Fleetwood - Mitchells Run Doreen

A planned community, roughly the size of 650 blocks of land

With pristine waterways and serene wetlands, the bridges and boardwalks play an important role in the estate’s path network.

The challenge is that the site is dominated by bedrock and large boulders, we had to find the most suitable place to put the bridges and ensure that our foundations were sound.

DesignExecute2 Process at Mitchells Run Doreen

01 Discover

02 Develop

03 Detail

04 Deliver

⁰¹ Discover

We worked closely with Spiire landscape architects to understand their design intent and proposed options and solutions from our ‘tried and tested’ range of products. Fleetwood’s ‘off-the-shelf’ products are ideal for our partners who want a tried and tested solution that has already been developed through our Design Engineering Hub. These proprietary solutions are a faster-track to a great outcome.

⁰²Develop

The boardwalk system used on the project was our Waterside™ product which we then customised to meet Spiire’s design intent. All our ‘Off the shelf’ products can be customised by our inhouse Design-Led Engineers and Structural Specialists, giving you a faster, more cost-effective route to a tried and tested solution. We carefully selected materials to ensure that required maintenance is kept to a minimum and deterioration due to erosion is delayed.

⁰³Detail

During this phase, engineering calculations and member sizes were finalised and made ready for construction.

⁰⁴Deliver

Concrete pier footings formed the foundations for the three Balmoral™ Pedestrian bridges. These were set out and constructed first while the bridge modules were manufactured off-site in our extensive facilities. Once complete, these were then transported to the site and lifted into place. To complete the project, Australian durability class 1 Tallowood handrails, stainless wire balustrading and Modwood® decking were installed.

Learn more about the DE2 process

The Solution

Once everything was finished, we had created strong bridges with large spans that blended in very nicely to the landscape. All in all, a great visual outcome.

Minimum maintenance

Composite timber decking was used, to minimise maintenance. Although not as inherently beautiful as timber, there is no shrinkage, splitting, cupping or warping, in cold or hot, wet or dry. Something that the Council, who was going to be maintaining this space, loved!

Minimal interference with the natural landscape

Although the spans were such that a deep beam was needed structurally, we approached the design, with the Landscape Architect, in such a way that the bridges would fit as seamlessly as possible into the landscape. So that when you are walking around the zone, or looking onto it, the bridges do not stand out, or command the view.

Seeing the large, high profile projects that Fleetwood has completed instills confidence in us that you can deliver, Overcoming challenges is one of Fleetwood Urban’s greatest achievements.

Joel Watson Landscape Architect, Spiire