Byrne Consultants were commissioned by Halikos Construction to undertake detailed civil engineering design, documentation and construction certification for a D&C contract to provide a new school for children with disabilities. Byrne Consultants were responsible for earthworks, site grading, roadworks; carparks, footpaths, storm-water drainage infrastructure, managing approvals with authorities, preparing construction specifications and schedules, providing technical advice during construction, construction inspections and certification of the works.
The nature of this project presented some unique challenges, requiring detailed understanding of legal and regulatory requirements in relation to access and mobility standards for children and adolescents. We reviewed applicable legislation and advocated for the adoption of normative reference standards, which ensured best practice design outcomes to suit the intended end users.
We also undertook detailed storm-water investigations to assess the hydraulic capacity of existing downstream stormwater infrastructure. After proofing the design and obtaining third party verification, we negotiated Approvals with City of Darwin to permit discharge offsite without the need for onsite detention.
During construction, we encountered some conflict with existing services. This included exposing an asbestos sewer rising during the preparation of subgrade for a driveway crossover; and identifying a clash between an existing high voltage reticulation cable and a proposed stormwater pipeline. Relocation and/or modification of these existing services would have been costly, time consuming and disruptive to the local community due to prolonged closure of public walkways along school routes. Considering this, Byrne Consultants developed alternative design solutions which mitigated these clashes through reduced cover and clearances. We negotiated approvals with PowerWater and obtained a compromise on commonly accepted standards.