In an era where sustainable development and urban regeneration are pivotal, engineering professionals are redefining approaches to infrastructure over landfill sites. Tetra Tech’s Geotechnical Engineers, Liam Smith and Patrick Wong, whose groundbreaking work on the Barton Park redevelopment in Western Sydney exemplifies the future of eco-conscious infrastructure.
Barton Park demonstrates the challenge of turning brownfield sites into a valuable community asset, showcasing how infrastructure can thrive over the complex conditions associated with landfill sites. Their insights and practical methods were featured at the recent 5th International Conference on Transportation Geotechnics 2024 (ICTG2024) in Sydney, where Liam presented their Case Study Poster on this ambitious endeavour. Their paper delves into the advanced techniques Tetra Tech has applied and Leading with Science approach to ensure stability and sustainability in infrastructure built over landfill sites.
The Barton Park project is a great example of Tetra Tech blending ecological responsibility with engineering excellence to reimagine disused land as vibrant, beneficial public spaces.
Barton Park – from landfill to parklands
Located in South Western Sydney, Barton Park spans 19 hectares and is situated on a former landfill site that was active from 1940 to 1970. Home to the St George Football Club and Stadium in the 1970s, by the 1980s the stadium had fallen into disrepair and was abandoned. In 2022, the local Bayside Council secured funding from the NSW Government’s Accelerated Infrastructure Fund to enable the Barton Park development.
The Barton Park development is a community recreation precinct with a grandstand,
Barton Park Redevelopment Poster
grass soccer fields, tennis courts, multipurpose courts, a cycleway, walking paths, and changing rooms equipped with showers and toilets.
The major geotechnical engineering change at Barton Park was reducing the effects of differential settlement caused by the decay of putrescible material within the landfill that extends up to 9m in depth. Tetra Tech Coffey were engaged to provide a highly technical ground improvement solution to ensure the success of the project.
The challenge of uneven settling in landfills
Landfills present unique challenges for infrastructure due to their uneven settlement patterns, which can cause significant issues if not managed. Unlike stable soils, landfills contain a mix of unpredictable materials, ranging from concrete to asbestos and organic waste, such variability makes it very difficult to predict settlement behaviour. Explaining the challenge faced, Liam explains, “landfills do not settle evenly, making them difficult sites to develop as differential settlement causes structures to crack. Developing parameters that anticipate these settling behaviours are critical for the development of engineering solutions that can reduce the adverse effects on developments”.
Liam also stresses the considerations of potential contamination and hazards. “It’s important to be very cautious when dealing with landfill sites, it should be assumed that hazardous materials such as asbestos may be present and appropriate safety measures are required.”
“Consulting with environmental specialists and engineers is crucial when dealing with landfill sites to ensure safety and compliance” – Geotechnical Engineer, Liam Smith
A Practical Methodology for Practitioners
Liam and Patrick’s research and proposed solution for Barton Park combined findings from several different studies and methods to provide the client with a streamlined, user-friendly framework,
The methodology helped select settling parameters, offering a simplified, practical flow for handling various types of landfill materials, making it especially relevant for the Barton Park project and future application for redevelopment of brownfield sites. It includes a range of parameters and references to help practitioners cross-reference and validate their choices.
Barton Park: A Sustainable Transformation
Today, Barton Park has been transformed into a thriving recreational precinct, featuring a grandstand, stadium, lighting towers, and a sports field.
The success of The Barton Park project stands as a testament to the potential of engineering to create resilient infrastructure on challenging grounds.
This redevelopment exemplifies the potential of landfill sites to become vibrant, functional spaces through innovative engineering and careful planning.
For more information in relation to this technical paper, contact the authors.
Connect with Patrick Wong | Consultant, Tetra Tech Coffey at [email protected]
Connect with Liam Smith | Geotechnical Engineer, Tetra Tech Coffey at [email protected]
Paper Title: “Ground Improvement Over Landfill at Barton Park” presented at the 5th ICTG 2024 November 2024, Sydney Australia
Authors: Patrick Wong, Liam Smith
About the event
ICTG2024 served as a pivotal gathering, drawing together experts dedicated to advancing sustainable, technology-driven solutions for urban transport infrastructure. The event highlighted the global challenges of transportation infrastructure and underscored the innovative paths forward in geotechnical engineering. Visit the event website 5th ICTG (2024) | 20-22 November 2024