acciona, BAM Nuttall, civil engineering jobs, new zealand, QBCC, singapore, sydney metro, turanga,

October 29, 2018

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ConsultANZ Weekly Industry News – 29th October 2018

Australia

NEW SOUTH WALES

An ACCIONA consortium has been shortlisted by Transport for  New South Wales to design and build the tunnelling and station excavation (TSE) works for the Sydney Metro City & Southwest project.

The Sydney Metro is the biggest transport project in Australia. ACCIONA will bid for the Sydney Metro harbour tunnels in a consortium with Ferrovial Agroman Australia and BAM International Australia. ACCIONA is one of the two consortia that have been shortlisted to tender for the tunnelling contract. The NSW Government expects to award the contract in mid-2017, with construction beginning towards the end of 2018.

The TSE works for the Sydney Metro City & Southwest comprise the second stage of the Sydney Metro project. Construction of the first stage, formally known as North West Rail Link, is well underway and is planned to commence operation in the first half of 2019.

The TSE contract includes construction of twin tunnels from Sydney Metro Northwest, beneath Sydney Harbour and Sydney’s Central Business District (CBD) to Sydenham.

The new 15.5 km twin railway tunnels from the end of Sydney Metro Northwest at Chatswood to Sydenham will be the longest railway tunnels in Australia. Stage 2 of the Sydney Metro will contribute significantly towards alleviating congestion in the city.

Source: www.acciona.com.au

QUEENSLAND

A public examination will be held into the collapse of two major Queensland construction companies which the Government says left hundreds of small businesses, subcontractors and suppliers unpaid.

Key points:

• Cullen Group and One Home collapsed, owing creditors millions
• The State Government says small businesses and subcontractors bore the brunt
• A $300,000 inquiry by the regulator will seek to find out where the money went

The Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC) is contributing $300,000 for inquiries into both Cullen Group and Queensland One Homes, which are said to have had “significant” ramifications on the construction industry.

Cullen Group collapsed in December 2016, leaving 500 creditors owed more than $18 million, while Queensland One Homes was left owing $6 million when it went into liquidation in July 2017.

Source: ABC News

 

 VICTORIA

Australian superannuation funds announce $15 billion Melbourne Airport ‘Super Train’ 

A consortium backed by the superannuation of more than seven million Australians today announced a detailed plan for Melbourne’s long-awaited airport rail link, promising the fastest travel times, a premium around-the-clock service and enhanced access for regional Victorians.

AirRail Melbourne, comprising IFM Investors, Melbourne Airport, Metro Trains Australia and Southern Cross Station, today unveiled its blueprint for the development of the rail link with the Victorian and Australian Governments.

Under the $15 billion plan, AirRail Melbourne is proposing to match the $5 billion funding announced by both the Victorian and Commonwealth Governments to build a world-class link that unlocks additional rail capacity and creates thousands of new jobs.

‘Super Train’ key features

•  20-minute travel time to the city, using a redeveloped Sunshine Station super-hub to provide greater access for regional passengers;
• Construction-ready in late 2020, two years earlier than currently planned;
• 24/7 trains, departing every 10 minutes during peak periods, with passengers fast-tracked at Southern Cross Station and Melbourne Airport to cut interchange times;
• One-way tickets at less than $20 in today’s prices;
• Reduction of 10 minutes from travel times for regional services into the city via new dedicated tracks;
• Supporting 12,000 jobs each year during construction and stimulating 13,000 jobs in Melbourne’s west and Victoria’s regions; and
• 27 kilometres of new track and twin rail tunnels to deliver a premium airport rail service and open up additional capacity for rail services to Melbourne’s booming west.

Source: www.medianet.com.au

The first of many local contractors has been awarded work to support the planning phase for the new rail bridge over the Avon River. Preparatory works are now underway and local contractors are already beginning to reap the rewards of this vital $95 million project. OnePlan Land Development Group, which has offices in Bairnsdale and Beaconsfield, will begin cadastral surveying at the Avon River site on Monday and complete the work over the next two weeks.

The survey will determine where the existing property boundaries are around the bridge site and is a vital part of the planning process. The Gippsland Line Upgrade is now a program participant with GROW Gippsland to maximise local and social employment and procurement opportunities. The $530 million Gippsland Line Upgrade will deliver improved train services to the growing communities of Gippsland and create hundreds of jobs. Work to select a contractor to build the new rail bridge is also well advanced, with the Request For Proposal (RFP) phase for shortlisted contractors opening on Friday 12 October.

RPV has shortlisted three contractors – Downer EDI Works, CPB Contractors and a Joint Venture between Coleman Rail and Decmil Southern – who will provide detailed proposals on how they plan to deliver the bridge.

These proposals are due early next year and following an evaluation period, RPV will award the design and construct contract mid-2019.

Construction on the bridge is targeted to begin in late 2019, with a target completion date of early 2021, subject to planning and environmental approvals.

The Gippsland Line Upgrade is part of the joint funded $1.75 billion Regional Rail Revival program. For more information visit regionalrailrevival.vic.gov.au

Source: www.premier.vic.gov.au

AROUND THE WORLD

EUROPE

A consortium comprising PORR, Gulermak and Energopol-Szczecin has signed a €150m contract for the construction of the Świnoujście tunnel in Poland. The 3.2km project includes a 1.44km TBM-excavation in the slurry shield procedure and the breakout diameter of the tunnel will be 13.5 metres.

A two-way roadway will be constructed with traffic lanes with a width of 3.5 metres and evacuation niches will be built using ground freezing. The consortium will implement the project as a design and build contract.

PORR CEO Karl-Heinz Strauss said: “The Świnoujście tunnel is one of our key infrastructure projects in Poland. In cooperation with our PORR colleagues from Poland and Austria as well as the experienced experts from Gulermak and Energopol-Szczecin, we will demonstrate our construction expertise and innovative strength.”

The tunnel, which will be completed in 2022, will provide a direct connection between Uznam and the Polish mainland, reduce the journey time to a few minutes, and improve the connection to Polish holiday areas in West Pomerania.

The Polish city of Świnoujście extends over the eastern part of the island of Uznam and over the islands of Wolin and Karsibór. Uznam houses an administration centre and service centre as well as a seaside resort with tourist and health resort facilities.

Uznam and Wolin are separated by the Świna river, and traffic between the islands is currently carried out via ferry connections across the Świna.

Earlier in September 2018, PORR laid the cornerstone for an educational campus at the PORR compound in Vienna Simmering, marking the expansion of the existing three-pronged training system for apprentices.

The educational concept is the only one of its kind in Austria, and training sessions at the campus are set to begin in September 2019.

At the educational campus, PORR will offer every apprentice an additional internal training course for three weeks per year, which is expected to help increase the number of apprentices from the current 4% to 5% in the short term and to 8% in the medium term.

The curriculum will cover practice and theory, which is more difficult to convey on the construction site itself. This will include training on how to handle modern construction materials, smart machinery and an introduction into the new world of work.

Source: www.worldconstructionnetwork.com  – WCN Editorial Team

USA

President Donald Trump has signed America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018, authorizing almost $6 billion of projects. The act includes Army Corps of Engineers projects under the $3.6 billion Water Resources Development Act and reauthorization of the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act, which authorizes the Environmental Protection Agency to loan money for eligible water and wastewater infrastructure construction.

The projects listed in the act still must apply for funding, but potential initiatives include the $15.6 million Houston-Galveston Navigation Channel Extension; the $306.5 million Ala Wai Canal project in Hawaii; $922 million replacement lock at Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan; and the $3.2 billion Sabine Pass to Galveston Bay hurricane and flood risk reduction project in Texas. The Galveston Bay project would see the largest federal outlay — $2.2 billion — for the “coastal spine.” The act also unauthorizes about $4 billion of stalled or defunct projects.

At the signing this week, Trump said the legislation is a “major step” toward fixing America’s infrastructure and that the act would provide the money and tools to upgrade coastal ports; reduce flooding; repair ecosystems; restore and maintain inland waterways; overhaul dams, hydropower and irrigation systems; and improve drinking water infrastructure. The president also touted the bill’s “Buy American” provisions, which includes a five-year mandate to use American-made steel and iron on projects built under the act.

Source: Kim Slowey @kimslowey ConstructionDive

UK

Construction firm BAM Nuttall has secured a contract from Suffolk County Council for the first stage of work on the Lake Lothing Third Crossing in Lowestoft, UK.

Under the contract, which will start on 1 November 2018, BAM Nuttall will finalise the design of the crossing.

Suffolk County Council’s leader Matthew Hicks said: “The cabinet unanimously approve the award of this contract, which is a huge milestone in the building of this bridge.

“Following diligent work from the project teams at the council, we have selected a contractor which we believe brings a balance of high-quality work and value for money. This project will be a big boost to both the people and economy of Lowestoft.”

Upon completion, the Lake Lothing Third Crossing is expected to reduce vehicle congestion in the town and boost the local economy.

The award of the main construction contract is scheduled to be announced in late 2019.

Source: www.worldconstructionnetwork.com  by WCN Editorial Team

SINGAPORE

Facebook is set to establish the first custom-built, $1bn data centre in Asia in Singapore as part of the social media company’s plan to expand in the continent.

The 170,000m² data centre is expected to support hundreds of jobs.

In a statement, Facebook said that it selected Singapore due to its robust infrastructure and access to fibre, talented workforce, and community partners, including the Singapore Economic Development Board and the Jurong Town Corporation, which helped the company to move the project forward.

It said that Singapore has also established business-friendly policies, including measures that support the enforcement of contracts and increase the ease of construction permitting.

Facebook said that the Singapore Data Center, which will join the company’s portfolio of hyper-efficient facilities, has been designed from the ground up with new features to minimise the use of water, energy and land.

The Singapore facility will be the first to feature the new StatePoint Liquid Cooling system, which minimises water and power consumption and reduce the amount of peak water used by 20% in climates such as Singapore’s.

Facebook said that it is working to increase the development of new solar resources in Singapore, as it expects the Singapore facility to be powered by renewable energy similar to other data centres.

With an annual power usage effectiveness of 1.19, where almost every watt will be used to run the computing equipment, the Singapore data centre is expected to be a leader in energy efficiency when compared with other facilities in the region.

The company has developed an 11-storey building design tailored to Singapore to conserve space. The building façade will be constructed with a perforated lightweight material that allows airflow and provides glimpses of the modern mechanical equipment inside.

Facebook has selected Fortis Construction as general contractor for the Singapore data centre.

Source: www.worldconstructionnetwork.com  by WCN Editorial Team

 

 

New Zealand

In 2011, a major earthquake killed 185 people in Christchurch, New Zealand as a result of collapsed buildings and falling masonry. As the city has been rebuilt over the course of the following decade, nine projects were identified as vital to the redevelopment of the city centre.

One of those projects, Tūranga, is an earthquake-resistant central library designed by Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects with help from Architectus. The five-story, 102,000-sf library’s structure was developed by Lewis Bradford Consulting Engineers to withstand potential future earthquakes of the magnitude that struck in 2011. Tūranga was constructed to very stringent performance criteria and is designed to sustain minimal structural damage during a large earthquake thanks to an integrated, self-centring mechanism that allows the building to sway and then return to its original position. The library is protected by a force-resisting system made up of a series of large-scale concrete walls that rock and shift to isolate the building from peak earthquake accelerations during a seismic event. Each wall has high tensile, pre-tensioned steel cables that clamp the wall to the foundations with approximately 1,000 tons of force per wall. The stretch of these cables returns the building to its original position after an earthquake.

Tūranga’s entrance connects the library with Cathedral Square and surrounding buildings and leads to a ground floor that is a continuation of the public realm of the square. Located just inside the entrance is a cafe and an innovation zone that features a 20 foot touchscreen wall. Deeper into the building is the main elevator core, which rises vertically through the building with transitions of flora and fauna important to Ngāi Tahu, the local Māori tribe.

Source: www.bdcnetwork.com by David Malone, Associate Editor

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