David Burns chosen by The Weston Group to lead sustainable design for the first purpose-built Industrial Ecology Park in Australia. Read more ...

Sustain450 to specify the key sustainable elements of the $400M Hunter Industrial Ecology Park (HIEP) planned for an industrial zone north of Newcastle. McGregor Coxall (Landscape Architects and Urban Designers) selected as the site master planners

The Hunter Industrial Ecology Park shall be the first eco-park of its kind in Australia to adopt sustainability, incorporating the key elements of industrial ecology, solving the problem of valuable and diminishing resources being lost to landfill. Planning for the park specifically caters for receipt, sorting, and processing of mixed waste streams providing economic and environmental benefits to the regional economy. The traditional linear ‘take-make-waste' model shall be eliminated in favour of a super-efficient closed-loop system commonly referred to as ‘cradle-to-cradle', returning valuable resources to industry, business, and compost suitable for residential and farmland use.

Plans have begun for the park administration to assume overall responsibility for environmental protection of its local lands, waterways, and air quality, providing assurances to local residents, workers, and safe guarding the environment. Commitments for strong environmental standards, efficiency, conservation, and preserving natural capital such as water, energy, and resources shall feature prominantly in the final design. Zero Waste shall be the driving element of the eco-park.

The Site Master Plan divides the park into three zones, green, amber, and red, where each zone shall be configured to specific levels of safety and environmental control. The park itself shall employ a sophisticated water treatment system to continually recycle process water amongst tenant activities. Even the industrial SHEDS are to receive a designers review, featuring energy and water saving design.

The Hunter Industrial Ecology Park shall also feature: an Energy to Waste facility,man educational and research focus, a visitor centre and cafe, shared maintenance facilities including plant equipment hire, onsite laboratory, environmental monitoring and reporting functionality, sustainability database of inputs/outputs, energy & water monitoring, and a NATA certified weigh bridge.

David Burns is a Sustainability Advisor and Analyst, www.sustain450.com.au

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