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Sustaining Our Society Winner

The following project best demonstrates the power of infrastructure to benefit society by improving quality of life, promoting economic development, and/or providing responsiveness and resilience to natural disasters or climate change. The nominees in this category provide an essential service or resource to society; employ infrastructure and technology in a new way to benefit society; help respond to challenges such as drought or flooding; and/or use technology and sustainable design to improve energy efficiency.

Hatch Associates Pty Ltd
Adelaide Desalination Project
Adelaide, Australia

Due to a prolonged drought, the South Australia capital city of Adelaide has been operating under permanent water restrictions. South Australia Water commissioned a 100-gigalitre-capacity desalination plant to supplement the fresh water supply, take pressure off the existing rain water catchment system, and allow water levels to regenerate. Hatch SMEC JV was established to support the Adelaide Aqua consortia—ACCIONA Agua, United Utilities, McConnell Dowell, and Abigroup Contractors—in its bid to design, build, operate, and maintain the AU$1.4 billion plant.

The integrated team employed Bentley’s 3D modeling applications to achieve an optimal and highly accurate plant layout and material take-off as well as visualize the plant impact to the environment and local communities. The team deployed the latest front-end engineering and design applications to deliver a design, technical, and commercial cost estimate in 12 weeks. Using PlantWise, the team generated a 3D model of the reverse osmosis process building, intake pump station, outfall energy recovery shaft, and other utility buildings within the allocated schedule. The material take-offs modeled in excess of 300 pieces of equipment and 550 major piping process lines. The estimating process took 40 percent less time than anticipated.

To counter the impacts of the energy-intensive reverse osmosis process, energy recovery devices were included in the process building and outfall shaft, and solar energy panels will be installed on the process building roof. The energy recovery devices use energy stored in the brine to boost the output of the high pressure pumps feeding the reverse osmosis units. In the outfall shaft, energy recovery turbines will produce electricity and return power to the grid for use by the process plant. The solar panels will power street lighting on site. Delivering first water in December 2010, the desalination plant will give Adelaide a reprieve from water restrictions while operating within a conservative energy footprint.