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Public Domain

The public domain at Sydney Olympic Park has a number of environmental innovations to reduce energy and water consumption and reduce waste. Some of these include:

Photovoltaic Towers

There are 19, 30 metre high photovoltaic (PV) towers on Olympic Boulevard. The towers provide lighting for Olympic Boulevard at night and their design includes sun protection, seating and water bubblers.

The PV collectors were developed by UNSW and manufactured by BP Solar. Each tower has a generating capacity of 23 Kilowatt hours (kWh) per day, equivalent to the amount of energy used to power a small house. Power is fed into the main grid during the day and drawn from the grid at night.

When all towers are operating they can produce between 130-160,000 kWh of energy each year, equivalent to their estimated annual energy consumption.

Recycled Materials

• Whenever possible, recycled materials have been incorporated into the roads, infrastructure, buildings and fittings of venues at Sydney Olympic Park.
• Vast quantities of excavated rock and earth have been crushed, stockpiled and recycled for use in developments that required fill. About 112,000 tonnes of sandstone from city sites have been used on this site.
• Nearly 220,000m3 (or 5,600 tonnes) of recycled crushed concrete have been used as road base.
• Approximately 40, 000m3 of excavated soil was used to create embankments at the Athletic Centre.
• The Northern Water Feature at the end of Olympic Boulevard reused rocks from dismantled walls.

Water conservation and landscaping practices

The use of specially engineered soils, permeable pavers and porous gravel - especially in pedestrian areas, provides for the best possible tree growth, as well as reducing stormwater run-off and the need for irrigation.

Low volume irrigation systems are installed across the site with computer controls for night time watering

Drought-tolerant Australian native plants have been prioritised in landscaping design

The integrated approach to water conservation and management practices at Sydney Olympic Park has been recognised nationally. In 2001 the Australian Water Association awarded a Water Environment Merit Award for integrated water cycle at Sydney Olympic Park. In 2000 Sydney Olympic Park won the State Government category RiverCare 2000 award for water management. Sydney Olympic Park has also won the Stormwater Industry Association Award 2000 and the 1999 RiverCare 2000 award for stormwater management.

Waste

management practices at Sydney Olympic Park aim to minimise waste from events, parklands, operational and administrative activities at Sydney Olympic Park and maximise recycling opportunities

The bin system at Sydney Olympic Park separates waste into two waste streams. Bin stations are widely available throughout the public domain and are colour-coded and signed to provide for prompt recycling of mixed recyclable, compostable materials and general waste.

Construction waste has been (and will continue to be) minimised through careful ordering and agreements with manufacturers to minimise packaging. Mulch produced by processing vegetation wastes is used around new plants to help reduce water loss, and tree prunings are chipped and recycled.

Wherever possible, recycled materials were incorporated into the roads, infrastructure, buildings and fittings of venues and facilities. Vast quantities of excavated rock and earth were crushed, stockpiled and recycled for us in developments that required fill.