Blacktown Native Institution Plan of Management, Australia
UrbanGrowth NSW
GHD worked alongside Landcom and the Dharug community since 2012 to develop a Plan of Management for the Blacktown Native Institute (BNI) site in Western Sydney. The Draft Plan of Management was developed to guide the appropriate future uses for the site and ensure its protection and recognition, whilst delivering improved social, cultural and economic outcomes for the community.
With a long history of distrust of the government and competing ideas about the use of the site within the community, developing a shared vision and way forward was a key challenge, with previous attempts to progress community use of the site failing.
GHD helped the Dharug Strategic Management Group (DSMG) to incorporate as a non-for-profit organisation. The land for the BNI site was officially transferred to DSMG by the NSW Government’s land development agency Landcom in October 2018. The transfer was celebrated at a GHD coordinated event.
Comprehensive Large-Scale Wetland Restoration, USA
Border Coast Regional Airport Authority
GHD led a habitat mitigation and restoration project on 17 acres of protected wetland and four acres of dune habitat, making for one of the largest and most complex endeavors of its kind ever built on the northern California coast.
BRCAA's Runway Safe Areas were not up to design standards. To address the needed improvements (and space for the RSAs) would entail an intimidating breadth of wetland mitigation and habitat restoration/re-establishment. GHD knew the RSA improvements would require a complex permitting process and development of a complicated mitigation package, affecting four sites: On-airport, Point Saint George County Park, the Pacific Shores Subdivision, and the Bay Meadows residential development. Stakeholders covered two states, two counties, two cities, and two Native American tribes, with decisions facilitated by a board comprised of municipal, county, and tribal governments, as well as numerous regulatory agencies. RSA construction was completed within budget and almost two months ahead of schedule.
Over the next five years, building upon the success of this project and the relationship forged with the BCRAA, GHD will continue post-construction monitoring, obstruction removal, terminal replacement support, and other projects for the agency and local community. At Pacific Shores, GHD will continue to monitor success of the site for five years post-project; at the end of that time, the acquired parcels and restored road segments will be turned over to the CDFW and will become part of the Lake Earl Wildlife Area.
Designing more sustainable roads, Australia
Main Roads Western Australia
GHD is part of the Metropolitan Road Improvement Alliance (MRIA), which was formed to deliver the design and construction of three projects in Perth, Western Australia.
The projects have formally adopted the Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia’s (ISCA) Infrastructure Sustainability framework.
GHD has provided sustainability services across the job to deliver Infrastructure Sustainability ratings for both Design and As Built. This has involved completing a climate change risk assessment and adaptation process, and developing and implementing innovative ideas such as:
- Adding canopy trees for improved public safety, decreased urban heat island effect and enhanced sense of place
- Donation of hardwood tree root balls to non-profit organisation OzFish, which will install them in local river systems to restore degraded marine species habitat
- Implementation of solar temporary lighting to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and noise
- Trial use of recycled plastic star pickets in place of steel for some applications including delineation, flagging and chainage signage.
Designing the future of Sydney’s Central Station, Sydney, Australia
Laing O'Rourke
The most significant upgrade of Sydney’s historic Central Station since its construction in 1906 will create a sustainable, world-class transport node. Engaged by Laing O’Rourke, GHD, in partnership with Aurecon, is conducting detailed design of the works.
GHD is working to create a high-quality, sustainable asset for Sydney Metro by integrating sustainable development considerations into design decision-making.
This is underpinned by the development and delivery of detailed studies covering elements such as climate change adaptation, building energy modelling, carbon footprint, and life-cycle impact assessment of building materials.
The project is on target to achieve both an Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia (ISCA) design rating of ‘Leading’ and a Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) Green Star Design Rating of at least 5 stars.
We estimate the project has achieved an approximate 40 percent reduction in life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions associated with building materials and a 30 percent improvement in energy efficiency compared to a base case building.
Enabling farms and renewable energy to coexist, NSW, Australia
New South Wales Farmers Association
GHD developed a 'Renewable Energy Landholder Guide' for the New South Wales Farmers Association in Australia, to help landholders, farmers and communities understand the processes for hosting renewable energy developments on their land.
The six-month-long project was supported by the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment, in line with the New South Wales Government's Renewable Energy Action Plan.
To develop the report, the team consulted with renewable energy developers, existing host landholders and industry regulators to gain a deeper understanding of the development process for renewable energy projects – particularly wind and solar farms.
Talking directly to landholders who already host these developments allowed GHD to provide real and authentic information to help guide others who may be considering doing so.
The report will assist potential host landholders to understand and navigate the process from planning, trials, contract negotiation, approvals, construction, operation and decommissioning, and any issues that could potentially occur along the way.
The guide is structured in a way which steps landholders through legal rights and responsibilities, compensation and operating protocols which can be negotiated with developers to ensure farm businesses and renewable energy developments can coexist within a regional community.
Establishing a conservation area in Canada, Canada
Toronto and Region Conservation Authority
The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority in Canada retained GHD as a representative for the Credit River Conservation Authority and the Region of Peel. GHD prepared detailed designs and updated the hydraulic models for the Applewood and Serson Creek extensions through the Lakeview Waterfront Connection Project (LWCP).
The Lakeview Waterfront Connection Project involved the creation of land lakeward of the Lakeview Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) using clean fill generated by the Region of Peel as part of their capital infrastructure expansion works. Reusing fill converted it from an expensive waste product into to a valuable resource, which provided new land base on which to establish a 26 ha conservation area, featuring a cobble beach, rocky island, fish habitat, coastal wetlands and meadows, Carolinian Forest and swamps.
GHD's role in the project was to design the freshwater estuary within the conservation area. The design comprised an enhanced stormwater corridor to increase connectivity to the lake and enhance habitat features, an estuary channel to increase fish passage potential, an outlet through the shoreline revetment to limit sediment and woody debris accumulation, and habitat features within the coastal wetlands and estuary.
Evaluating effects of climate change on infrastructure, Calgary, Canada
City of Calgary / Calgary Airport Authority
Engaged by the City of Calgary and Calgary Airport Authority in Alberta, Canada, GHD estimated future climate data and IDF curves to help design infrastructure for climate change conditions.
The analysis included air temperature, evaporation, precipitation, relative humidity, solar radiation, and wind speed and direction. The historical data were collected, submitted to quality assurance and control, and perturbed to general circulation model projections of the future climate.
GHD also developed future Intensity-duration-frequency (IDF) curves, which characterise the relationship between the intensity of rainfall occurring over a specified time period and its frequency of occurrence, based on historical observations of precipitation. The IDF curves will inform planning and infrastructure design decisions.
Jubail Mangrove Park, UAE
Modon Properties
Engaged by Modon Properties, GHD provided a wide variety of services for this landmark project, which represents a shift in the leisure offerings within Abu Dhabi recording 100,000 visitors in the first three weeks, in line with Abu Dhabi Government’s vision for promoting the natural beauty of the Emirate and maximising its tourist potential.
The project also demonstrates the power of innovative design and construction to provide public access for sensitive environments with minimal disturbance of the surroundings. A series of pedestrian boardwalk routes takes visitors into the mature mangrove forests and tidal lagoons of Jubail Island. The 2.6 km boardwalk navigates through a variety of ecosystems including mangrove habitat, intertidal mudflats, salt marshes, lagoon channels and unique sandstone geological formations (zeugens).
This experience is further enhanced by a series of attractions, including kayak launch points, floating pontoons, expansive net-structures that allow children to get their feet wet, stepping pads and seating nodes with educational signage. The highlight is undoubtedly the two storey observation tower, which provides spectacular panoramic views throughout the wetland habitats and across to the city. The route then terminates at the visitor centre and café, complete with plaza seating, food van area and an educational terrace for school or group visits.
GHD was involved at all stages of the project, including concept design, construction supervision and project management until the handing over.
“A multidisciplinary approach was crucial for successful project delivery in unique marine conditions,” says Malcolm Dixon, GHD’s Regional General Manager – UAE.
“GHD’s design, environmental and supervision teams worked collaboratively with Modon Properties to overcome the challenges of working in a sensitive environment.”
For its uniqueness, Jubail Mangrove Park has been selected as National Winner for the Education Project of the Year Category for UAE at the MEED Projects Awards 2020.
Making the future of schooling more sustainable, NSW, Australia
School Infrastructure NSW
GHD worked closely with Schools Infrastructure NSW (SINSW) in Australia to develop a landmark strategy to define the organisation's sustainable development activities over the next 10 years. The strategy is uniquely ambitious and includes commitments to carbon neutrality and climate resilience.
GHD’s scope in this project was to author a 10-year sustainability strategy and a four-year action plan which will help SINSW as an organisation achieve its vision for sustainability.
The project achieved SINSW’s desired outcomes, and translated the sustainability needs of the organisation into a clear, concise document. It will help to guide SINSW as it invests AUD6.7 billion to deliver 190 new and upgraded schools over the next four years, as the New South Wales public education system prepares for the first major increase in the school-age population since the Baby Boom of the 1950s.
In order to develop these documents, GHD conducted a series of workshops with SINSW stakeholders and personnel to identify sustainability objectives, and realistic actions which would work towards the achievement of these objectives.
The strategy covers emissions, energy efficiency, waste minimisation and selection of building materials, responsible water management, place making, and resilience to climate change and natural disasters.
Providing assurance for emission reduction projects, Australia
Multiple
The Australian Government’s Emission Reduction Fund provides incentives for individuals and organisations to reduce their emissions by earning Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) that can then be sold to generate income.
GHD has completed numerous audits of Emission Reduction Fund projects, representing more than 500,000 tonnes of CO2-e abated or sequestered. These audits provided reasonable assurance over claims that carbon abatement or sequestration has occurred in line with the requirements of the Clean Energy Regulator. GHD assessed the offsets generated through a range of methods such as land regrowth, savannah burning and landfill gas abatement.
Sustainable catchment management for a megacity, Metro Manila, Philippines
Maynilad Water Services Inc.
Water demand in Metro Manila, a city of 21.3 million people, is increasing due to rapid population growth and urbanisation. The issues of degrading infrastructure, low water quality and the influence of climate change have exacerbated water shortages in this Asian megacity.
Ipo Dam supplies 98 percent of the raw water needs for the city. During the wet season, water quality significantly worsens from sedimentation, resulting in treatment plant and water supply outages. Additionally, the dam is losing storage from sediment.
GHD helped Maynilad, which supplies roughly half of the city's water supply, develop a better understanding of the sources of sedimentation in the catchment and the number of years of storage remaining in Ipo Dam, along with a modelling tool for future decision-making.
To support sustainable management of the catchment, GHD carried out the following:
- Bathymetric and topographic survey of reservoir and derived stage-storage curve
- Daily riverbed and suspended sediment, and river discharge measurement
- Establishment of sediment particle size distribution and sediment rating curve
- Estimation of trap efficiency and back calculation of sediment inflow between historical bathymetric surveys
- Continuous hydrologic and hydraulic modelling for a ten year period
- High-level mitigation measures: revegetation, pressure flushing.
Water for Women, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Fiji, Indonesia, Lao, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Vanuatu and Vietnam
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT)
GHD has been engaged by the Department for Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) as the Fund Coordinator to deliver their flagship WASH program, investing $110.6 million over five years from 2018 to 2022 as part of the Australian Aid program.
Water for Women aims to support improved health, gender equality and wellbeing in Asian and Pacific Communities through socially inclusive and sustainable Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) projects.
The benefits of improved, safe access to WASH are clear. Not only does access to WASH prevent disease and death, it also has profound, lasting socio-economic impacts on a community and its ability to prosper, particularly for women and girls.
Water for Women will partner with 10 Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to deliver 19 Projects in 16 Countries in South Asia, South East Asia and the Pacific. Over the course of the Fund, Water for Women hopes to support an estimated 2.95 Million people including some of the most marginalised within these communities.
GHD, together with our client and our partners will provide innovative solutions to WASH delivery in the Indo-Pacific region, and contribute to global WASH evidence and research through Water for Women.
Water for Women recognises that gender equality will be advanced through the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 6 – the Water Goal. Addressing the Water Goal will see a world where women and girls do not bear the time burden of walking long distances every day to collect water for their families, where fewer babies die as a result of mothers giving birth in unhygienic health care facilities and girls no longer miss school because there are no appropriate menstrual hygiene management services.