Climate sensitive design
Beyond standard practice: designing for a resilient and decarbonised future.
We believe our role as engineers extends beyond meeting current standards. The assets we design are built to serve communities for over 40 years, through the second half of this century. It is therefore vital to consider how these assets can contribute to a decarbonised world and be resilient in the face of a changing climate. This is the purpose behind our Climate-sensitive design approach.
We consistently elevate our thinking beyond industry standard practice. We proactively consider climate change impacts on assets throughout their design life and develop innovative, low-carbon solutions to support your decarbonisation objectives.
The complex reality of a changing climate
Climate change presents complex, and sometimes counter-intuitive, impacts. For example, in many Australian regions, individual storm intensities are increasing, yet total annual stormwater runoff might actually decrease by 20%. This implies a future with more severe flash flooding, but less water availability.
Our designs are developed to account for these shifts: from sizing stormwater infrastructure to setting flood immunity for buildings, and in accounting for increased temperatures in pavement design.
Our solutions for resilient and sustainable cities
We provide specialist, climate-aware advice and solutions across a range of key areas, all focused on creating more resilient and sustainable infrastructure.
Low-carbon civil design
We leverage our in-house C3 carbon app, developed specifically for civil infrastructure, to quantify up-front embodied carbon in our projects. Our bespoke tool provides insights to inform decisions on materiality, optimise designs and decarbonise, and often reducing project costs. Read more.
As embodied carbon reporting becomes more critical for industry, the Australian government is considering carbon reduction targets of up to 75% by 2035. Embodied carbon from construction is a major contributor to national emissions, offering a significant opportunity for immediate abatement.
What truly sets us apart is our bespoke in-house embodied carbon calculator tool. While other common tools exist for buildings, ours web specifically designed to complete the picture by quantifying upfront embodied carbon within civil infrastructure.
We also know that while a carbon tax doesn't exist in Australia, the value of embodied carbon has an inherent cost in materials, labour, and effort. We often find that a reduction in embodied carbon can also lead to a direct reduction in the capital cost of the works, making it both a sustainability and financial tool.
Regenerative design
Taking inspiration from regenerative agriculture, this approach focuses on retaining and infiltrating water within the landscape. It's a strategy that builds ecological resilience by reducing the urban heat island effect and stormwater runoff, while regenerating the landscape in the Australian context. Learn more.
Climate-resilient design
Our ground plane expertise is applied to future climate projections, ensuring your assets can withstand more intense and unpredictable weather events. We consider these impacts on flood immunity, stormwater infrastructure capacity, and managing the impacts of increased temperatures on pavements.
Improved outcomes for generations
By partnering with us, you unlock solutions that:
Achieve Decarbonisation & Net-Zero Compliance
Our low-carbon designs and tools directly support your decarbonisation and reporting requirements.
Reduce Project Costs
By optimising material use through our embodied carbon calculator, we often identify opportunities for tangible project cost savings.
Enhance Urban Resilience
Our regenerative and climate-aware designs create more resilient cities that are better prepared for extreme weather, heat, and other climate impacts.
Improve Reporting & Transparency
We provide the precise data needed for robust environmental reporting, demonstrating leadership in sustainability to all stakeholders.
Meet our expert
Ready to design for the future?
As purpose-led engineers, we are committed to providing the solutions needed for a low-carbon, resilient future.