Installing a perimeter diaphragm wall to waterproof a shared deep basement of three 50-story office towers has been, so far, the biggest challenge for crews working on part of a nearly $6.1-billion waterfront redevelopment in Sydney. Laying the foundation for the ambitious Barangaroo South project, sited on 7.5 hectares of public land, is part of a scheme to create a replicable model for cradle-to-grave, grand-scale carbon-neutral development, starting from the moment construction begins to the end of the useful life of the buildings.
Barangaroo South, on the site of a former container wharf, aims to be carbon-neutral in operation, including energy, waste and commuter carbon emissions, says Anita Mitchell, general manager of sustainability for the local Lend Lease (LL), which acquired the Barangaroo South development rights from the New South Wales’ (NSW) Barangaroo Delivery Authority in late 2009.