FORGE has extensive experience in delivering outdoor community structures that maximise environmental sustainability. From elevated wetlands boardwalks and bridges, to community viewing platforms and shade shelters, great care is taken to ensure every structure’s design and materials have the lightest possible environmental footprint while still meeting all functional and safety requirements of the project brief. The design also has a direct influence on the installation stage with steps taken to minimize, and often completely eliminate, the need for heavy machinery on site, reducing noise, emissions and habitat disruption. Specifying hard-wearing and lightweight materials can also significantly reduce the amount of future maintenance required.

Typically the materials specified on a project are influenced by a range of factors including the overall creative vision, structural scale, location, site conditions, usage volume and budget. That said, at FORGE we always prioritise local and sustainably-sourced materials that are fit for purpose while having the least possible impact on the environment, including during installation. When specifying project materials the key characteristics we look for include light weight, high strength/durability, and low ongoing maintenance requirements. We also aim to minimise the use of carbon intensive materials such as concrete and plastics, while opting for recycled (and recyclable) options such as fibre-reinforced polymers and composites when appropriate.

Australia is a land of unforgiving and unpredictable weather conditions. This makes climate resilience a critical design consideration for any outdoor community structure and a key part of the FORGE Methodology. Seasonal wind and weather patterns. Soil conditions and acidity. Flood zones and 100-year high water levels. Sun mapping. Humidity and precipitation. These factors must all be taken into account and balanced carefully against the design vision and project budget to optimise the climate resilience of a structure’s design and materials, and deliver the maximum operational design life.

FORGE believes sustainable community spaces are amongst Australia’s most valuable public assets. At a time when more and more homes have access to limited, if any, outdoor amenity, these shared public spaces deliver positive health, social and developmental outcomes for the individuals and families who use them—while also preserving the environments in which they exist. They promote the use of eco-friendly resources, foster social inclusion, support local economies and feature adaptable structures that combine high amenity with low-impact to ensure long-term resilience.

Every project is different and requires its own thinking in terms of sustainability and green urban design. That said, there are several core principles that guide the FORGE design approach for the majority of outdoor community structures we deliver for our clients each year. Rather than over-designing structures, which many contractors continue to be guilty of—we always seek to answer the project brief with clever solutions that minimise the structural footprint required, reducing both the embodied carbon of the structure itself and the amount of time required on site (and habitat disruptions) during construction. We specify local, natural and sustainably-sourced materials when appropriate and always embrace the opportunity to use recycled and repurposed materials. Our Methodology also prioritises the off-site pre-assembly of the main structural elements whenever possible, again further reducing environmental impacts on the site and surrounding habitat.

Across all FORGE projects a key stage of the pre-construction process is to identify and mitigate any potential environmental risks long before construction begins. The project then proceeds through the design and delivery phases in adherence with strict environmental management plans and controls that have typically been developed in close consultation with all relevant government, community and cultural authorities.

When designed cleverly and planned effectively, using recycled or reclaimed materials can be a highly effective way to reduce the environmental impact of a community structure, while also sending strong sustainability and provenance messages to the wider community. From bridges and boardwalks to custom play spaces, FORGE has considerable experience at designing and constructing with recycled and repurposed materials. In some instances, such as Highlands Sustainable Park in Victoria, the materials have actually been sourced from the site itself, and would have otherwise have ended up in landfill.

FORGE specialises in delivering sustainable public infrastructure projects in metropolitan, regional and remote areas in all states and territories including New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, the ACT, South Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territory. Our portfolio includes low-impact pedestrian bridges, swing bridges, elevated boardwalks and shade shelters in some of Australia’s most ecological sensitive areas including national parks and protected nature reserves.

Every year FORGE works with LGAs, landscape architects, developers and other stakeholders across Australia to design and construct new green infrastructure projects. We also have decades of experience in delivering sustainably-focused upgrades and replacements for older community structures that are no longer safe or fit-for-purpose.

Site conditions and council requirements play a significant role in the design of any community structure, particularly in terms of maximising design life and meeting all necessary sustainability benchmarks. The site and surrounding environment will typically have quite a direct influence on the overall type of structure recommended and can influence everything from size and height limits, footings, installation methodology, selection of materials and fittings, site access points and even working hours should there be local bird and wildlife that needs to be carefully protected. Essentially, every FORGE structure that we design and construct is fit-for-purpose.

FORGE has extensive experience in designing and constructing community infrastructure in environmentally sensitive and protected habitats. Great care is always taken to ensure the structure has the lightest possible environmental footprint and is able to be installed with little (or even no) use of machinery. Some of our most impressive projects were entirely constructed by hand, including manually-driven piles and materials that were carried to the site on foot.

The key to delivering sustainable community outcomes is collaboration, especially in the critical early design stages of a project. Guided by the FORGE Methodology, we aim to engage all stakeholders up-front to develop a deep understanding of the project’s design vision, environmental sensitivities and long-term sustainability goals. We then work together to identify the very best solution for the project brief, including sustainable materials and installation methodologies, long before you commit to a construction contract.

Yes we can. While the optimal time to ensure the long-term sustainability of an outdoor structure is during its original design and construction, there are absolutely ways to enhance the sustainability credentials of many existing structures. This can be done through material and finish upgrades, clever design modifications and even the careful recycling of old or damaged components that require replacement.

Sustainably-designed and delivered public structures offer unique opportunities to connect and engage local communities, while preserving local environments. When carefully planned and expertly delivered they are structures that serve an important functional purpose today and send a powerful message for the future. They become inter-generational public assets that residents and visitors can feel good about, fostering an enduring sense of community belonging and spirit.

While it can be tempting to accept compromises in the face of tight budgets and timings, the future longevity of an outdoor community structure is directly linked to the up-front decisions made today. In particular, site-specific design and material selection is absolutely critical in maximising design life. It can also significantly reduce the amount of ongoing maintenance required. Accordingly, these decisions need to be guided by achieving the desired creative vision in way that is fit-for-purpose for the site and budget today, while also considering the future demands likely to be placed on the community and project stakeholders.