As part of our focus on supporting communities, our Healesville-Koo Wee Rup Upgrade project team recently donated a new fridge and freezer to Sammy’s Community Pantry in Pakenham, Victoria.

Sammy’s Community Pantry is a free community food bank that provides free tinned, packaged food and now refrigerated and frozen food to those in need.

The idea to donate to the pantry came from the project team, who started with on-site food drives, and then started a workplace raffle. 

A series of raffles took place, raising enough funds to buy a double door commercial fridge and freezer.

The team also made sure the new white goods would be put to good use immediately as they stacked the new fridge and freezer with plenty of fresh produce for everyone to enjoy.

McConnell Dowell is the primary sponsor of the Melbourne University Civil and Structural Society (MUCSS).

It's one way of connecting with engineering students and providing insight into the industry and the career paths available to them while they study. 

MUCSS Infrastructure Engineering Networking Night

Every year, MUCSS hosts a flagship networking night aimed at connecting young, aspiring engineering students with industry professionals. We bring along several current graduate engineers to network with the students and provide insight into what to expect as a graduate at McConnell Dowell. 

McConnell Dowell x MUCSS Exclusive Event

We also host an exclusive event for engineering students. Most recently our Digital Engineering team delivered an engaging overview of DE and its growing importance in construction to a captivated audience of students.

The Shotover Wastewater Treatment Plant Upgrade team in Queenstown, New Zealand, took a close look at where they were going to source concrete, the mixes and how any surplus concrete could be used onsite to reduce the project’s carbon footprint.

In collaboration with local concrete supplier Allied and designers Beca, the team developed a custom low-carbon concrete mix using two different Supplementary Cementitious Materials (SCM).

Cement, a binding agent in concrete, is a significant contributor to global carbon emissions so the team used flyash and micro silica to reduce the amount of cement in their mixes.

Flyash is a waste product created from burning of coal in coal fired power stations and using it in concrete to replace cement reduces CO₂e emissions. In the right quantities it can also increase the strength and decrease the permeability of the concrete. The Shotover team worked with the designers Beca to increase the amount of SCMs in the concrete mixes they were planning to use, achieving a mix of 35% flyash.

In mid-March, after testing, approximately 1593 m³ of the 35% flyash mix was poured to form the foundations of the MLE tank. Approximately 244 m³ of a 30% flyash mix was also poured as the foundations for the clarifier.

The 137 m³ of concrete used in the pre-cast panels of the clarifier used 8% micro silica to replace cement.  Micro silica is used to strengthen concrete and make it more durable.

Although it is used in small volumes it has a relatively large impact on the carbon footprint of concrete because it is so easy to source, prepare and transport.

Another carbon win for the project was that all the concrete panels for the clarifier were pre-cast onsite. This eliminated the need to transport them from Tauranga, saving 15,000L of diesel transport emissions.

As well as improving the carbon profile of the concrete used on site the team also looked at ways to reduce concrete waste.  There surplus concrete, about 1% was cast into interlocking blocks that are used onsite as temporary retaining walls and safety barriers.

McConnell Dowell New Zealand (Aotearoa) offered two wāhine (women) Paige Leota and Leila Finau, the opportunity to attend Kia Tupu Kia Toa (To Grow to be Warriors), as part of our relationship with TupuToa.

We have been working with TupuToa since 2021 when our first Māori and Pacific graduates joined the programme and the inaugural Kia Tupu Kia Toa programme was launched in 2022.

The leadership programme Kia Tupu Kia Toa has been carefully co-designed with TupuToa Alumni and staff so the right voices are heard and contribute their insights to build robust learning outcomes. It was designed to extend Māori and Pasifika professionals in leadership roles or transitioning into a position with more responsibilities.     

McConnell Dowell signed Paige and Leila up to the five wānanga (courses) over five months in late 2023. 

To finalise and embed the learnings from the programme Paige and Leila with the other tauira (students) presented to their peers, tutors, invited quests, managers and whanau, about how the programme has helped them and its legacy in their lives.