The City Rail Link (CRL), which is being delivered by a McConnell Dowell and Hawkins Joint Venture, has been awarded a ‘Leading’ Infrastructure Sustainability (IS) Design rating by the Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia (ISCA), the highest possible achievement in the IS scheme.
The rating to Auckland Transport is for the design and construction planning of Contract 2 – Albert Street tunnels and a stormwater diversion.
To award a rating, ISCA considers project performance across six themes: Management & Governance; Using Resources; Emissions, Pollution & Waste; Ecology; People & Place; and Innovation. The process the CRL has undertaken to engage and partner with Mana Whenua (the local Maori people who hold customary rights in that area) to embed cultural values into an industry recognised sustainability framework has been acknowledged as a ‘world first’ innovation.
Auckland Transport worked closely with Mana Whenua to tailor the IS tool to suit not only Auckland, but also the New Zealand cultural context. Also through this partnership with Mana Whenua, the CRL design is developing a cultural richness and sense of place, which will be carried through to the completed project.
“The sheer scale and significance of the CRL means taking a sustainable approach throughout the project lifecycle, is not an option, it just makes sense. This recognition tells us we’re on the right track to achieving our sustainability goals,” says Auckland Transport Project Director Chris Meale.
The submission to ISCA consisted of design documentation produced through the Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) phase with AT’s Principal Technical Advisors (Aurecon with Mott MacDonald, Jasmax, Grimshaw and Arup) and delivery partner Connectus, the McConnell Dowell/Hawkins joint venture.
The City Rail Link Contract 2 package achieved a rating score of 78.7, well above the 50 points required to gain an ‘Excellent’ rating.
Sustainability underpins the entire CRL project from inception, planning and construction and through life operation. The CRL is the first public transport project in New Zealand to measure carbon emissions associated with the construction and operation of the stations and tunnels, with data on energy and water use and waste generation being collected monthly during construction.
Key CRL sustainability initiatives planned over the project lifetime include:
- Switching from diesel generators to grid electricity during construction
- The use of LED street-lighting for the Albert Street reinstatement
- Collaborating with the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) to promote efficient driving and monitor machinery during construction to reduce fuel use
- Changing excavation methods to reduce diesel and water use
- Installing tree pits in the street to collect and filter stormwater runoff.
