Stormwater detention, retention and reuse

• Rocla® poles recognised with industry awards

• Spun columns speed convention centre project

MARCH 2009

Rocla sees opportunities

amidst the downturn

This issue we bring you a diverse collection of stories featuring our wide range of precast concrete solutions.

Among the highlights: Rocla Concrete Poles is recognised for its customer service and supply capability with supplier awards; our concrete building columns take pride of place at the new Melbourne Convention Centre; and Rocla further expands its pipe supply offering, signing on as exclusive distributor for Naylor clay sewer pipes and fittings in Australia.

We also bring you a ‘bumper crop’ of stormwater harvesting and reuse projects in this issue. With continuing drought conditions and water restrictions, and potable water supplies at record lows, communities and governments are

constantly looking at ways to manage water resources more sustainably. Rocla Water Quality, with its comprehensive range of storage, treatment and reuse products, is dedicated to the improvement of stormwater quality.

As we start to feel the sting of the global economic downturn, Rocla like most other companies in the building and construction industry welcomes the Government’s commitment to invest in infrastructure projects.

But tough times also present an opportunity – to assess and improve business practices for the long term. And for our part, Rocla is committed to ensuring the fundamentals of our business remain strong by focusing on optimising costs, improving production efficiency,

streamlining systems and practising all round prudent financial management.

As part of this commitment, one of Rocla’s highest priorities is promoting a safe work environment. In the next issue of Rocla Works I would like to share with you our safety experience, as I know it is a subject which is increasingly becoming a key focus for all companies.

And so it should.

I hope you enjoy reading this issue of Rocla Works.If you would like further information on any of the products or solutions featured in this issue, please call our toll-free number 131 004 or visit www.rocla.com.au. Stephen T. Baker General Manager

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Welcome to the latest edition of Rocla Works.

2

RoclaWorksRocla is a leading supplier

of precast concrete

solutions for the civil

construction industry

SRC PIPES

SRP PIPES

CULVERTS

HEADWALLS

ACCESS SYSTEMS

PRECAST BRIDGES

RETAINING WALLS

CONCRETE BOARDWALKS

WATER QUALITY

POLES & PILES

RAILWAY SLEEPERS

RURAL PRODUCTS

Published by

Rocla Pty Limited

ABN 31000 032191

A member of the

Fletcher Building Group

Tower B, Level 11,

Zenith Centre,

821 Pacific Hwy,

Chatswood, NSW 2067

Products featured in this issuePIPES & PRECASTRocla offers Naylor clay pipes 3Plastream® in-line sewage tank 4Qld Council relies on Rocla® culverts 4BRIDGES & BOARDWALKSFour M-Lock® bridges for Qld Shire 5PermaTrak® boardwalk ideal for wetlands 9EARTH RETENTIONEconomical roadside retaining wall 6SPUN COLUMNSQuick columns for convention centre 7

WATER QUALITYecoRainPlus™ saves water for Joey’s 6Green council installs ecoHarvest™ 10Hidden benefits of Plastream® tank 9Durable OSD for Mater Hospital 8Economical storage cells 8CONCRETE POLESRocla® poles win supplier awards 10Concrete poles replace steel towers 3

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Trench Installations The Densleeve sewer pipe system comprises plain-ended vitrified clay pipes and fittings with flexible EDPM sleeve-couplings in diameters from 100 to 300mm.

The Denseal range of socketed pipes have an

integral polyester and EDPM ”O” ring jointing system in 8 diameters from 150mm to 600mm. Both Densleave and Denseal pipes have a range of associated fittings such as bends and junctions.

Jacked Installations Naylor Denlok is a jacking pipe system for trenchless

and micro-tunneling installations. This thick-walled, high axial strength pipe has a high performance flush-fitting joint and is available in a range of standard diameters from 150 to 700mm.

Chemical Resistant Pipe The Hathernware range, developed to address problems with discharges too aggressive for conventional drainage pipe systems, is designed to resist up to 99.8% of chemicals and a thermal shock of up to 120°C.

Band-Seal Couplings Band-Seal couplings are a range of versatile, flexible couplings used for jointing pipes of both similar and different materials. The Band-Seal coupling consist of a moulded synthetic elastomeric sleeve with stainless steel shear and clamping bands.

Naylor Drainage has been manufacturing vitrified clay pipes since 1890 and its high quality products, manufactured to European standard EN 295, are sought after worldwide.

A multi-million dollar upgrade and expansion of Rocla’s poles plant at Rockhampton helped to meet the deadline.

The severe storm on December 8 damaged a 3km

section of a power line near Dysart, 200km inland from Mackay.

Seven multi-section reinforced concrete power poles were manufactured by Rocla in seven days, each 36

metres long and made up of three sections connected on site by high-strength joints. The Rockhampton factory team worked through the weekend to manufacture the poles in time to repair the line. All the poles were ready by December 18 and delivered to site on January 5, many months before steel alternatives could be available.

Rocla has entered into an agreement with leading UK pipe manufacturer Naylor Drainage to distribute its range of vitrified clay sewer pipes and fittings in Australia. The Naylor range includes Densleeve, Denseal & Denlock pipes (all WSAA appraised) as well as Hathernware pipes and Band-Seal couplings.

When a freak storm damaged electricity power line structures in central Queensland, Rocla was ready for the challenge of manufacturing replacement concrete poles to a tight schedule.

Rocla now offers Naylor vitrified clay pipe

36m concrete power poles replace wrecked towers

The emergency sewage storage system formed part of a new sewer pump station and associated pipe works at Burrum Heads Rd in Hervey Bay, one of the fastest-growing regions in Queensland.

Wide Bay Water and design engineers KBR were looking for a cost-effective and maintenance-free solution

which would provide additional in-line storage on a limited site only 10m wide and 140m long. Options such as HDPE or PVC lined concrete pipe and concrete tanks were considered but rejected because of cost and difficulties involved in installation.

The Rocla Water Quality solution comprised a

single run of 2250mm Plastream® SRP pipe approximately 130m in length, with inlet and outlet in the end caps for 800mm diameter Plastream® pipes to accommodate the anticipated flow rate. The dual pipe-tank was supplied with two 1050mm access entries at either end for inspection and maintenance.

An unusual aspect of the project is that the product operates as a large diameter pipe under normal conditions, but in the event

of a shutdown becomes an emergency storage unit. The 516kL capacity of the large-diameter pipe provides an additional 460kL of storage over the 750mm pipe that would normally have been used to satisfy the flow requirements.

The cost, light weight, corrosion resistance, smooth bore and ease of installation all played a part in the specification of the Plastream® product for installation by VDM Construction Bellero.

Rocla Plastream® steel-reinforced polyethylene pipe helped create an efficient, economical sewer storage solution for Wide Bay Water Corporation at Hervey Bay in Queensland.

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Large Plastream® pipe doubles

as in-line sewage storage tank

Rocla helps Gold Coast Council

keep pace with growth

Gold Coast City Council, the second largest local government in Australia, is constantly establishing and improving infrastructure to keep pace with increasing urban density.

Recently the council upgraded a major two-lane rural thoroughfare, Yawalpah Road, at Pimpama, to alleviate flooding. The new road was built alongside the existing one, on a higher level, with seven drainage structures

along its 2.5km length, including four large culverts with up to six culvert crowns and link slabs.

Geoff Clemence, from Gold Coast Council, said the upgrade was part of a $15 million urban development project, with all work carried out by the council using its own day labour and sub-contractors. “The road

duplication will increase the amenity of the road and better serve future growth in the region,” Geoff said.

“Our relationship with Rocla goes back a long way,” he said. “We have increased our quality assurance conditions over time and Rocla has always met our demands in terms of quality and product supply.”

Rocla® box culverts are a common sight in the growth corridor south of Brisbane, where the high rainfall intensity requires large drainage structures in roads to mitigate the effects of frequent flooding.

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Livingstone Shire Council, now part of Rockhampton Regional Council, had identified approximately 70 aged timber bridges which needed replacing in 2004 and called for expressions of interest but did not proceed.

In September 2006 the council recalled expressions of interest in four of the bridges, subsequently awarding the contract to Brisbane firm Canstruct, based on the use of Rocla M-Lock® precast headstocks and bridge planks.

Rocla’s Brisbane office worked with Canstruct on the initial proposal, which was passed on to Rocla’s Mackay operation for final

negotiation. Meanwhile Cardno in Sydney undertook design of the bridges, including changes to the original piling, bridge layout, alignment and kerb arrangement.

All four bridges were designed as two-lane structures utilising precast 8.4m headstocks and abutments, with deck unit spans ranging from 10 to 12m. The Alligator Creek bridge was the largest replacement structure, with five 11m spans.

Canstruct’s approach to the construction of the multiple bridges was to build two bridges simultaneously, in two pairs.

The two northern-most structures at Perkins Creek in Marlborough (100km north of Rockhampton) and Banwan Creek on the Stanage Bay Road were undertaken concurrently, beginning in late April 2008.

The remaining two bridges over Alligator Creek in Rossmoya (20km north of Rockhampton) and Belmont Creek in Glendale (northern suburbs of Rockhampton) were also built simultaneously beginning in mid-July. Construction of all four structures was completed in early December 2008.

Canstruct developed and implemented systems which allowed an accelerated construction program despite the limits set by the variety of substructure requirements, from shallow footing systems to driven pile and bored pier foundations, as well as the flood mitigation controls dictating the bridge deck configurations.

These in-house advances in the application of Rocla’s M-Lock® system now allows Canstruct to offer a cost and time effective solution for regional bridge replacement projects.

Rocla recently supplied four M-Lock® bridges for Livingstone Shire Council in Central Queensland, with components supplied from as far away as Dubbo in NSW.

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Rocla meets challenge of supplying four precast bridges

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Banwan Creek

Perkins Creek

Alligator Creek

Belmont Creek

“Joey’s” used a Federal Government grant to partly finance the purchase of a Rocla ecoRainPlus™ rainwater utilisation system, installed last year by Mystold Excavations. The tank was constructed from Rocla® SRC pipe (RRJ Class 2) in 2550mm diameter lengths, with cast-in end walls and 1050mm diameter access shafts

at each end. Rainwater is collected from the roof of a small grandstand and amenities block and filtered through an ecoRain® VF2 high-volume filter mounted in a separate concrete pit.

The college chose the concrete tank option for its strength and durability. “We wanted a long term solution,”

said grounds manager, Bill Rawling, “and we were very happy with Rocla’s service, both during the construction and after.”

Bill said the school was hoping to reuse around one megalitre of rainwater a year to supplement its allowance from Sydney Water, which limits watering to one day a week. “We use the stored water to supply about 84 sprinkler heads, and a full tank allows us to water regularly for at least a

month,” Bill said. “There has been a marked improvement in the condition of the field – it’s great for the grass and for the environment.”

A hill was built on top of the tank, which is buried at one end of the playing field, to provide a viewing platform for spectators. The additional space is needed: rugby matches between Joey’s and its Catholic rival and neighbour, St Ignatius’ College, Riverview, attract crowds of up to 10,000.

Leading Sydney private school (and top rugby team) St Joseph’s College, Hunters Hill, has invested in the future of water sustainability by installing a 100kL rainwater tank to irrigate its playing fields.

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Joey’s improves its rugby

field with 100kL rain tank

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Cambourne Park Estate is a staged construction which has served the rapidly growing region for many years. However, flat land is now in short supply, requiring the developer to build an access road across a hilly section to reach level ground suitable for further development. Civil engineers

Richard Hughes Project Management designed a dual carriageway with split roadway levels to traverse the 30-degree slope.

A standard cut/fill road design was impractical due to the silt on rock ground conditions and limited space between pavements negated other

retainer systems. The upper and lower pavements were constructed to subgrade level and the Massbloc® wall installed by civil contractors C&K Cartwright before the road was completed, kerbed and paved.

Approximately 460 full blocks and 55 half-blocks were used to construct the 180-metre wall, which has a 3.0m drop over its length, is constructed on a 400m radius and is up to

4 blocks high. Alan Rogers, of Richard Hughes Project Management, said various options were considered but the MassBloc® system proved to be the easiest solution and offered the best price per square metre.

“The system has been used at other sites in the area, so we were able to assess the finished product before ordering,” Alan said.

The Rocla Massbloc® earth retention system provided a simple and economical roadside retaining wall for a residential development at Wodonga, Victoria.

Quick, easy retaining

wall for housing estate road

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Some of the interior columns in the atrium rise to the full roof height of 23 metres between escalators, adding a sense of awe to a spectacular building which will be integrated with the existing Melbourne Exhibition Centre to create a new landmark on the Yarra River.

Another, more important, contribution of the columns to the project was their speed of installation, which helped Brookfield Multiplex meet its construction schedule by providing free-standing, multi-storey columns that could be erected in minutes. Originally, the building was designed with composite

columns on the basis that construction could be fast-tracked by erecting the steel columns first, to support the upper floor structures, then the columns encased in concrete later.

However, the engineers found that the steel columns alone provided limited load capacity, making the composite solution ineffective as a “fast track” design philosophy.

While seeking an alternative precast solution, Multiplex was introduced to the Rocla® product, which provides large, round columns with a hollow core and a smooth finish, and with a high structural capacity and fire rating built-in.

The unique Rocla® manufacturing process creates hollow, steel-reinforced concrete columns of great strength and relatively light weight by spinning in a mould at high speed. Fittings, accessories and block-outs can be accurately positioned in the factory to facilitate construction on site. Columns can be bolted directly to the foundation using barrel connectors

built into the base of the column. The strength of the connection means that the free-standing columns require no propping while still offering some resistance to impact loads, even at 13.5m tall.

Rocla supplied Brookfield Multiplex with 88 columns, all 810mm diameter and most 13.5 metres in length.

The longer, 23-metre columns were supplied in two sections which were bolted together on site using a built-in lug joint.

Rocla’s engineers worked with the Multiplex team to calculate transfer loads and design special beam connections. Cast-in lugs were provided at the top of the columns for attachment to the bottom of steel floor beams. In other cases the hollow columns were core-filled to their full height to allow hold-down bolts to be installed in the core.

Tim Cogan, of Brookfield Multiplex, said the Rocla®

columns provided an ideal solution wherever tall, round columns were required. “They certainly helped to speed up construction and maintain the fast-track nature of the structure,” Tim said, “and they contribute to safety because there’s no formwork or propping and therefore less congestion on site.”

Project Melbourne Convention CentreProject Sponsor Plenary GroupDesign NHArchitecture and Woods BagotConstruction Brookfield Multiplex Spun Building Columns Rocla

Rocla® spun building columns are taking pride of place in the new Melbourne Convention Centre, which is set to host its first function in July 2009.

Concrete columns support construction efficiency at new convention centre

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The steel-reinforced concrete 2400 x 2400 box culvert crowns were installed on an in situ base slab in two adjacent rows of 50m, forming two tanks connected by voids

formed in the culvert legs and providing a storage capacity of 550,000 litres and a uniform distributed load capacity on the crown of at least 15 kPa. Rocla manufactured the box culverts in Brisbane complete with voids for pipe connections and maintenance hole access plus factory formed precast endwalls to simplify

construction. Stormwater outfall from the system is pre-treated using a Rocla First Defense® FD450 vortex separator before entering the stormwater drain.Construction manager Laing O’Rourke co-ordinated the design by civil engineers Cardno Alexander Browne with Rocla Water Quality to deliver the customised solution.

A custom stormwater detention tank under a new 5-level carpark for Mater Health Services in Brisbane utilised 78 large Rocla® concrete box culverts to create a system that is economical, durable and trafficable to Queensland Main Roads standards.

Mt Annan bridge with fascia panels

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Durable trafficable OSD

system for hospital carpark

Rocla eco3™ modular water storage products are modular underground plastic systems for detention, storage and reuse applications. The individual storage cells are manufactured from recycled polypropylene, have a high modular strength and can be stacked in any configuration (up to five deep) to overcome site limitations. Kensington Primary School applied for

a Federal Government grant to harvest stormwater for irrigation and toilet flushing. Rocla Water Quality and the contractor, Sub Terra, determined the most efficient solution, allowing maximum storage within the design depth restraints.

The school wanted a cost-effective and maintenance-free system to store runoff beneath an asphalt

playground. Rocla Water Quality supplied 432 eco3™ storage cells which were stacked three high (1.31m) on a footprint 6.17m x 6.53m, plus 1m cover. Storage capacity is 50,000 litres of stormwater collected from 700 square metres of roof area and 700 square metres of playground.

To fulfil the maintenance-free requirement, Rocla supplied four self-cleaning ecoRain® “cistern” filters in modified pits. The modular tank structure was sealed

by wrapping in geo textile and waterproof liner and surrounding with stabilised sand.

After excavation, the tank system was installed within one day, with the entire project taking only 3 to 4 weeks.

Rocla Water Quality provided an economical stormwater harvesting solution for a Melbourne primary school using the new eco3™ modular storage cell system.

Modular storage cells add up

to economical stormwater harvesting

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First priority for the council was a boardwalk that was highly resistant to vandalism. The two previous boardwalks in the wetlands were subject to extensive fire damage, as well as water damage, resulting in the removal of one of the boardwalks. Another problem was reactive clay soils that had pushed the timber footings out of the

ground, making the existing boardwalk uneven and hazardous for users.

A third major criterion was aesthetic. The old timber boardwalk was made up of linear sections which zigzagged across the wetlands. The council wanted a gentle S-bend, which is easily achieved using tapered treads with

the modular PermaTrak® system. Contractor Max Bright & Sons installed the boardwalk to council’s design, providing a high quality and accurate construction. The 2-metre wide boardwalk is 183 metres long and supported on precast stumps and risers, plus columns for elevated sections constructed from Rocla® steel-reinforced concrete pipes. Wyndham Council is rehabilitating the wetlands as part of a major project to improve the amenities

of Heathdale Glen Orden Reserve. The works include improving water flow through the wetlands, planting of indigenous trees, shrubs and aquatic plants, construction of playgrounds, a fitness circuit connecting to the boardwalk, and an observation shelter for viewing wildlife.

The rainwater utilisation system was installed during a $20 million redevelopment of the Junior School being carried out by Candetti Constructions. Rainwater collected from the roofs of existing classrooms and a new administration

building will be used for toilet flushing and irrigation of landscaping. Rocla Water Quality supplied an 80m long tank constructed from 2250mm diameter Plastream® steel-reinforced polyethylene pipe, with end caps and two 900mm access shafts.

The tank has a storage capacity of 300,000 litres. Plastream® storage systems

combine the advantages of HDPE, such as durability and resistance to chemicals and abrasion, with the strength of steel reinforcement, to achieve a high strength-to-weight ratio.

Although it is one of the lightest structural detention tank systems available, the Plastream® storage system has the installed strength to perform under heavy loads.

The Rocla PermaTrak® concrete boardwalk system provided a cost-effective solution for Wyndham Council when it replaced a timber boardwalk at Heathdale Glen Orden Wetlands in Werribee, Victoria.

A Plastream® in-ground storage and detention system provided an economical rainwater harvesting solution for prestigious Adelaide private school St Peter’s College.

Concrete boardwalk the ideal solution for wetlands walkway

Plastream® tank provides hidden benefits for exclusive school

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Rocla wins industry recognition

for concrete poles supply

Major NSW energy supplier Energy Australia awarded Rocla a Certificate of Recognition for “Significant improvements in manufacturing outputs for the supply of concrete poles” in 2008.

The award was presented by John Eisenhuth (Executive General Manager Distribution Operations &

Reliability) at the annual Energy Australia Suppliers’ Breakfast, held in Sydney at the Novotel Homebush on November 27 and attended by representatives of more than 100 of Energy Australia’s suppliers.

In Victoria, electricity supplier Powercor honoured Rocla with its Supplier of the Year award for 2008.

The award was presented during the Powercor client breakfast, held at the Zinc function centre, Federation Square, on December 3. Powercor measured the performance of all its suppliers against criteria such as outstanding service and

on-time deliveries. Rocla was singled out for its rapid response in addressing critical issues and providing design assistance to ensure the pole products supplied were appropriate for Powercor’s transmission and distribution applications.

The recent expansion of Rocla’s pole manufacturing capability was recognised by two of its top customers, Energy Australia and Powercor, with the presentation of Supplier Awards for 2008.

Rocla’s John Hore (left) accepts an Energy Australia Supplier Award from John Eisenhuth.

Rocla’s Ken Beattie accepts the Powercor Supplier of the Year award.

A small area of open land at an intersection provided an ideal location for the collection of stormwater runoff, which normally overflows into a box culvert drain under the CBD. By intercepting the flow, the council is able to store

30,000 litres in underground concrete tanks for reuse. Stormwater is stored in three 10,000-litre ecoRain® concrete tanks after being treated in a two-stage process via a gross pollutant trap and a mesh filter to remove fine particles. The

treatment train includes a Rocla CDS Nipper™ compact gross pollutant trap, followed by an ecoRain® VF2 high-volume self-cleaning filter, mounted in separate concrete pits.

The council, in collaboration with Rocla Water Quality, found the combined system of stormwater treatment and storage to be the most cost-effective solution. The

completed works included the construction of a bio swale above the underground storage tanks.

Instead of limiting water reuse to the site, the council is using the system as a source for water tankers, which allows a range of uses throughout the town centre, including street cleaning as well as watering of plants and trees.

Fairfield City Council in western Sydney has proved its commitment to water sensitive urban design by installing a Rocla ecoHarvest™ stormwater harvesting system in the centre of the CBD.

Green council harvests street

drainage for water tankers

New strong pole range

Pole heights up to 55m

Increased capacity

Shorter lead times

BiggerStronger faster.Rocla® concrete poles

A major upgrade of Rocla’s pole manufacturing

facilities at Rockhampton and Wodonga has significantly

increased production capacity and consistency of supply

of large poles for high voltage transmission.

For further information on other concrete products

such as communication, lighting and CCTV poles or marina

piles, contact Rocla Concrete Poles or visit our website.

For further information:Melbourne (03) 9549 4540 rockhaMpton (07) 4936 1233

www.rocla.com.au

The contents of this publication are copyright and may not be reproduced in any form without the prior written consent of Rocla Pty Limited. Product applications described in this publication are to be taken as illustrations only, and are provided without liability on the part of the company or its employees and agents. ®™ Trademarks of Rocla Pty Limited. ABN 31 000 032 191. A member of the Fletcher Building Group. First Defense trademark used under exclusive licence from Hydro International PLC. Plastream trademark licensed from Rib Loc Pipe Pty Ltd (ACN 111 107 852) for exclusive use in Australia and NZ.

MassBloc trade mark used under exclusive licence from MassTec Industries Limited and Fletcher Concrete and Infrastructure Limited. ©Rocla Pty Limited, March 2009.

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