14 September 2016

City Rail Link receives sustainability rating

The City Rail Link (CRL) 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 (with Connectus) 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 to embed cultural values into an industry recognised sustainability framework has been acknowledged as a ‘world first’ innovation.

CRL Project Director Chris Meale says 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.

“We are committed to setting the benchmark for sustainable design, construction and operation of infrastructure in New Zealand. 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.”

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.

Antony Sprigg, CEO ISCA, says 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.

“The CRL team put together a very high quality submission demonstrating well prepared management plans, good policies and procedures, opportunities for energy reduction and strong stakeholder engagement and Mana Whenua participation.

“It is clear that this project will achieve some excellent sustainability outcomes if all the good intentions and well-planned processes are implemented on the ground.”

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.

NOTES:

City Rail Link
The City Rail Link (CRL) is Auckland Transport’s top priority and one of New Zealand’s largest infrastructure projects. It is essential to delivering the Auckland Plan, the City Centre Master Plan, the Long Term Plan and the Integrated Transport Programme.

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.

CRL will be targeting an ‘Excellent’ IS rating for each of the major contract packages and the project team is also working with The Southern Initiative at Council to identify opportunities to include wider social outcomes in procurement, encouraging employment opportunities and supporting supply chain resilience for the industry.

In Auckland, transport is responsible for about 40% of our GHG emissions, with the majority from road transport. The City Rail Link will double the peak capacity of the rail network, significantly reduce travel times, giving more vehicle commuters the choice of travelling by train, reducing our city’s footprint and helping New Zealand meet its international commitments on climate change.

As Auckland prepares for a sustainable future, the CRL offers major benefits for all.

Contract 2
'Contract 2' is one of the early CRL contract packages and includes cut and cover tunnels under Albert St between Customs St and Wyndham St and re-instating the streetscape on completion as well as pipe-jacking a new stormwater main between Swanson St and Wellesley St. There is no fit out component to this contract, rail systems will be delivered as part of a separate later contract.

CRL Mana Whenua forum
A CRL Mana Whenua forum was established back in 2012 with the purposes of undertaking kaitiakitanga responsibilities associated with the project. The forum comprises those Mana Whenua groups who expressed an interest in being involved in the CRL project and its related activities. The eight Mana Whenua who self-identified their interest in CRL, and who are part of the forum are:
· Ngāi Tai Ki Tāmaki
· Ngāti Maru
· Ngāti Paoa
· Ngāti Tamaoho
· Ngāti Te Ata Waiohua
· Ngāti Whātua o Ōrākei
· Te kitai Waiohua
· Te Kawerau a Maki

Achieving ‘world first’ IS innovation
CRL worked with Mana Whenua to recognise Te Tiriti o Waitangi and identify opportunities to respond to New Zealand’s cultural context within the IS framework, ensuring the sustainability criteria are compatible with te Ao Māori.

Within the IS rating tool full innovation points are awarded to reward pioneering initiatives in sustainable design, process or advocacy that are considered a world first. ISCA acknowledged through the verification and certification of Contract 2 that the work AT has undertaken in partnership with Mana Whenua meets these criteria.

Undertaking a pilot IS rating in NZ allows us to test the technical criteria of the tool within the marketplace, however embedding Māori cultural values across the IS framework provides the opportunity to be truly responsive to cultural as well as environmental sustainability.

ISCA
The Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia (ISCA) is a member-based not-for-profit public and private industry council. ISCA is the peak industry body for advancing sustainability outcomes in infrastructure. ISCA specialises in facilitating and developing industry-led performance-based integrated triple-bottom-line governance and reporting frameworks, decision and rating tools; generating communities of practice throughout the lifecycle from funding, planning, procurement, design and delivery, to operations and maintenance.

IS rating scheme
The main way ISCA advances sustainability outcomes in infrastructure is through its IS rating scheme. It is an industry-compiled voluntary sustainability performance-rating scheme. It is used to evaluate planning, design, construction and operation of all infrastructure asset classes in all sectors, linking industry, communities and commerce beyond regulatory standards.

The IS rating tool is a comprehensive rating and certification tool for evaluating sustainability across project design and construction. It focuses on:
· Modelling and measuring resource consumption
· Identifying and implementing feasible opportunities to reduce consumption
· Achieving significant reductions in resource use across the infrastructure lifecycle.

Since launching in 2012, over $79.8 billion (AUD) in infrastructure and civil works projects or assets across Australia and New Zealand have either been certified or registered for an IS rating. It is Australia’s only comprehensive rating scheme for evaluating sustainability across design, construction and operation of infrastructure. The rating scheme is made up of 44 credits, nested in 15 categories and six themes.

ENDS

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