Civil Engineering Archives

Kypreos Group is heading into 2023 with an attitude that’s all about positivity, resilience and stepping up to the challenges of the next chapter.

As we pick our way through the rubble left behind by the year 2022, it’s a good time to reflect, take stock and start making plans again.

At work and at home, this year showed many of us what we were really made of. Practically overnight, the stable foundations we had built over many years (five decades in the case of Kypreos) were shaken and our ‘ways of doing things’ were forced to change.

While construction and infrastructure didn’t face the doors-closed problems of industries like air travel and hospitality, we still found ourselves switching to remote meeting models and adapting COVID safe practices. This all happened while we were trying to get our heads around how to keep our families provided for and safe.

It has been incredible to witness so many of our partners, stakeholders, clients and staff keep pace with the step-change that was required to keep people occupied and employed during the shutdown periods. It has also been very encouraging to see the commitment the NSW government has invested in infrastructure, generating hundreds of thousands of jobs.

Here are a couple of the reasons I believe so many Australian businesses have stood strong during the stress caused by COVID.

Long term resilience

As shared by Mckinsey & Company in their intriguing report into what makes a resilient business, “Resilient executives will likely display a more comfortable relationship with uncertainty that allows them to spot opportunities and threats and rise to the occasion with equanimity.”

McKinsey’s ‘Resilience Playbook’ includes a sharp digital program, a simplified organisation and the right band of leaders.

A resilient business comes with time. It stems from careful planning and budgeting, plus the right systems and technology. It also stems from a leadership team that has an innovative, flexible mindset.

Kypreos Group, despite being proud of our past achievements, has always moved with the times. We are always looking for ways to do things differently and better so our business can move forward with the times.

Great people

There is so much to be said for a ‘can do’ culture, especially in years like this one.

When your team is engaged and motivated, they are looking towards the future rather than rolling with minimum standards and spending most of the day waiting for the end of their shift.

While no business is perfect, we are proud to have a growing ‘Ten Year Club’ of staff who have been with us for more than a decade. To encourage this kind of loyalty, we provide training and development programs, which allow for internal career progression.

Our culture is something we work hard on and will continue to have as a focus area in 2021 and beyond.

Sustainable approach

When it comes to the work we do, there will always be environmental impact. However, Kypreos Group is staying resilient in the current situation of climate change by actively seeking ways to minimise our carbon footprint as we create more streamlined and efficient urban areas.

This includes pioneering the use of recycled materials in asphalt as well as continually looking at ways to divert waste from landfill.

With so much at stake, we are highly motivated to be part of the solution, not the problem, especially as Australia (hopefully) progresses towards a more climate-friendly future.

Kypreos is proud to be heading into this new decade as a resilient company when it comes to projects, employment opportunities and environmental responsibility. For more information, visit our website at http://www.kypreosgroup.com.au/.

State Asphalt Services recently completed a roads and laneways update at iconic Sydney location, Bart’s Farm on behalf of Racing NSW. See our team in action.

On the north-western outskirts of Sydney, the 137-acre Princes Farm was designed by legendary horse trainer Bart Cummings. Located near Windsor/Richmond, this generous property has been owned by the Cummings family for three generations.

Serene and spacious, the farmland features undulating horse paddocks, a 1000 metre sand track, several stables, many kilometres of fencing and a number of residences. An iconic destination for the equestrian community, the acreage was purchased by Racing NSW in 2018 to allow it to remain an asset to the horse racing industry.

Renamed Bart’s Farm, the property has been earmarked for a racing academy and educational facility, and is a showpiece for Racing NSW’s Horse Rehabilitation Program. There are future plans to open the grounds to the public by establishing a racing museum as well as a home for retired ‘champions of the turf’.

As with any large property, maintaining access to the various stables and buildings between the perimeters of Bart’s Farm is a challenge. To ensure the onsite team can optimise operations, Racing NSW called on State Asphalt Services to provide a sustainable and environmentally friendly project outcome.

Paving the way at Bart’s Farm

State Asphalt Services was contracted to replace and refurbish road and laneways across Bart’s Farm in early 2021.

Working closely with Racing NSW, we refurbished a total of 2.3 kilometres of roads and laneways. Our proposal included the refurbishment of road edges by adding a topsoiled verge for one metre on either side.

Our professional team brought a range of machinery and asphalt to complete this job, navigating narrow spaces and working on much softer turf than we deal with on urban infrastructure projects.

This was an exciting project for State Asphalt Services workers, who are more used to large construction sites and major motorway upgrades. Working amongst horses, goats and fruit trees, they thoroughly enjoyed the change of scenery and the serenity at Bart’s Farm.

Several curious thoroughbreds watched our progress as State Asphalt Services carefully guided trucks, rollers and other heavy machinery to pave a main ‘arterial road’ and make cross-property access much easier.

Throughout our works, we ensured the horses and other livestock were not impacted in a negative way. Using our own sustainably produced asphalt means we were also able to minimise environmental impact.

Galloping into the future

Bart Cummings described his farm as “horse heaven”. As explained by Racing NSW at the time of purchase, Bart’s Farm “is a very valuable asset for now and into the future for the NSW Thoroughbred Racing Industry.” This special location will play a role for many years to come in homing retired racehorses as well as serving other purposes for the racehorse community.

State Asphalt Services was proud to be involved with this project and looks forward to staying up to date with Bart’s Farm’s retirement programs for racehorses in NSW.

About State Asphalt Services

Providing high quality pavement services, State Asphalt Services Pty Ltd is the highly specialised asphalt and spray seal contracting division of the Kypreos Group of Companies.

Possessing an industry-leading level of technical and operational expertise, which is combined with a flexible and customer-focused approach, the team at State Asphalt Services is able to ensure and provide high-quality asphalt works. State Asphalt Services has the highest level of Transport for New South Wales (TfNSW) prequalification and is able to provide contracting services for a variety of locations, including motorways, airports, major arterial roads and tunnels.

Civil engineering and disaster management

Natural disasters – bushfires, floods, cyclones, or earthquakes – with their suddenness and ferocity, can severely disrupt the functioning of a society or community and result in mass environmental, economic, and human losses. These serious impacts could be prevented and alleviated with quality civil engineering planning and construction, as the industry plays a major role in shaping the physical fabric of the functioning of our society. Both preparation and post-disaster recovery must be considered throughout the planning, design, and construction process. This way, infrastructures can withstand disruption, absorb disturbance, and can be repaired more quickly afterwards.

Particularly, civil engineers are responsible for developing technologies which, once implemented, can enhance the strength and durability of infrastructures. This is then followed by the construction of infrastructures that are highly resistant to natural disasters. Some state-of-the-art developments are nanotechnology systems used for real-time condition assessment of structures’ safety and security, and identification of incipient damage in structures suffering from long-term deterioration.

In the case of unavoidable destruction and damage, it is then the industry’s obligation to partake in rescue operation and restoration works after the disaster has passed. This reconstruction involves not only recovery, but also improvement to the disaster-resistance qualities of infrastructures. Depending on the goal, adjustments might include watertight construction and floodwalls against flooding, hurricane straps, or soil reinforcement to prevent damages from landslide/mudslide.

Worldwide, countries prone to natural catastrophes have developed construction techniques tailored to most effectively protect manmade infrastructures and dwellers from danger. Japan’s notorious earthquake history of approximately 1500 earthquakes per year means that the country now has the most resilient buildings—including skyscrapers—in the world. The secret lies in that these buildings “dance along” as the ground beneath them moves. Buildings are designed to absorb as much seismic energy as possible, through a process called seismic isolation, in which the structures are put on a form of shock absorber to resist the motions created by the earthquake. These shock absorber systems can be as simple as 30-50cm-thick rubber blocks, used as the “footpad” for buildings. Motion dampers filled with liquid (such as oils) are installed throughout the height of the skyscrapers. Some elegant protective mesh is sometime added as both part of the intentional architectural design and part of the earthquake-proof system.

In Australia — against fire and ice

Every year, Australia suffers from an enormous number of roughly 50,000 bushfires. One of the worst disasters was the bushfire crisis in Victoria back in 2015, claiming at least 100 lives, hundreds of acres of property, and causing nation-wide distress.

To cope with the danger and potential destruction, a number of additional design, specification and construction parameters are essential to building in a bushfire-prone area. The Australian Standard AS 3959 assign risk categories to bushfire prone areas based on six different bushfire attack levels (BALs), from very low risk to extreme risk (Flame Zone). Each new home has to comply with the construction requirements for its zone’s respective BAL classification, regarding the design, composition, and construction/installation of windows, verandahs, carports, floors, roofs, and external walls.

Less severe, but still dangerous, are hailstorms and thunderstorms. A decade ago, most of Sydney’s roofing materials were evaluated as too flimsy to withstand the onslaught of summer storm season. Damages could cost up to millions of dollars to repair. Since then, standards have only gone up, to protect not only properties but lives. Hail netting structures are installed to cover vehicle parking lots, airport parking shade structures, and machinery storage spaces. New types of storm-resistant roofing tiles have also been developed and put in commercial use.

At the moment, one of the biggest challenges in terms of hail-proofing is that solar panels, which have become prevalent in households across the country, are still prone to severe damage by hailstorms. However, the number of hailstorms with hails large enough to cause significant damage is quite low, and efforts are still going into improving the weather-proofing capabilities of this environmentally-friendly form of energy source.

——–

The Kypreos Group’s mission is to provide the civil engineering industry with quality materials and services which are harmonious with the environment and which stands the test of time – view more of our works here on our website.