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Month: May 2016

ISCA’s History

Posted on by isca@admin

History

The idea behind ISCA was sparked in February 2007, when a presentation was given to Engineers Australia by David Hood and Glenn Hedges titled “Does Australia Need an Environmental Rating Scheme for Non-Building Projects”. This generated industry interest such that in the following March, a Steering Committee was formed which:

  • Nominated scheme boundaries and scope
  • Decided to conduct an investigation into other similar schemes and tools in existence locally and internationally to prevent duplication of efforts
  • Acted as an “epi-centre” for scheme initiation

The Steering Committee members were unable to find a similar tool or group developing such a scheme and agreed that stakeholder input and support would be essential if a scheme was to be developed.  The committee developed a business case and on 28 February 2008, the Australian Green Infrastructure Council (AGIC) was launched at Queensland’s Parliament House as “Open for Membership”.

During the months of May through August 2008, AGIC was registered as a business, a constitution was prepared and a draft framework for a rating tool was completed.  October 2008 saw Doug Harland appointed as AGIC’s first CEO and Antony Sprigg from GHD was engaged as the Tool Development Project Manager.

In November 2008, development of the rating tool commenced with the first round of Pilot Trials in August 2011 and the second round in October. Successful completion of these Pilot Trials saw the Tool finalised and launched nationally, and in each State and Territory as follows:

Location

Date

Launched By

National

29 February 2012

Hon Anthony Albanese MP

Minister for Infrastructure and Transport
Leader of the House of Representatives

NSW

8 March 2012

Hon Brad Hazzard MP

Minister for Planning and Infrastructure
Minister Assisting the Premier on Infrastructure

NT

30 April 2012

Hon Gerry McCarthy MLA

Minister for Transport, Correctional Services, Construction,
Arts & Museums, and Lands & Planning

WA

19 June 2012

Menno Henneveld

Managing Director, Main Roads Western Australia

VIC

8 August 2012

Elana Rubin

Chair, Australian Super

SA

5 September 2012

Hon Patrick Conlon MP

Minister for Transport and Infrastructure
Minister for Housing and Urban Development

QLD

18 April 2013

Hon Andrew Cripps MP

Minister for Natural Resources and Mining

 

In November 2011, ISCA’s inaugural Chairman of the Board, Adjunct Professor David Hood AM, retired with David Singleton being elected to the post.  Doug Harland retired in March 2012 as CEO with Antony Sprigg being appointed as his replacement.

At the AGM held on 12 December 2012, the membership voted to change the name of the organisation from AGIC to the Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia (ISCA) which came into effect on 4 April 2013.

Australia’s first IS rating was awarded to the Whitsunday Sewage Treatment Plants Upgrade as a Design rating achieving the level of Excellent. This project is being designed, constructed and operated by Tenix for the Whitsunday Regional Council. The rating was awarded at the QLD launch of the IS rating scheme on 18 April 2013.

ISCA thanks everyone who contributed funds, content, time and effort in the development of the IS rating scheme, in particular the Sponsors, Category Authors, Peer Reviewers, Global Review Panel and Pilot Trials.

Sponsors
Commonwealth Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency
Commonwealth Department of Infrastructure and Transport
NSW Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water
Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads
BlueScope Steel
Plastics Industry Pipe Association
Queensland Department of Environment and Resource Management
Civil Contractors Federation
GHD

Category Authors
UTS ISF Aurecon EnviroPartners
WorleyParsons NetBalance Envisage Consulting
Parsons Brinckerhoff Edge Environment AECOM

Peer Reviewers
Julian Hill Ed Smith Steve Lee
Jane Scanlon Bill Morris Michael Nolan
Brian Garsden Rebecca Hendy Robert Power
Mark Carden Brett Lane Penny Townley
Mark Latham Brett Donaldson Michael Gerner

Global Review Panel

Tool Scorecard Design
Rick Walters David Bentley Scott Losee
Denis Else Tony Stapledon
Rob Turk Kelly O’Halloran
Russell Cutler

Pilot Projects
Shannon Dam City Link Enlarged Cotter Dam
Lithgow Sewage Treatment Plant Southport Broadwater Parklands Great Eastern Highway Upgrade – Belmont
Logan Water Main Eastern Tertiary Alliance Inner West Busway along Victoria Road
Eastern Busway Toorourrong Reservoir Upgrade Glenfield Transport Interchange
Great Eastern Highway – Roe Interchange Kingsgrove to Revesby Quadruplication Northern Busway (RCH to Windsor)

In-Kind Support
GHD Arup Parsons Brinckerhoff
Thiess Clayton Utz Manidis Roberts
AECOM Freehills MWH
QLD Department of Environment and
Resource Management		 CRC for Infrastructure Engineering
Asset Management

 

Founding Members

ISCA would not be operating today, providing IS ratings and training, or working with industry and government to improve Australia’s infrastructure if it were not for a select group of members.  Our Founding Members contributed significantly to the establishment and development of our organisation and the IS rating scheme. We thank and recognise these members for their commitment and contribution.

New Gateway to Perth delivers sustainable road legacy for future generations

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The Gateway WA Perth Airport and Freight Access Project has achieved the second highest Infrastructure Sustainability (IS) rating for a completed infrastructure construction project in Australia.

The $1 billion project, which provided work for more than 600 local subcontractors and suppliers, was awarded an ‘Excellent’ IS As Built rating by the prestigious Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia (ISCA).

ISCA CEO Antony Sprigg was delighted to present the Gateway WA Alliance with their ‘Excellent’ rating, noting that Main Roads WA have long been advocates of the IS rating scheme.

“The excellent outcomes are a testament to the strategic commitment Main Roads has made to improving the sustainability of WA’s road infrastructure, delivering positive benefits to industry and community,” he said.

A number of sustainable initiatives delivered by the Gateway WA Alliance team led to the achievement of the ‘Excellent’ IS As Built rating, including:

  • outstanding management of substantial volumes of waste;
  • relocating animals found in the project area;
  • working with members of the local Aboriginal community to enhance the recognition of heritage through public art; and
  • delivering an innovative design for the new Roe Highway/Berkshire Road interchange, the first of its kind in Australia.

During his key note speech at the Western Australian Infrastructure Sustainability Conference, Main Roads Western Australia Managing Director Stephen Troughton reiterated Main Roads’ commitment to sustainability in an effort to create long lasting benefits for all West Australians.

“The Gateway WA project delivery, including the outstanding waste management and recycling initiatives, is a great example of how this commitment to sustainability was put into practice” he said.

Watch the video  here

The IS rating scheme is Australia’s only comprehensive rating scheme for evaluating sustainability across design, construction and operation of infrastructure.

Gateway WA is an Alliance of five industry leaders—CPB Contractors (formally Leighton Contractors), Georgiou, GHD, AECOM, and BG&E—working with Main Roads Western Australia to deliver the Gateway WA Perth Airport and Freight Access Project.

The Gateway WA Perth Airport and Freight Access Project is a $1 billion road construction project, funded by the Australian and State governments, and is designed to improve the safety and efficiency of one of the state’s most important transport hubs. It will provide residents and visitors to Western Australia with a memorable first impression for years to come. The road upgrades cater for an anticipated doubling of freight and container transport within the Kewdale Industrial Precinct by 2030 and the expected doubling of passenger air travel to and from Perth Airport.

The project comprises widening 7km of Tonkin Highway to six lanes, upgrading 3km of Leach Highway to expressway standard, constructing four new grade separated interchanges and upgrading a fifth interchange, including the Grand Gateway three-level interchange that provides new access to Perth Airport.

Gateway WA incorporates road and bridge improvements, local road modifications, 21km of continuous grade separated shared path and local connections for pedestrians and cyclists. In addition, it has delivered 6km of noise/screen walls, landscaping, including installing approximately one million plants, embracing innovative urban design and intelligent transport system technology.

During the project, savings were transferred back to Main Roads to reinvest. Main Roads awarded Gateway WA an additional $45 million package of works to upgrade the Roe Highway and Berkshire Road intersection into a grade separated interchange.

Gateway WA’s mission was to deliver sustainable landmark road infrastructure around Perth Airport and the Kewdale Freight Precinct. In doing so, Gateway WA was committed to achieving sustainable economic, environmental and social outcomes for the project, from inception through to completion and beyond.

Key sustainability outcomes delivered by Gateway WA

Waste management: The Gateway WA Alliance excelled in managing waste. Waste management practices included recycling more than ninety five percent of waste sent offsite and processing 850,000 tonnes, the equivalent of 38 Olympic sized swimming pools, of unsuitable material onsite, diverting this from being sent to landfill.

Protection of fauna and minimisation of clearing: During the project design phase, planning took place to survey more than 1,000 established trees in the clearing zones to analyse for potential retention. Gateway WA also undertook a program for trapping and relocation of animals found in the project area, this included relocating more than 100 bandicoots prior to clearing.

Recognition of heritage: Members from the Gateway WA project team and the local Aboriginal community worked together to inform the project scope with the aim of reducing impact to heritage sites within the project area and enhancing the heritage through urban design and public art features. The City Link Noise Wall Art work, incorporating an acknowledgement of Noongar land and culture written in both English and Noongar languages, is an example of the recognition of the heritage of the area.

Innovation: Gateway WA was rewarded for their innovative ‘tennis ball’ or ‘cut-through’ design of the Roe Highway/Berkshire Road interchange, the first of its kind in Australia. This innovative design was aimed at improving road user safety by reducing the impact of potential crashes.

Infrastructure sector showcases best-practice reduction of diesel emissions

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Government and private companies involved in infrastructure construction have shared their experiences in reducing harmful diesel emissions via a series of case studies published by the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) and Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia (ISCA). The EPA and ISCA partnered to invite and impart best-practice approaches across the sector, with the aim of improving air quality for those who live and work near construction projects.

Mark Gifford, EPA’s Chief Environmental Regulator said “Diesel exhaust emissions can have major health impacts. Investing in reducing them is a win-win for industry and the community.

“It’s about healthier people, more efficient and better maintained equipment, fuel and cost savings and improved environmental performance overall.”

The initial case studies present major actions that tunnelling contractor CPB John Holland Dragados implemented on the Sydney Metro Northwest project and strategies by Blacktown City Council and the Downer Group to reduce diesel emissions from their activities.

“By procuring plant and equipment with lower diesel emissions and implementing engineering controls, we significantly reduced the amount of diesel emissions produced in construction thereby protecting our workers and the community.”
Dr Caitlin Richards, Approvals, Environment and Sustainability Manager, CPB John Holland Dragados

“I am passionate about ensuring that exposure to all airborne contaminants for workers and staff is minimised at all times. I have worked in tunnel construction for 25 years and have silicosis, an occupational lung disease caused by inhalation of crystalline silica dust. In hindsight, I wish we had the focus on avoiding and minimising particle emissions that we do today, when I started working in this industry.”

Martin Bell, Plant Manager, CPB John Holland Dragados

ISCA’s Manager – Business and Technical Services Ainsley Simpson said “ISCA believes that developing case studies highlighting best practice measures being implemented within the infrastructure industry will lead to greater uptake of diesel emission reduction opportunities.”

The EPA funded ISCA to help prepare the best practice case studies project as an initiative under its diesel and marine emissions management strategy. The case studies are available on the EPA website http://www.epa.nsw.gov.au/air/nonroaddiesel-case-studies.htm and in the ISCA Resource Library (links below)

Case study 1: Sydney Metro Northwest Tunnels and Station Civil Project— illustrates strategies to reduce diesel emissions using engineering design, procurement and behavioural change approaches.

Case study 2: Blacktown City Council — illustrates strategies implemented by a local council to reduce diesel emissions by retrofitting in-service equipment, using alternative fuels and behaviour change approaches.

Case study 3: Solar Power at Commodore Mine Queensland — illustrates the use of solar power to reduce diesel and CO2 emissions, and demonstrates that incorporating renewable power supply at construction sites can reduce diesel emissions and provide wider benefits.

Sydney Metro Northwest Tunnels and Station Civil  case study was presented at the 2015 Infrastructure Sustainability Conference ‘excellence IS spreading’ on 22 Oct 2015 in Sydney, NSW.

Amardeep Wander | Non Road Diesel Air Emissions Project

Kate Cole | Thiess John Holland Dragados

Thiess John Holland Dragados is delivering the $1.15 billion contract to design and construct 15km twin tunnels and station civil works on the Sydney Metro Northwest. The case study focuses on managing non-road diesel emissions on projects using monitoring and adaptive management; a step-change in minimising workers’ exposure to harmful emissions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TET__Yxz780