Brisbane Metro Project – Inner City Infrastructure Works (ICIW)

Project Details

Rating Type: As Built
Location: QLD
Rating Level: Leading
Rating Score: 89.02

Assessor Name: Walentina Gonzalez, Daniel Sclosa, Jakki Thompson
IS Project manager: Nicole Lee
Stakeholders: Brisbane City Council ,Acciona Construction Australia Pty Ltd ,Arup Australia Projects Pty Ltd ,Brisbane City Council (Council) and Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR)

Description:

Brisbane City Council has delivered new and improved infrastructure to support the introduction of Brisbane Metro. Council worked with Brisbane Move - a partnership comprising construction-lead ACCIONA and design-lead Arup - to design and deliver the major infrastructure works for the project.

This includes:

A new tunnel beneath Adelaide Street connecting with the existing King George Square tunnel under Albert Street.

Upgraded bus stations at King George Square, UQ Lakes, Buranda and the Cultural Centre station.

Significant public space improvements on Melbourne Street and Grey Steet in South Brisbane and on Adelaide Street, North Quay and William Street in Brisbane’s CBD.

Significant new sewer infrastructure.

An enhanced and strengthened Victoria Bridge providing three lanes for Brisbane Metro and bus services and upgraded cycling and pedestrian pathways.

Rating Highlights

Category	Credits	Achievements
Energy and Carbon	Monitoring and reduction (Ene-1) and Use of renewable (Ene-2)	59.9% reduction in carbon for the whole of life emissions compared with the Brisbane City Council concept design (project base case), A total of 34,497 tCO2e was prevented through value engineering at the Cultural Centre station and design optimisation at Inner-City precincts including the use of green energy for tunnelling activities, offsetting of emissions, and through the use of hybrid and electric cars during construction, Use of renewable energy to power street lighting reducing operational emissions for InnerCity precinct infrastructure, 43% energy substituted for renewable sources representing 854,231,209 MJ or 13,550 tCO2e prevented compared to base case.
Materials	Materials footprint measurement and reduction (Mat-1)	48.1% reduction in embodied carbon for the whole-of-life emissions compared with the Brisbane City Council concept design (project base case), A total of 42,989 tCO2e was avoided through value engineering at Cultural Centre station and design, optimisation at inner-city precincts including the use of Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) and Supplementary Cementitious Materials (SCM).
Waste	Diversion from landfill (Was-2)	99.17% of uncontaminated spoil (106,558 m3) and 88.86% of inner and non-hazardous waste (172,060m3) were diverted from landfill through resource recovery.
Community health, wellbeing, and safety	Community health, wellbeing (Hea-1)	Positive contribution to three issues identified by the community: Active transport: Increased dedicated bikeway and improved on-road cycle lanes with a 460-metre extension of the Citylink cycleway, 330 metres of new dedicated two-way cycle lanes on Melbourne Street, between Grey Street and Cordelia Street in South Brisbane, 450 metres of upgraded on-road cycle lanes on Grey Street, South Brisbane to provide separation to the adjacent vehicle lanes and parking bays. Local skills development Eight training development programs including traineeships / apprenticeships, certifications and diplomas, 224,600 total training hours. Social inclusion 64,044 indigenous labour work hours, 13,631 training hours. Development programs, social procurement and cultural awareness activities.
Heritage	Heritage assessment and management (Her-1)	Heritage protection, interpretation, and enhancement: During excavation for the Adelaide Street tunnel entrance, a dry-stone wall dating back to 1827 and associated with the Convict Hospital was discovered. The project archaeologist salvaged portions of the wall which were incorporated into the project urban design at Adelaide Street, Brisbane, Artefacts, including crockery, glass and stoneware bottles, dating back to the 1800s, were discovered during excavation from the Early Streets of Brisbane. These artefacts were displayed in a heritage exhibition to the public at the Brisbane Metro Information Centre, Indigenous engagement including the commissioning of dedicated project Aboriginal artwork by Turrbal artist Kulkarawa Meeanjinu, hi-vis work shirts with Turrbal artwork, Smoking Ceremony and Welcome to Country cultural activities during the project.

Verified Innovations

Name

Innovation Type

Description

Ultra-High Performance Concrete Blisters

Innovative technology or process – Australian First

In an Australian first, the Victoria Bridge strengthening works employed external post-tensioning using Ultra-High-Performance Fibre-reinforced Concrete Blisters.

Benefits included:

Maintaining the bridge’s aesthetics

Improved constructability

Reduced additional dead loads

Reduction of CO2e emissions by using Dura® concrete due to reduced material and energy input.

Trinocular and Binocular tunneling techniques

Innovative technology or process – Australian First

In an Australian first, the Adelaide Street mined tunnel using trinocular and binocular techniques beneath a live CBD corridor.

Benefits included:

Avoided a 3year Adelaide St closure, maintaining access for 70+ businesses and City Hall,

Preserved 40 mature street trees and reduced waste by avoiding ~50,000 t of spoil,

4,101 tCO2e reduction by avoiding demolition/reconstruction of surface infrastructure,

Maintained uninterrupted operation of 50+ bus routes and the Anzac Day Parade route,

Minimised noise, vibration and settlement (<30 mm), protecting Brisbane City Hall and adjacent heritage assets.

Acknowledgments – People

The Collaborative Partnership acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the land on which Brisbane Metro is located, and pays respect to Elders past, present and emerging.

In August 2021, Brisbane Move engaged the Turrbal Tribe, to create an Acknowledgment of Country artwork. The artwork was created by Turrbal in-house artist, Kulkarawa Meeanjinu, who is an Aboriginal artist from Brisbane and is a Turrbal and Gubbi Gubbi woman with additional bloodline connections to Wakka Wakka, Kamilaroi and Birri Gubba Country. She was named after her great, great, great grandmother who was the daughter of Daki Yakka (Chief of the Brisbane Tribe during the first half of the 19th century). The design incorporates colours that complement the Brisbane Move logo and reflects on the many journeys around and across the Brisbane River. In Turrbal’s Dreamtime stories, the Brisbane River was created by the rainbow serpent, which has special significance in Aboriginal spirituality. Kulkarawa has made the blue snake, which symbolises the Brisbane River, the centre of this piece. The concentric green circles represent the many communities within Brisbane. The bright yellow rings and lines represent the modern modes of transport that mobilise people, enabling them to connect with one another.

The light-yellow dots symbolise the many people in transit who are venturing out on their different journeys in present-day Brisbane. By contrast, the white footprints depict walking as a primary transportation mode for the Turrbal people. In traditional times, Turrbal people travelled mainly on foot or in canoes. The white curlicues within the snake are symbolic of various paths along the river which were canoed by Turrbal people. Kulkarawa's piece captures the existence of both traditional and modern transportation modes in Brisbane.

Acknowledgments – Suppliers

Subcontractors and Suppliers

Brisbane Move would like to extend our sincere gratitude to all the subcontractors and suppliers who contributed to the success of the Brisbane Metro major infrastructure works. Your dedication and expertise have been invaluable in achieving the project’s sustainability goals and obtaining the IS Design and As Built Rating certification.

Special Acknowledgment: Freyssinet

Brisbane Move would like to specifically acknowledge Freyssinet for their exceptional work on Victoria Bridge on the precast anchorage blisters. Their expertise in structural strengthening and innovative engineering solutions played a crucial role in the enhancement of this iconic piece of infrastructure.

Freyssinet Australia participated in a 10-week Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) phase to establish the methods and techniques for developing the anchorage design. Freyssinet Australia were appointed as a specialist subcontractor to design, develop, and prototype test the precast anchorage blisters utilising ultra-high-performance fibre-reinforced concrete (UHPFRC) made from the Dura® mix design.

Testimonial

"The Brisbane Metro project was the catalyst for reshaping more than 2.5 kilometres of the inner‑city’s public realm. Its interventions deliver more generous public places, improved connections to major cultural institutions and civic buildings, and a deeply contextual placemaking approach that respects heritage while responding to the immediate locality’s intensity of use. The decluttering of Adelaide Street and reopening of key view corridors at the Queensland Cultural Centre exemplify this ambition. Through the integration of art, landscape, and architecture, the project elevates essential transport infrastructure, expands canopy cover, and celebrates Brisbane’s climate, identity, and evolving urban character. The IS Rating tool has been an excellent tool to map the project’s impact.”

Gavin Soward, Project Director, Brisbane Metro