01 / Situation
One surface, many competing demands.
The waterfront promenade required a concrete system capable of withstanding salt, sea spray, water penetration and intensive pedestrian and hospitality use. It also needed to meet slip and staining requirements, remain visually consistent across a large in‑situ installation, satisfy Lendlease and Barangaroo Delivery Authority expectations, connect materially to the adjoining architecture, and integrate stormwater and major structural interfaces below the public surface.
02 / Investigation
Testing became the route to agreement.
I led every material and concrete testing activity alongside the Lendlease project manager and the specialist teams providing technical inputs. More than one hundred working samples tested aggregate type, size, proportion and exposure depth; cement bases and colour systems; surface treatments, sealants, slip resistance, staining and water penetration. Roughly ninety samples were rejected on performance, consistency or maintainability; twelve survived to final assessment.
03 / Decision
In‑situ over precast: the call that shaped the promenade.
Precast panels were proposed for the waterfront promenade, following the precedent of Sydney's other significant harbour edges. I rejected them. In‑situ construction let each section be inspected and signed off before the next proceeded, kept final surface treatment under direct site control, and let the urban elements, the arbour along the retail edge, trees, furniture, lighting, services access and inspection pits, be coordinated within one set‑out rather than around factory pours. The call saved money and time and raised construction quality. It also demanded an operating plan: the promenade crossed a reconstructed caisson wall, basement structure, piled zones, natural ground and a cantilevered harbour‑edge system, each moving differently, so with the civil, structural and geotechnical engineers we developed a joint grid controlling pour size, span and sequencing. Controlling the spans meant sufficient lost formwork could be installed where the slab bridged structure that could not be stripped from below, holding quality and tolerance across the pour, while the same grid organised pedestrian walks, dining areas, DDA and BCA access and modelled pedestrian demand from the city, ferry and harbour arrivals.
04 / Procurement
Imported stone bought certainty and cost time.
Cost and availability ruled out the local stone the Barangaroo Delivery Authority and the City of Sydney had asked for in the lobbies and pedestrian walks. I took the sourcing overseas, then re‑sequenced the hard works around what could be procured. The decision delayed installation and forced revisions through drawings and specifications while other parts of the project kept moving, and that pressure had to be managed; in return it delivered the budget and the full stone procurement. The deviation was carried through the approval process, not around it.
05 / Delivery
Quality and water management were carried through construction.
Sample pours were monitored for movement and deflection using testing points and laser levels. Each production pour was inspected against the specification and coordinated with hoardings, building works and later stages. On‑site runoff from roofs and hard surfaces was collected and treated before reuse or harbour discharge, while external catchments were separately diverted and intercepted through the precinct stormwater system. I assessed the technical inputs, signed off the documentation and issued the approval letters that put each system into construction.
06 / Outcome
Consistency across the ground plane and built edge.
The material division sits at the stepped edge of the waterfront outdoor‑dining area, running the length of the promenade and continuing into the Anadara and Alexander waterfront buildings. The underlying mix was adjusted in aggregate size and treatment to suit architectural applications while maintaining a continuous precinct language.