Perth, Western Australia
Background
Elizabeth Quay (formerly Perth Waterfront) is a major urban development in the heart of Perth which will provide significant additional commercial space, inner-city residential options and a hotel. The project covers nearly 10 hectares of prime riverfront land and it includes construction of a new inlet, roads, parks, promenades and an island with a connecting bridge. The inlet will be surrounded by a split level promenade, shops, cafes, restaurants and entertainment venues.
Leighton Contractors, with its subsidiary Broad Construction Services, subcontracted geotechnical specialists GFWA to construct the piled foundations for the proposed Elizabeth Quay Pedestrian Bridge, Kiosk 4, Kiosk 6, Florence Hummerston Kiosk and piled foundations required for the construction of the canopy at the proposed TransPerth Ferry Terminal. In addition a 1km long permanent diaphragm wall, enabling construction of the island and the inlet, is part of GFWA’s scope. Another project component is a temporary sheet pile wall to enable construction of the proposed water feature.
The public realm around the waterfront was available for public use by spring 2015, with private sector developments to follow.
Scope
CMW carried out the detailed geotechnical design under GFWA’s contract. Throughout construction, CMW provided further geotechnical input and construction supervision.
Design components included:
- Conventional and CFA piled foundations for the Elizabeth Quay Pedestrian Bridge, Kiosk 4, Kiosk 6, Florence Hummerston Kiosk and conventional piled foundations required for the construction of the canopy at the proposed TransPerth Ferry Terminal;
- Static pile load testing in tension to mimic aBridge Pile;
- Pile Integrity testing for 10% of foundation piles;
- Temporary sheet pile wall to enable construction of the proposed water feature;
Findings/Challenges
The construction works were closely monitored to ensure competent rock sockets in the King’s Park Formation were achieved for The Elizabeth Quay Bridge piles.