Our team on the Eastland Port in Gisborne, New Zealand worked collaboratively with our customer to redesign a new marine berth and deliver outstanding sustainability benefits.

During the six-month value engineering process, McConnell Dowell’s in-house engineering team worked with Eastland Port and, using digital engineering and animation capabilities, redesigned the structure from a retaining wall design to a deck-on-pile solution.

This removed the need for 85,000 tonnes of hardfill, meaning 2,833 fewer truck movements through the city, saving 933,470 litres of diesel and reducing carbon emissions by 9731 tonnes. The solution also reduced the amount of steel used by 70% and minimised disruption to port activities.

A drill and drive method was also used to install the piles mitigating noise and vibration for local sea life. Project staging was also optimised to reduce the overall programme by 12 months.

During construction, the team continued to reduce, reuse and recycle wherever possible finding alternate uses for old concrete and reusing steel in temporary works - reducing the project's carbon footprint carbon miles and reduce the footprint even further. 

The project was completed on time, and on budget in August 2023, with a significantly smaller carbon footprint than originally estimated. A karakia and a community open day were held so the locals could come and 'test' drive the new wharf and celebrate its completion with the team. Over 1,400 people turned up to see the brand new 255m wharf.