Sureside provided design services to Parks Victoria for the reconstruction of the approach to rye pier, in rye, victoria. this was to be the first phase of works to be followed by a subsequent stage that incorporated reconstruction of the approach beyond the central landing and the pier head.

parks victoria were seeking a widened pier to enable enhanced access for emergency vehicles and the level of the structure to be adjusted to contemporary standards and to accommodate sea level rise.

the design task was rather straight-forward given that the structure is a typical timber recreational pier in port phillip. However, parks victoria were working to a very stringent budget with there being uncertainty about the availability of budget for certain features of the facility.

a component that was not straight-forward was the abument detail. as the existing abutment detail was obscured, sureside needed to prepare a detail for a structural system with no knowledge of what features or components would be available to connect into. Using limited information, sureside assessed the attributes that were known and prepared detailing that would efficiently transfer deck loads to groudn and also be sufficiently adapatble to suit conditions that were found if it proved that conditions differed to sureside’s interpretation.

at one stage the approach was constructed to the vicinity of the lower landing, a popular spot for recreational scuba diving. it was at this stage that it was confirmed that budget would not be available to enable stage 2 to follow on immediately after STage 1. thus, a temporary access solution was designed by sureside to enable the pier to be opened to the public over the busy summer period.

post-construction, sureside provided certification for the project and undertook a defects liability inspection at 12 months after completion.

certification was provided subject to adjusting some detailing to ensure sound load transfer from dek to seabed.

sureside’s involvement meant that the design was able to be delivered within a very limited budget and also was able to provide a constructible design based on very limited information on existing conditions.

project client: parks victoria

sureside client: parks victoria

project manager: parks victoria

contractor: gtk constructions

service: renewal design

Location: rye / mornington peninsula / port phillip

time period: 2021 to 2024