renewable energy.

The rise of solar power Wind power has experienced the most growth in recent decades due to mature technology and a steady decline in equipment costs. Wind generation is now competitive with gas-fired generation in countries without abundant, large, cheap natural gas resources, and cheaper than the predicted cost of new nuclear power stations.

However, the next ‘big thing’ in renewable energy looks to be solar based power. Ongoing efficiency gains and equipment price reductions are bringing solar into the mainstream and it is a race to see which technology can be first to make large scale solar power a reality. The main contenders are:

• Changing infrastructure demands for electricity transmission

• A reduction in available inland water supplies through the effects of climate change

• Changes in profitability resulting from emission trading schemes or penalties

These all impact on the long term viability of an existing power plant, particularly one close to the end of its design life, leaving a plant owner with fundamentally more restricted options.

An owner can:

• Replace the existing asset with a new ‘high efficiency’ plant. This is problematic as it relies on demand, government approval and financing to build a new coal-fired power station. If the local community and/or mine have failed, then the financial viability of this option is not likely

• Replace the existing asset with a renewable energy plant. However, if the renewable resource is insufficient, project viability cannot be proven

Whilst it is true that the trend towards distributed power generation, demand side management and renewable energy is increasing, it is also true that the development of large, centralised, fossil fuel based power generation assets is also increasing. India, for example, is now developing coal-fired power plants, the huge scale of which has not been seen in developed countries for decades.

Centralised coal-fired power generation assets have been traditionally built close to mines. They can be expected to operate for decades and have historically promoted economic growth and the subsequent development of significant conurbations.

However, the centralised power generation/fossil fuel based power generation industry as a whole is starting to face significant challenges, both directly and indirectly, resulting from increased urbanisation and the growing effects of climate change. Consider for a moment the very real scenario occurring more and more frequently around the world:

• Shrinking or failing communities in remote locations through urbanisation and increased Fly In/Fly Out options

360°THE ISSUE

CENTRALISED POWER GENERATIONBy Steve Bond, Portfolio Manager, Aurecon

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• Decommission the asset and build new elsewhere. This would have to be at a location close to the required resources and have an established community capable of attracting the skilled workforce to provide the operational and maintenance support to a high-tech or renewable energy plant

• Invest the minimum necessary to maintain or upgrade the existing asset for as long as it is financially viable. This may include the installation of other emerging technologies such as carbon dioxide capture and storage, conversion to fire a blend of coal and biomass or gas, etc. All of these are costly

This drive to procure ‘high-tech’ or ‘emerging’ technologies is dependent on investors with a similar investment agenda. Funding available for more traditional power generation projects is declining and equipment manufacturers are focusing on the development of new technologies to satisfy growing demand. This is slowly reducing the cost of the more advanced technologies but these types of plant still tend to be more expensive than the more traditional technologies and the price is often too high for developing countries to afford without international development assistance.

On the surface, the future of large, centralised power generation plant appears bleak although other opportunities do beckon. Existing power plants cannot remain viable indefinitely. As they start to become unreliable, the need for dependable electricity supply will grow and more funding for all forms of power generation technologies, from government and private sources, will come forward. Added to this will be heightened awareness from consumers of their electricity usage, further driving efficiency initiatives.

Whilst the developed world debates the type of plant to build on the basis of financial viability, environmental awareness and political support, the priorities for the developing world will centre around social infrastructure, development assistance and value-for-money solutions.

RESOURCES DEMAND AND COMMUNITY IMPACTS A 360° FACE TO FACE INTERVIEW

RESOURCES DEMAND AND COMMUNITY IMPACTS A 360° FACE TO FACE INTERVIEW

360°FACE TO FACE

“…socially responsible mining is a good thing but also, fundamentally, it keeps you in business” Professor David Brereton, Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining

RESOURCES DEMAND AND COMMUNITY IMPACTS / 37

John Leech, Competency Leader in bulk material handling at Aurecon, interviewed Professor David Brereton, Director of the Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining (CSRM), about issues facing the mining sector in addressing its impact on the community whilst meeting the resources needs of rapidly growing populations.

CSRM was established by the University of Queensland in 2001 in response to growing interest in, and debate about, the role of the mining and minerals industry in contemporary society. The Centre has contributed to industry change processes through research, post-graduate teaching and professional education and has particular experience in Australia and the Asia-Pacific region.

Population and demand for resourcesJohn So David, what do you think? Is it population growth or economic growth that is driving demand for resources?

David I would say it is more to do with economic growth than population. Consumption of minerals is linked to per capita GDP, and GDP is very closely related to urbanisation which, in turn, reflects a lack of economic opportunities in rural areas. Even if China’s population doesn’t grow, if their economy grows, it will double or triple the demand for the copper and steel required for new infrastructure.

Mining, lifestyles and the communityDavid A key issue is the ability of the mining industry to keep up with demand. There is now an interesting discussion around the notion of peak minerals – the idea that we are reaching a point where technical and social constraints will make it harder and harder to extract the remaining resources. Urban areas, for example, don’t want to have mines near them.

John Isn’t there also an issue about how companies develop these resources and then distribute some of these gains back to the local community?

David That is the fundamental challenge of sustainability - what is the value proposition for the community of having a mine in its midst?

Companies need to ensure that they do not cause social and environmental harm and that benefits endure beyond the life of the mine. This is the expectation on companies and if they don’t address this, their ability to operate in the future can be constrained.

John Community benefits are also impacted by FIFO (Flying In/Flying Out) and we expect this trend to continue. There are people in places from Monday to Friday earning very

substantial salaries but they don’t necessarily spend it in that location. In more remote areas we are going to see more and more urban based workforces and the issue will be whether you can create a critical mass for infrastructure . Do you feel there is a trend developing for controls to be from back rooms and some processes to be done remotely?

David Yes, this is a really interesting cross-tension within the industry because there is a push towards automation, remote operation and reducing labour inputs. On the other hand, there is a huge expectation in some parts of the world (e.g. South America) that there will be lots of jobs. As a result, there will be a much slower uptake of some of this high tech stuff in certain regions.

The days of purpose-built mining towns in some countries are probably behind us. I think that Gen Y in many regions – and this is highlighted by some surveys we have done of mining students – have different aspirations for lifestyle. In addition, building a mining town is very expensive and can be an uneconomical decision.

Addressing demand, sustainability and community impactsDavid From a mining perspective, urban areas and settled areas are increasingly being seen as off-limits because it is just too hard to get a licence to operate under these scenarios. Some of the companies are trying to respond to this by devising new technologies e.g. keyhole mining where a small entry point is used and waste is kept underground. That way, big open cuts or waste dumps are not created. In situ leaching and bio-leaching - where you don’t have to dig up a lot of ore – is another option. The economics of these new technologies will be interesting, as it enables mining without having to move millions of tonnes of waste rock. This means that less energy is used although, in the short term, it is likely to be much more expensive to set up these new types of operations.

Professor David BreretonDirector of CSRM

John That would certainly demand new technologies – well beyond what is currently being used. We are talking 20 or 30 years in the future.

David The other direction is mass mining using block caving, where huge underground craters are created. This is well suited for high volume, low grade resources but requires a massive scaling up and the development of new techniques and technology.

John Dust is the biggest issue that we see.

David Dust is a big issue. Dust and water.

John Then noise would probably follow that.

There is also a lot of tension regarding water in the coal seam gas sector where you are extracting water with product.

David It’s very saline water, I understand.

John And you have to process it as well.

David Many mines are in areas where water is scarce and so reducing water extraction and energy inputs is also vital. There is currently a major focus on addressing these tensions. This is also an area of potential opportunity if a mining operation can improve water security for local communities. Companies are also spending a lot of time thinking about how to use less water or use it better. However, no one has yet come up with a method for doing dry minerals processing extractions or dramatically reducing energy input – large scale in situ leaching is a possibility, but I understand it is still a long way off.

John Water is also the most cost-effective way of minimising dust, so trying to control one environmental problem increases your demand for water and impacts on other environmental issues.

David If you look at the issues of energy and companies reporting on energy intensity – energy used per tonne – most are using more energy because they are mining in more difficult areas and dealing with lower grades. Water consumption is also not going down significantly.

John I think that this debate really illustrates the importance and need for new technologies in a range of key areas. If sustainability is to be improved, we also need to resolve the tensions between increased urbanisation and the changing patterns of energy consumption.

Is socially responsible mining the way of the future?

David The value proposition for mining has to be that companies will leave a positive legacy behind by contributing to long-term development. If you are simply an extractive industry, and don’t care about your communities, then your business is at risk because communities will not want you there. You should do socially responsible mining because it is a good thing but also because, fundamentally, it keeps you in business.

Multiple challenges face mining groups in terms of the communities in which they operate. Aurecon’s Wynand Bezuidenhout who heads up the group’s Polokwane operation in South Africa and Annelie Joubert, Town and Regional Planner, Mining and Infrastructure, discuss the current trend towards mines which consider the social, socio-economic and environmental aspects of their operation to create winning solutions.

360°FACE TO FACE

Khumani Iron Ore Mine, South Africa

John LeechBulk Material Handling Leader, Aurecon

RESOURCES DEMAND AND COMMUNITY IMPACTS / 39

The importance of community buy-in Often, a local community has been residing in the area in which a mine is planned long before any mining activity was considered. Particularly in Africa, community buy-in in terms of whether or not to give support to a project is essential. Those companies who receive community buy-in on a project will often experience a smoother implementation process.

Generally this support relies on mining companies demonstrating the benefits of the mine to the local community. Positive benefits associated with a mine include increased employment and additional infrastructure such as schools, shops and improved medical care. Aurecon has been involved in community facilitation, as well as the planning and design of a number of mining infrastructure projects, including access roads, the establishment or upgrade of current water systems, community facilities and villages.

Creating mining communitiesWhere a formal town does not already exist, mine employees are often accommodated in their own ‘village’. Some of Africa’s largest mines are thousands of kilometres away from mineworkers’ homes. Because of this, and the fact that mines compete with each other to draw the best experts and engineers in their field, there is increasing emphasis on making life as comfortable as possible for the mining community.

Today’s mining villages are designed for maximum safety and comfort. In this regard, town planning is an essential tool in designing ‘purpose made’ towns from scratch. Aurecon has been involved in numerous projects that involve the establishment of brand new mining towns.

Companies have also been known to offer workers a ‘package deal’ which includes ownership of a house within the village for them and their family. Some mines take this even further, offering retention packages, a trust to assist workers with debt rehabilitation and favourable interest rates with the bank. A ‘live out’ allowance makes living in these villages even more attractive.

Minimising the adverse effects of mining Regardless of where the surrounding local and mining communities are accommodated, they are both exposed to the pollution, dust and noise a mine produces. Increasingly, we are seeing more effective rehabilitation of sites by the mining sector. The ‘planting’ of mine heaps with indigenous vegetation to limit erosion and windblown dust is increasingly common. In addition, companies are also utilising ‘dump rock’ packed on top of dust hills and around them to limit dust spreading. Using polymer binders is also a frequent practice - this involves spraying a polymer binder on top of wastedumps - it penetrates 25mm deep and creates a UV resistant flexible barrier which keeps water out and limits pollution, erosion and windblown dust. These environmental control practices are just some of the ways of ensuring surrounding communities live in relative harmony with the mines.

MINES AND AFFECTED COMMUNITIES: THE TRENDS IN AFRICA

“You’ve got to be able to create an environment where people aren’t afraid to have a go” Murray Coleman Group Head of Project Management, Design and Construction, Bovis Lend Lease

360°FACE TO FACE

30 The Bond, Australia - owned and managed by DEXUS; developed by and head office of Lend Lease

41

Bovis Lend Lease is one of the world’s leading project management, design and construction companies, with a significant presence in around 30 countries. Aurecon’s Global Chief Executive Officer, Paul Hardy, recently spoke with Murray Coleman, Group Head of Project Management, Design and Construction at Lend Lease, about the role of innovation, sustainability and safety in running a global business.

Paul Hardy How does a truly global company such as Bovis Lend Lease remain agile and competitive?

Murray Coleman I think it is extremely important to have some real intellectual property so that you are not just another generic service provider. In the United States there is a lot of talk about integrated project delivery, which is really like relationship or alliance contracting that Australia has successfully pioneered. So to compete globally it is about staying at the forefront of developments such as these. Ultimately it’s still about “think global, act local”. The reality is that all projects are delivered locally so you need to have relationships with both the global players and the local players. Culturally it is also about having an intolerance for mediocrity and a continued insistence at all levels of the business on what I call “end to end excellence”. We encourage our people to be both entrepreneurial and diligent; always looking for a better way.

Paul Hardy Is Bovis Lend Lease responding to the sustainability challenge?

Murray Coleman We have a very deep heritage in sustainability, going back to Dick Dusseldorp (Lend Lease’s founder and Managing Director) who in the 1970s said “The time is not far off when companies will have to justify their worth to society with greater emphasis being placed on environmental and social impact than straight economics” i.e. it wouldn’t be long before industries needed to account on a triple bottom line basis. In the last decade we’ve developed our environmental credentials and got a real handle on what sustainability really means. When I think about sustainability, it’s the three elements - economic, social and environmental.

A real catalyst for our company in Australia in this space was building our global head office in Sydney – 30 The Bond. We took this on as a challenge to deliver a new kind of workplace in Australia in a sustainable environment. We were going through a lot of change in the organisation and the building was a catalyst for addressing what kind of work environment our people wanted and how we could work together better as an organisation. And what you actually see in this building is the culmination of all that effort and it’s a fantastic place to work.

We are also very interested in the social aspect of sustainability. In the United Kingdom, for example, we founded a not for profit organisation called “Be OnSite”. It’s focussed on people who may be long term unemployed or in some cases ex-offenders, to train them and bring them into the construction industry. We do that through a close relationship with a variety of our supply chain partners. Ultimately, we want this to be an industry initiative, we find it makes a huge difference and people love to get involved with it.

And the final area is renewables. Like most organisations, we have a huge interest in the renewable energy sector. We have recently launched “Lend Lease Solar” which is focussed initially on domestic solar panel retro fit but we have an interest in larger scale solar operations as well.

We actually find that sustainability is now part of what we are and what we do. We’re fulfilling that vision of our founder over 30 years ago. It’s a core part of our DNA now. If we’re going to develop buildings in Australia, as an owner we won’t do that unless they can be green star accredited where accreditations are possible and if not, we will ensure they align to our own sustainability standards.

BUILDING A LEGACY Creating an agile global culture of inventiveness, safety and sustainability

“Inventive is what I call everyday innovation” Murray Coleman

Paul Hardy At Aurecon we have been making real efforts to encourage innovation and collaboration between our people, do you have any strategies for managing innovation and collaboration in your organisation?

Murray Coleman For us it comes down to the culture of the organisation. We really work quite hard at this - encouraging an open culture and an environment where people can be inventive. Inventiveness is what I call everyday innovation. True innovation is quite rare but we want to be inventive all the time. You’ve got to be able to create an environment where people aren’t afraid to have a go and where it’s OK to fail. Which is kind of counter-intuitive but if people are afraid that if they do something new or different and it doesn’t turn out, they’re going to lose their job, then they’ll never try anything. We get a lot more right than we get wrong. We like to win and our people are smart enough to realise that sharing ideas, building upon each

others thoughts, i.e. collaborating will optimise our success.

Paul Hardy What about collaboration?

Murray Coleman We incentivise collaboration – personal incentives, organisational incentives and business incentives. We do that through publicly proclaiming collaboration as one of our values. We incentivise by making collaboration a component of our people’s performance indicators and rewarding good performance in this area. Today we have a huge development pipeline across the globe and if we can get our best people to collaborate there’s very little we can’t do in delivering those opportunities.

Paul Hardy And it works.

Murray Coleman Working together doesn’t mean everyone agreeing with everything. In collaboration, there’s absolutely room and in fact, a need for vigorous, rigorous debate, challenge and

questioning. It’s actually about being clear that we’re all working to the same end with the same objective and working in the right environment.

Paul Hardy What are the key factors you see in developing successful working relationships with consultants such as Aurecon?

Murray Coleman There needs to be a degree of expertise, skill, and capability but that’s pretty much a given. So then for me, and for us, it’s about the relationship; about mutual trust and respect and that’s not something that you can force and it’s not something that you can achieve overnight. So with any organisation we’re looking to have relationships at multiple levels. This makes leverage much easier, it makes escalation instantaneous, and it ensures alignment. We want the consultants we work with to truly understand the big picture of what we are trying to achieve to be fully aligned with our objectives.

360°FACE TO FACE

Paul Hardy Global Chief Executive Officer Aurecon

BUILDING A LEGACY / 43

Paul Hardy As with Aurecon, safety of staff is paramount to Bovis Lend Lease, how do you go about maintaining a leading edge safety culture across all the regions and cultures in which you work?

Murray Coleman We’ve done a lot of work on safety, particularly over the last 10 years. In 2002 we introduced a global vision and supporting program, Incident & Injury Free - which was all about creating a safe working environment, as opposed to looking at simply “processes and procedures”. As a result we have dramatically reduced the lost time injury rates in our business right around the world. But we aren’t resting on our laurels – we will continue to drive our business to become truly Incident & Injury Free which is our ultimate goal.

My view is that, if I had a construction company and I only had five building sites, I would have the five best people I know running those project sites,

have a phone call with them every Monday morning for an hour to talk about safety and what we’re doing, I could have the safest construction company in the world. So I ask the question “why can’t we do that here?” It’s just a scale issue.

If we look through our past incidents, those that get hurt do so as a result of a failure to follow a safe work method or an exclusion zone wasn’t put in place. We need to be uncompromising about those things. It’s unbelievably important for the leadership of the organisation to actually lead with this. Leadership as I’ll define it in this space is all about being very clear about what you stand for and then taking that stand – and then doing whatever is required to remove any barriers and blockages to achieve it.

The language that I’ve started to use more recently is not “I will hold you accountable”, it’s “I’m relying upon you to get this done”. That simple change in language makes an enormous difference. Forget about

talking about accountability; be clear and positive that you rely upon them. When people understand that you need them, it really changes behaviour – it strengthens their commitment and galvanises them to the team.”

“We actually find that sustainability is part of what we are and what we do. It’s a core part of our DNA now” Murray Coleman

Murray ColemanGroup Head of Project Management,

Design and Construction at Bovis Lend Lease

Every once in a while, stakeholders in a project mesh to produce something special: something innovative that changes the way similar projects will be engineered and managed from then on.

One such project was the introduction of the first Ultra Thin Reinforced Concrete Pavement (UTRCP) in South Africa by the Gauteng Department of Public Transport, Roads and Works (GDPTRW), together with the Council for Science and Industrial Research (CSIR) and City of Tshwane.

UTRCP is a system for building a road surface using a 50mm concrete layer. Construction of the concrete pavement is labour intensive, with machinery only being used for the shaping, ripping and compaction of the in-situ material that forms a platform for placing the concrete pavement. The CSIR initiated a development programme on this system after a report on the performance of mesh reinforced concrete that was presented at a conference in Iowa, USA more than 15 years ago.

During 2008, the GDPTRW, in cooperation with the City of Tshwane, arranged a UTRCP demonstration project in Tshwane’s Soshanguve Township. As part of the project, 11 contractors were given the opportunity to undergo intensive on-site and theoretical training. Called the National Qualification in Construction Contracting, this learnership programme successfully equipped the learners in both theoretical and practical contracting business skills, as well as competency in labour intensive construction methods.

Staff from Aurecon’s subsidiaries Wedge and South African Value Education (SAVE), were involved in the planning, implementation and all training aspects of the project. Wedge is a specialist unit focusing on contractor development and labour-based construction and employment while SAVE is a training provider specialising in the training and assessment of emerging entrepreneurs in the construction industry.

“The project is a powerful demonstration of what can happen when government buys into the vision of utilising appropriate technology to further sustainable development,” comments Thabo Rafube of Wedge. The

equipping of the learnership candidates comprised a combination of classroom training as well as practical onsite supervision for a period of two years. “A very important aspect of this included how to manage a small contracting business effectively, including the submission of tenders and topics such as resolving labour disputes with staff,” explains Rafube.

But the most important aspect of the skills gained by the learners is the fact that these skills are making a lasting difference to those trained. “The contractors have been able to use their new-found skills on an ongoing basis,” says Rafube, adding that the subsequent initiation of twelve similar UTRCP projects has provided sustainable income for the communities in which these projects are implemented. “Quality training has contributed to the GDPTRW’s ambition to uplift under-developed communities, while at the same time responding to the City of Tshwane’s need for roads and infrastructure provision and the establishment of local SMME contractors.”

“The innovative Soshanguve UTRCP project successfully blended together a new technology, job creation, small business development and community empowerment, in a groundbreaking community-based project”

NEW SKILLS MAKE THE SUSTAINABLE DIFFERENCE

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What are trainees saying about the project?

Moses Rampeng:

“I was one of 11 contractors enrolled in the Construction Contractor Learnerships in January 2007. Over a period of two years, the programme assisted us to jointly complete road construction projects to the value of R50 million as part of our experiential training.

It is a wonderful feeling when I am able to pay community

members involved in completing these sorts of projects. The effects of this project are far reaching. Communities understand that when they opt for UTRCP, the entire community benefits from the labour intensive process it involves and the skills they learn can be applied elsewhere.

The practical experience that was part of the learnership, taught me everything I know about UTRCP, but it hasn’t stopped there: even now, if I encounter a challenge on site, I can pick up the phone and ask for help. The professional team continue to invest their time in empowering me. I can see that for them, the commitment is more than merely finishing a project and being paid.”

Rebecca Ramatlo:

“UTRCP is a wonderful product that is both technically and economically sustainable. It is easy to implement as a small scale contractor, and has lead to long term employment opportunities for my staff and I because concreting skills can be used in many other building activities.

We’ve been contracted for a number of similar projects

since completing the learnership. I have also been able to apply many of the business skills taught. In addition, being associated with the organisations involved has lent me a lot of credibility in the market. The entire process has motivated me to keep sharing my own knowledge. The knock-on effects of doing this will ensure the impact that the learnership and technical exposure to UTRCP had on me and my team, carries on and increases for years to come.”

NEW SKILLS MAKE THE SUSTAINABLE DIFFERENCE

Ultra Thin Reinforced Concrete Pavement, South Africa

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Turning vision into reality From skyscrapers that challenge the limits of what was previously possible, to technological solutions that enable construction to ‘respond’ to its surrounds, Aurecon has designed millions of square metres of building space. Our commitment to transforming vision into reality sees us exploit extraordinary depths of expertise to allow the realisation of buildings which are aesthetically appealing, economical and easy to construct. In this article, we explore the challenges involved in bringing these to life.

INSPIRATIONALENGINEERING

CAPTURING THE VISION

Peter Mokaba Sporting Complex, South Africa

Realising vision“As consulting engineers we are employed to apply our technical skills in a way that allows our clients’ ‘vision’ for their projects to be realised,” believes Dr Kourosh Kayvani, Innovation Leader: Aurecon. “The key issue is to understand and appreciate that vision and the requirements it encapsulates, even when they are not expressed with total clarity. For buildings, the vision could be as simple as (or as bold as, depending on your point of view) a ‘signature’ design…a structure that has never been attempted before. A project team’s mission is to work together in responding to the client’s vision in the most appropriate way. This includes considering all relevant factors such as safety, functionality, economy, buildability and sustainability.”

A thorough understanding of the vision for a building is a key departure point for engineering design, believes Hannes van Dalsen, Aurecon engineer. He cites the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) building, South Africa, as a perfect example of engineering’s ability to enact vision. The guideline brief for the DIRCO project was to portray an image that would promote national interests and present the building as a ‘gateway for South Africa to the world’. It was critical that the quality of the engineering design was flawless and fully expressed the architect’s vision, which was based on very specific ‘Output Specifications’ set by the client.

Te Puni Village

Takes seismic design of flexible multi-storey steel frames in a new direction.

360°EXCELLENCE

Peter Mokaba Sporting Complex

The design features simplified construction, ensuring completion in only two and a half years.

INSPIRATIONAL ENGINEERING CAPTURING THE VISION / 49

In rural Africa, decorative blankets are used to adorn visitors who come bearing traditional gifts. Similarly, DIRCO is enveloped by a ‘blanket’, symbolised by giant spider columns which effectively ‘gifts’ South Africa to the world. It was the engineering behind several of the building’s unusual features, including technical façades, complex circular staircases, spider columns and an enclosed glazed bridge link, that enabled the structure to have such an imposing, unique presence and realise the architect’s unusual response to the client’s requirements. “In order to enable this vision, we had to design elements and structures that had never been designed before. Bringing an unusually eclectic, asymmetrical design into reality was an enormous challenge,” says van Dalsen.

Collaboration is key“To create extraordinary and inspirational projects, design teams need to be capable and willing to cross the traditional boundaries of design disciplines in order to collaborate and innovate for a holistic design outcome,” believes Dr Kayvani. The Adelaide Entertainment Centre Upgrade is a prime example of collaboration between project team members to arrive at a solution that is anything but ordinary. The project features an iconic entry dome clad in Ethylene Tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE plastic) with specialist LED lighting effects, creating a technicolour space for the surrounding community to gather in a secure, protected

area. Aurecon was engaged to deliver total engineering services for the project, as well as coordinate capabilities across various technical disciplines including structural, civil, electrical, mechanical, hydraulics, fire protection services, acoustics, wind load testing, audiovisual and lighting.

“A key aspect of the design was collaboration and coordination with the architect, particularly in developing a vision for an iconic dome, which challenged what had been done before,” explains Aurecon engineer Peta Lush. The dome designed for the entry is based on the careful dissection of an unusual geometrical shape - the toroid. The initial stage of the project involved intensive workshops with the architect to develop the shape of the iconic entrance structure. This collaboration allowed the creation of an aesthetic form together with a suitable engineering solution to enable that form - in this case a lightweight efficient structure.

Following the concept stage, the structural steel design was optimised through sophisticated analysis, including wind tunnel testing, to apply realistic loads to the curved structure; finite element analysis of the critical nodal connections that minimised the additional strengthening requirements of the thin-walled lightweight members; non-linear buckling analysis with non-linear materials to determine the overall stability, as well as erection sequencing. All of these processes enabled maximum functionality to be achieved with an optimal amount of material and resourcing. “Early collaboration was of vital importance in achieving this iconic structure,” believes Lush. “The collaboration between architects and engineers, coupled with the correct use of technology, can add immense value to the community through increasing efficiencies in built form and inspiring the individuals who use these forms.”

Innovation: guarding against being overcautious“It is obviously important to properly understand the confines of a project,” says Dr Kayvani. “This involves taking on board the requirements of the project owner and architect and then working within the engineering constraints to arrive at a design which satisfies all stakeholders. However, self-imposed constraints that have been historically set based on what an engineer is capable of doing within the technological and knowledge limitations of the time, need to be challenged consistently and proactively. To be able to do so, we engineers must be familiar with the very latest technologies and ways of solving technical problems so that the constraints we define are reflective of current best practice,” stresses Dr Kayvani. “We need to constantly guard against being overly cautious in our approach which, ultimately, might limit our ability to think ‘outside of the box’.”

Te Puni Village in New Zealand required the utilisation of innovative ‘high tech’ solutions to achieve a much lauded ‘engineering first’. As an informed client, the Victoria University of Wellington’s vision for this facility was to

Te Puni Village, New Zealand

EXCELLENCE

360°

meet the need for extra student accommodation, while also protecting their buildings from seismic damage. This desire presented an exciting challenge, as few cost-effective damage avoidance solutions were available for flexible steel-framed buildings, necessitating major innovation from the Aurecon, Architectus and Hawkins’ teams.

The project takes seismic design of flexible multi-storey steel frames in a new direction. It challenges established ideas centred on allowing our buildings to be damaged and providing only safe egress, proving that protected or enhanced buildings can be achieved with a nominal increase in investment, which will result in huge increases in the long term sustainability of the built environment.

Recent advances in seismic engineering have focused on a ‘Damage Avoidance Design’ philosophy, whereby a structure is designed to withstand a major seismic event with minimal and repairable damage. This concept incorporates mechanisms in the structure that can control loads and sustain large deformations without causing damage. The challenge to create damage avoidance design features for this project was complicated by the building’s form. Few seismic protection options exist for relatively tall and light, flexible steel buildings. The available damage avoidance features have not been widely used, being viewed as expensive and complicated.

Adelaide Entertainment Centre

A prime example of collaboration between project team members to arrive at a solution that is anything but ordinary.

Freedom Park, South Africa

Freedom Park

Construction materials were required to lend themselves to the undulating surfaces that form the walls and roofs of the building.

INSPIRATIONAL ENGINEERING CAPTURING THE VISION / 51

Aurecon met this challenge with an innovative design solution in the form of a simple, semi-rigid beam column jointing system. This system is cost-effective to fabricate and install. It ensures stability as well as controls hinging, building drifts and, most importantly, limits structural damage. “Up until 2008, this panacea had not yet been achieved. The project team believed that the time was right to innovate and challenge previously accepted ideas,” says Aurecon engineer Sean Gledhill.

Ensuring constructability through creativityBut it is not only about arriving at a design blueprint for the final constructed form. Not all designs possess that which engineers term ‘constructability’. When it simply isn’t possible to physically build a certain aspect of a building, we have to take a concept and modify it so that it becomes constructible. “Often, finding practical solutions that will enable a building to materialise into reality takes as much creativity as does drawing it on paper,” says Dr Kayvani.

The Adelaide Oval Western Grandstand Redevelopment comprised the partial demolition and reconstruction of the existing western members’ grandstands into a new 14 000 seat grandstand. A significant feature of the redevelopment is the domed roof. The roof design was so complex that it required Aurecon to complete a 3D model of the roof structure for analysis, with additional models created to analyse the critical connections and erection conditions. Ultimately, we sought the safest, most efficient way to engineer what was an ambitious vision by most standards.

“Careful analysis and collaboration with the steel fabricator, managing contractor and architect enabled us to engineer the best way to build a very complex roof structure,” says Garth Rowland, Aurecon engineer. The grandstand roof has been divided into five main sections, with each wing covered by two panels and the central ‘pavilion’ covered by a longer span panel of approximately 60m x 30m. “The roof panels are formed through the use of an extremely light diagrid structure, which forms a stiff net for resisting gravity and wind loads – ultimately achieving the required design strength, while still producing a spectacular architectural structure which will become a landmark for Adelaide Oval,” says Rowland.

Conserving resources Another challenge inherent in complex building projects is that of time, money and effort. In an ideal world, engineers would have as much time as they need to design a building and contractors would have ample time to build it. But, in reality, clients often do not have that luxury and engineers have to find innovative ways of achieving acceptable aesthetic outcomes utilising fast-track construction methods.

The design features of the Peter Mokaba Stadium in South Africa, simplified construction, ensuring completion in only two and a half years, whereas similar projects often take up to a year longer to complete. “Ultimately, our job was

to save the client time, money and effort on the journey to meeting the very tight deadlines for stadium construction,” explains Aurecon engineer Stoffel Mentz.

The overall design made use of modular concrete elements that were repeated throughout, which meant casting was simplified and could be done at high speed after the contractor had perfected the first few casts. The casting of key elements monolithically, such as Y-columns and giant raker beams for the upper terrace as a single element, reduced casting time considerably. The modular principle is used throughout the stadium design: four massive identical ‘baobab’ structures provide access to the stadium, while the lower tiers of all the stands as well as the upper tiers are virtually identical. The roof structure can easily be adapted to suit the differing needs for the stadium through simply removing and adding different pieces of the overhead structure.

Embodying emotion“When you listen to how people experience a building post-construction, you realise just how important a building’s story is and the powerful emotions it is capable of evoking,” believes Tommé Katranas, Aurecon engineer. In South Africa, a variety of stakeholders were consulted in terms of the design of Freedom Park. One of the 11 Presidential Legacy Projects, Freedom Park was launched as a response to the need identified by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission for symbolic reparation for past conflicts in the history of the country. “Taking into account the visions of a wide variety of stakeholders for the site was critical to achieving a project that resonates with each and every people group within South Africa. At Freedom Park, every boulder, every curved wall, every space of reflection is symbolic of the emotions that went into the site’s creation.

Due to a decision to adopt rounded and curving building planes, and eliminate sharp corners and linear finishes, Freedom Park’s construction materials were required to lend themselves to the undulating surfaces that form the walls and roofs of the building elements. “Specifying the correct materials to create main structures was a key challenge,” says Katranas. Almost every part of the site was emotive, and the engineering behind the construction had to bring these emotions to life.”

Even if you are not emotional, a skilfully realised vision arouses feelings of awe. “Clever engineering allows ‘how’ we built something to fade into the background so that all the observer sees is the beauty of that building and can de-code the subtle messages the architect originally intended to be enjoyed by those who experience the building,” concludes Katranas.

Registered office, Singapore 152 Beach Road, #22-02 Gateway East Singapore 189721 Phone: +65 6256 6188singapore@ap.aurecongroup.com

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Aurecon provides engineering, management and specialist technical services for public and private sector clients globally. We have provided world-class technical expertise and innovative solutions on projects in over 70 countries across Africa, Asia Pacific and the Middle East. Formed through the merger of three leading engineering consultancies, Africon, Connell Wagner and Ninham Shand, Aurecon has over 6 000 professionals offering in-depth local market knowledge combined with international expertise. We seek to foster human achievement in all aspects of our work.

Aurecon offices are located in:

Angola, Australia, Bahrain, Botswana, China, Ethiopia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Lesotho, Libya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Thailand, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, Vietnam.

For more information please visit www.aurecongroup.com or join us on www.facebook.com/Aurecon

©2010 Aurecon

The Aurecon Group is made up of a number of separate legal entities operating across diverse jurisdictions. Not all those entities provide services to clients.