CCF Earth Awards

2018

Civil Contractors Federation Earth Awards

ACT Branch

The 2018 Civil Contractors Federation (CCF) Earth Awards were held at the National Arboretum on May 11. In attendance were over 260 industry participants and invited guests who witnessed a display of the best civil construction projects undertaken in the ACT and surrounding region during 2017/2018.

Peter Middleton, President of CCF ACT Branch and Chair of the Civil Sector Council of Master Builders ACT said that the event showcased the efforts of locally based construction companies in their role as the providers of the community’s infrastructure requirements, and is a credit to all of their employees who took part in the projects. “In addition to producing quality works, a significant feature of local ACT civil companies is their policy of directly employing permanent construction teams and minimising the use of temporary subcontractors. ACT CCF members always seek to partner with the ACT Government in achieving high levels of employment standards, site safety and value in the expenditure of the tax-payer dollar,” Peter said. “The annual awards night is our opportunity to reflect upon the last 12 months, our role in the development of Canberra’s built environment and to celebrate tangible achievements.”

This year saw 13 finalists across four categories with jobs ranging from bridge strengthening, innovative share paths and continued suburb development.

THE CCF NATIONAL

2017 PROJECT VALUE UNDER $2 MILLION

Winner COMPLEX CIVIL – BRIDGE STRENGTHENING 5179

SPONSORED BY ABLE LANDSCAPING

Strengthening of the bridge included fabrication and installation of six welded steel beams at equal spacing between the existing concrete I-girders. Each beam was spliced, bolted together in situ, laterally restrained and mounted on fabricated steel bearing seating brackets.

The project encompassed several highly technical elements, including the complex task of positioning the 16 tonne welded steel beam sections underneath the existing bridge structure.

Complex Civil developed a bespoke trolley system to allow each beam section to be transversely positioned into alignment, hydraulically jacked one point five metres, longitudinal shifted over the abutment shelf and bolted together in position.

The initial concept was developed at tender stage and brought to reality by the highly skilled project delivery team, who added further functionality to the design by using the trolley as a platform and catch deck during associated grouting operations. The exceptionally innovative system worked seamlessly and was highly commended by the client and superintendent.

Lach Haskins (Complex Civil), Joe Meneghel (Able Landscaping) and Matt Haskins (Complex Civil)

PROJECT VALUE $2-$5 MILLION

PROJECT VALUE $5-$10 MILLION

Winner CORD CIVIL – DICKSON BUS STATION

SPONSORED BY CIVIL CONSTRUCTION HIRE

The Dickson Bus Depot project provided numerous opportunities for the innovative team at Cord Civil to develop leading-edge engineering solutions to address a range of challenging issues.

A variety of different surfaces including flexible pavements and full-depth rigid asphalt and concrete pavements were constructed over stabilised base works to fulfill the requirements of the project brief.

Cord Civil also constructed an integrated drainage system with concrete protection encasement where necessary, to allow sufficient protection from new larger and heavier buses.

Bus shelters for the new routes were constructed with tree pits containing mature trees added along the concrete verge. The pits contain a specified structural soil-mix to encourage growth, and root barriers to protect the infrastructure.

Street-light-poles with CCTV and PA capability, along with detailed landscaping and furniture were also installed.

All work was constructed in a high traffic location with ensuing traffic control problems, further enhancing the quality of the solutions developed by Cord Civil for the Dickson Bus Depot.

Winner CHINCIVIL – WEST BASIN BOARDWALK

SPONSORED BY CR KENNEDY

The West Basin Boardwalk is positioned just above the lake water level in Acton providing a protected cove for recreational lake users with a place to berth watercraft and access the waterfront precinct.

The design and construction of the 8.1m wide by 110m long cantilevered boardwalk involved working from both land and water and reengineering of the lake edge profile.

Construction included sheet piling, the installation of circular hollow piles and capping beams, the manufacture and installation of precast concrete panels, metal frameworks and floating pontoons.

Noteworthy features of the project include the efficient construction over water of architecturally inspired precast panels and timber deck areas with bespoke brass seating features and handrails.

The West Basin Boardwalk project was complex in design and presented challenges in navigating through the approval process and construction. However exhaustive planning enabled Chincivil to achieve quality construction, provide safety for the workers and ensure environmental protection of the lake ecosystem.

Damian Lowes and Jace Sargent (Civil Construction Hire), Toby Dunford and Stuart Ritchie (Cord Civil)

Matt Houghton (Chincivil) and Richard Kennedy (CR Kennedy)

PROJECT VALUE $10-$30 MILLION

OZHELP FOUNDATION AWARD

Winner CANBERRA CONTRACTORS – THROSBY RESIDENTIAL ESTATE STAGE 2

SPONSORED BY BORAL

Delivering a new suburb on time and under budget is an impressive feat but that’s exactly what Canberra Contractors did when they completed Stage Two of Throsby.

The project involved innovative earthwork plans and introduced new topsoil improvement methods to promote landscape germination. Staging the necessary earthworks helped minimise dust and erosion.

An adaptive management framework was implemented to monitor the effects the construction might have on Superb Parrot breeding activity adjacent to the site, with some habitat being purposefully relocated to a wild life reserve.

There were also sensitive environmental and heritage considerations with both hollow and registered trees located on site and significant aboriginal heritage sites discovered.

The project continued during a lengthy period of inclement weather and required the temporary diversion of a floodway creek. Canberra Contractors complied with all applicable laws and regulations, and applied responsible work standards where laws and regulations had not been established.

Winner GUIDELINE ACT

OUTSTANDING COMMITMENT IN PROVIDING EDUCATION, HEALTH & WELLBEING SUPPORT TO THEIR TEAM

SPONSORED BY CBUS

For more than ten years, Guideline ACT has been investing and promoting a company health and wellbeing program for their entire workforce. Workers have been encouraged to participate in health prevention and education programs such as OzHelp’s onsite Tradies Tune Up, and a range of mental health and suicide prevention training programs including ALERT and Conversations for Life. Guideline has also promoted and encouraged their workers to attend follow up support sessions and to seek counselling and referrals where required.

Safety is Guideline’s number one priority and this extends to the health and safety of their workers. This award acknowledges the long-term investment Guideline has made into programs that promote the health, safety and wellbeing of their workers.

All the winners are automatically eligible for the National CCF Earth Awards to be held in Canberra on Friday 16th November.

Sam Smith (Boral), Daniel Hill and Paul Macor (Canberra Contractors)

The Guideline Team accepting the Ozhelp Award

Wireless Temperature and Strength Sensor for Concrete

Formwork Removal Timing

Post-Tensioning Optimisation

Monitoring Temperature Gradients in Mass

Concrete Optimizing Curing Conditions

Controlling quality in the field

DISTRIBUTED BY

DECORATIVE CONCRETE

Concrete is evolving and Australian designers and builders are finding amazing ways to make this essential construction medium a new and exciting feature of construction. Today’s concrete is being coloured, stained, dyed, exposed, ground, polished, recoloured, resurfaced and featured in structures. Specialised aggregates are being introduced to enhance the design and look of concrete and to even improve the functionality of a structure, like glowing aggregates in footpaths for after dark usage. Some ways which concrete is being used as an ascetic element include: Coloured Concrete: This is typically the inclusion of a coloured oxide into pre-mixed concrete at the time of batching to provide a specific colour tone to the concrete. Exposed Concrete: Involves a chemical treatment being applied to concrete surface during installation which retards the very top of the concrete surface. This is then washed away to “expose” the colour and texture of aggregates in the concrete mix. Polished Concrete: A polished look is achieved in a number of ways, and is often handled by specialist contractors. This finished can be achieved in a number of ways including a grind and seal approach, a burnish finish applied during placement and via a true polishing of the concrete surface. The look of the product is enhanced and individualised through the inclusion of colours and specific aggregate to the concrete. Colour Resurfacing: “Resurf” is mainly used to rejuvenate an existing concrete surface at a fraction of the replacement cost. High strength coloured slurry is sprayed by a hopper gun onto the concrete to create a new durable coloured surface. This method is extremely popular for driveways, but is also finding a market by replacing paving, tiles and other surface finishes in commercial construction and public spaces. Stamped Concrete: “Stamping” a textured finish into the surface of fresh concrete whilst it is still in a plastic state. Mainly used in conjunction with oxide coloured concrete, throw on colour, release agents and stains to create a look of tiles, timber, stones and other designs with concrete. Stencil Concrete: Or Colour Hardener, uses tapes or pre-cut stencils to provide a pattern to the surface of fresh (still wet) concrete. A coloured powder hardener is then thrown onto the surface which reacts with the wet concrete to provide a brick, rock or tile look. Colour Sealers: A concrete paint in a multitude of colours. This system is mainly used in the residential housing and renovation market to enhance the look of driveways, paths, balconies and entertaining areas. Concrete Benches and furniture: With the endless possibilities in colour, aggregate and finish it’s easy to see why concrete furnishing has become so popular. With the added bonus of strength and durability concrete is finding its way into benchtops, tables, chairs and other interesting areas of furnishing. Concrete offers the opportunity to design a true unique piece in any project. There are numerous other systems and finished which can be applied to achieve decorative finishes including dyes and stain or epoxy, flake, polyurethane and polaspartic coating systems. Canberra has a plethora of organisations working with the local design and building community to achieve more with their concrete. Furthermore, it is important to engage with these businesses early in your construction process so you can understand what is involved with working with concrete to meet your designed vision. Start a conversation with your pre-mixed supplier, local decorative concrete supplier, concrete placer or specialist concrete contractors to see what you can achieve on your project.