Deer Park Station, Victoria: Western Program Alliance, part of the Level Crossings Removal Project. 

When designing the new station for Deer Park, Victoria, the project team wanted to ensure the long-term resilience of the infrastructure in the face of changing temperatures, while also aligning the development with the broader climate goals of the project and the community. To support this, several innovations were designed into the station and its surrounds, aiming to combat the “urban heat island effect” often exacerbated by the heavy use of concrete and paving necessitated by urban infrastructure. Some key considerations included: 

• Solar-panel topped bus shelters, which serve as both a shade structure for pedestrians, as well as a means of green energy generation for the station.  
• ‘Coolseal’ topped surfaces throughout the carpark, which reflect light and heat and avoid heat absorption by the asphalt. 
• Shaded areas and paths in and around the station serve to improve amenity for commuters while also reducing solar heat absorption by the paved surfaces. 
• Planting of a green roof, which was a first for any railway station in Australia. The local and native plants on the roof are irrigated from water collected by the roof itself and blend in with the landscaping around the platform. 

Sydney Metro West: Department of Transport NSW 

Sustainability considerations have been a key focus of The Sydney Metro project from its inception. Early in the project planning, it was identified that concrete usage was going to be significant contributor to the carbon emissions of the project’s lifecycle. The team recognised the opportunity for a substantial reduction in embodied carbon emissions through considered adjustments to the concrete utilised.

Over 9km of segmented tunnel lining was manufactured using supplementary cementitious materials – a cement alternative which replaced up to 50 per cent of cement required for the concrete tunnel linings. This is estimated to reduce the embodied carbon footprint of the tunnel segments by around 13,000 tonnes CO2e.

For more inspirational case studies, refer to the Sustainability Guide, or watch the recorded Sustainability Webinar Series.