Delivering new sustainable buildings at Robertson Barracks

Robertson Barracks is one of the Australian Army’s major bases in the Northern Territory and also the largest base in the Darwin region. WSP designed several new living-in accomodation (LIA) facilities and a Combined Mess building using ESD principles to maximise Future Ready opportunities for government assets.

Home to the Australian Defence Forces (ADF) 1st Brigade and the 1st Aviation Regiment, Robertson Barracks supports army and aviation operations including Armoured, Engineers, Signals, Infantry, Medical Corps, Aviation and other Combat Service Support units.

Robertson Barracks not only provides the ADF with living, working and training facilities but it is also home to over 2,500 US Marines that live on site for six-month tenures. The site is pivotal in supporting Australia’s strong alliance with the United States and demonstrates security, economic and community benefits for both countries.

The Department of Defence (Defence) engaged WSP to lead on the upgrade of the Robertson Barracks Mess Facilities, three new accommodation blocks and various other improvement works across the site. Construction on the new $380 million development is set to commence in 2024.

WSP is providing the following services:

Ecological sustainable development (ESD)
Fire
Structural
Civil
Acoustics
Building services
Environmental and energy
Waste management & Circular Economy

Location

Northern Territory, Australia

Client

Department of Defence (Defence)

Project Value

$380m

Project Status

Construction Phase in 2024

Image: Mess dining area

Applying ESD design to respond to climate change through decarbonisation

It is a strict requirement that Defence infrastructure projects consider Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD) as part of planning, design and construction to ensure ‘a strategically aligned, affordable, safe and sustainable estate’. There are minimum sustainability standards that Defence infrastructure projects must adhere to within the Department of the Australian Government's Smart Infrastructure Handbook published in June 2019.

Our team identified a range of ESD opportunities that align with Defence sustainability standards, including initiatives responding to climate adaptation, estate energy and water management, waste minimisation and management, materials, pollution prevention and occupant health & wellbeing.

Core ESD design principles are what guides our infrastructure projects. At the project outset, these principles are analysed and this ranges from sustainable transport to humidity risk and stormwater use to waste separation.

“We thoroughly conceptualise a proposed building project using ESD design principles to ensure we maximise the opportunities for government assets to be Future Ready.” says Michelle Brownlie, Director – Defence and Sustainability. Ultimately, creating a smart, green and inclusive place is what makes a community thrive.

ESD Core Design Principles

There are many best practise solutions that are applied to current urban housing projects that respond to changing and warmer climates. To reimagine the new accommodation blocks at Robertson Barracks, we utilised the following ESD principles to ensure the proposed infrastructure met current and future needs:

Passive building design to determine optimal thermal comfort within the accommodation blocks, e.g., hoods around windows to increase shade and reduce glare and direct sun exposure by at least 35%. Landscaping canopy covers throughout key corridors to reduce heat and increase annual energy savings.
Delivering decarbonisation by enabling connectivity of all buildings to Defence’s Resource Data Management System (RDMS), to track and ultimately facilitate energy and water usage improvements.
Influencing the way residents move by minimising accommodation car parking and installing general power outlets for charging of e-scooters, plus more bike infrastructure to encourage sustainable travel on base.
Water efficiency by capturing dehumidifier condensation for reuse in cooling towers, incorporating energy efficient appliances and equipment within new buildings, provision of energy efficient heat pump dryers and the installation of clothes lines in laundry rooms.
Electrification of key kitchen equipment to significantly reduce gas demand and installing solar domestic hot water (DHW) systems to meet 75% of demand.

Image: Landscaping canopy covers throughout key corridors to reduce heat and increase annual energy savings.

Applying circular economy principles for better long-term environment and operational performance

WSP was also engaged specifically to focus on applying circular economy principles that “design out waste” across the Robertson Barracks redevelopment project. Our waste strategy addressed the waste management requirements for the new facilities and infrastructure while considering the increased demand of additional personnel. The proposed waste strategy, in alignment with the Government's Smart Infrastructure Handbook (2019) included:

Adopting a towards zero-waste approach to reduce waste generation (e.g., eliminating single use items) and divert as much waste from landfill as possible through extended waste stream separation to increase recycling rates.
Incorporating recycled content in concrete, road surfaces and backfill applications as far as practicable to embrace the reuse of materials, refurbishment and remanufacturing strategy.
Food organics collection and processing within the Combined Mess kitchen for potential application onsite as compost.

Glare & direct sun exposure reduction

35%

Electrification of gas replacement & solar installation

75%

Hoods around windows to increase shade and reduce glare and direct sun exposure by at least 35%

For the Robertson Barracks development, our team considered how the community within that complex would interact, gather, move and connect to ensure the spaces are productive and supportive to everyone’s wellbeing.

“From the outset of this project, we focussed on listening to our client, understanding the unique challenges and priorities of this project, and working seamlessly with the project team to establish significant sustainability solutions. I am pleased to say we have gone a long way to delivering on our client’s needs.” says Philip Massey, Director, Defence Sector Lead.

In our project feedback and lessons learnt session, a representative of Defence Capital Facilities Infrastructure (CFI) branch noted that WSP showcased a proven ability for managing and maintaining good communications with both the client and complex stakeholder environments. This enabled effective client and stakeholder management, establishing clear work priorities and successful execution of deliverables under their control.

Learn more about our Defence work across remote-area indigenous infrastructure projects.