Meet The AOC Project Team
Adam Keeble, Senior Hydraulics Engineer, Stantec Australia
Stantec Australia’s Senior Hydraulics Engineer, Adam Keeble, is responsible for ensuring the new Australian Opal Centre (AOC) building and its occupants will have access to safe drinking water and sanitation.
“Hydraulic Engineering involves the design of a building’s plumbing systems, including hot and cold water systems, gas and waste, such as sewer and stormwater drainage.
“I started my career as a plumber in Sydney, working on large-scale commercial construction projects for around 10 years before transitioning across to engineering to broaden my knowledge in the industry (and also to save my body from the hard work involved in plumbing!).
“I’ve been in a hydraulic office for around five years now, and have worked on a variety of key, large-scale projects including Orange Private Hospital, Park Sydney Residential, Capella Hotel Sydney (billed to be Sydney’s first 6-star hotel), and The Regiment Student Housing Facility at UTS Sydney.
An example of a commercial hot water system. Image supplied.
An example of a blackwater treatment plant which treats sewer effluent for re-use within irrigation and toilet flushing. Image supplied.
“The key point of difference between the AOC and other projects I’ve been involved in is the AOC is designed to be ‘off grid’. With no access to a permanent water supply or sewer main, which we’re accustomed to when working on projects in larger regional towns and Sydney, we’ve had to adapt our thinking and develop solutions to ensure the sustainability of the development.
“Balancing the building’s water usage with rainwater that is available to harvest and wastewater that is generated has been challenging. To ensure we have sufficient clean drinking water for the development, we had to study and model the historical rainfall data for Lightning Ridge to better understand its availability. We will be capturing all the rainwater that falls on the building's roof for storage within a purpose built 800,000L rainwater storage tank.
“From here, the rainwater will be pumped through a multi-stage filtration system for the supply of clean drinking water to the new AOC building. It was very interesting to learn, based off the building's roof catchment and historical rainfall data from July 1997 – July 2019, the AOC will have an average rainfall capture of just over 1 million litres per year!
“Another key challenge was how we provide proper sanitation and wastewater disposal for the development. For this, we have incorporated a blackwater treatment system, which will process the wastewater that is generated from the site and filter it to a level that is safe for re-use for toilet flushing and irrigation.
“The AOC is a very important project as it illustrates the way in which buildings moving forward can be ‘green’. As water becomes scarcer and generating energy becomes more damaging to the environment, it’s great to see that when we put our minds to it, we can develop smart and sustainable buildings that protect the world we live in.
“When the AOC building opens, I am really looking forward to visiting Lighting Ridge and the new facility with my family. I love visiting and holidaying in regional destinations that I may not normally get the chance to or have an excuse to visit. I will be that guy that points to the AOC when we pass saying ‘I had a hand in building that’.”