Sureside provided services to City of Melbourne. City of Melbourne required vessels significantly larger than the design vessel to call at a prominent berth within Victoria Harbour. The upgrade was made challenging by the timber structure originally being constructed with aesthetics being prioritised over function. To achieve the berthing function, unique details were utilised to transfer load from the berthing face to the land at the back of the wharf. City of Melbourne mentioned that some engineers said that upgrading the berthing capacity would not be possible. Sureside proposed a progressive process to incrementally prove whether an upgrade could be achieved. Sureside needed to vary substantially from the original concept, but by applying smarts and utilising the strengths of timber componentry, Sureside developed a viable solution utilising fendering in series and berthing piles. After developing the concept, City of Melbourne identified a preferred berth user that required less onerous capacity. Further, Sureside identified an issue in the information provided for design and incorporated this into the design. The design reverted to CoM’s preferred concept and achieved a 50% increase in capacity with improved berthing ease. Matthew provided all reporting, design, concept development and documentation services.

project client: city of melbourne

sureside client: city of melbourne

location: docklands, metropolitan melbourne, victoria, australia

services: functional design system

time period: 2019-20