Construcciones Yamaro: Big builds and bold ideas on the Converge Major Projects Stage
If you missed the Major Projects Stage at Converge Expo 2025, Inside Construction has you covered.
Excitement filled the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre in September as the inaugural Converge Expo 2025 brought together construction innovators and professionals from across Australia. While the event delivered inspiration at every turn, it was the Major Projects Stage that stole the spotlight.
Showcasing the people and projects shaping the built environment, the stage provided a platform for industry trailblazers and project leaders to share lessons from the nation’s most ambitious builds and the key themes influencing the sector.
After witnessing the energy and engagement of attendees across both days, we knew we had to bring the Major Projects Stage to life in Inside Construction for those who couldn’t be there.
The case for wellness in infrastructure
The infrastructure construction industry is the backbone of Australia’s growth, yet behind the cranes and concrete lies a crisis that cannot be ignored: poor mental health and wellbeing.
Grant Fuller of Wellness in Infrastructure (WII) prepared a presentation for the Major Projects Stage addressing this issue directly.
The session drew on research led by Professor Luke Downey of Swinburne University, revealing alarming statistics: 85 per cent of industry professionals report moderate to high stress, nearly half meet burnout criteria, and rates of depression and anxiety exceed population norms by more than 60 per cent. Each year, 190 Australians in construction take their own lives – a worker lost every second day to suicide. Workers are eight times more likely to die from suicide than from a workplace accident. These figures are not just numbers; they represent lives cut short, families overwhelmed and an industry under strain.
WII was founded in 2018 to confront this crisis head-on. What began as a volunteer-led initiative has grown into a registered not-for-profit and Health Promotion Charity, governed by an independent board of industry leaders. Its mission is to unite the infrastructure industry in creating healthier, safer and more sustainable workplaces where employees can thrive.
The organisation’s approach is evidence-based and industry-driven. By measuring and acting on validated mental health data, advocating for structural change, and embedding psychological safety into workplace culture, WII is reshaping the way the industry thinks about wellbeing. The organisation recognises that improving mental health is not only a moral imperative but also a driver of productivity, organisational citizenship and talent retention – critical factors for the industry’s long-term viability.
“Employee mental health and wellbeing are directly linked to productivity, influencing absenteeism, presenteeism, decision-making and errors,” says Fuller.
Since its inception, WII has achieved major milestones. Early industry surveys and engagement workshops exposed the root causes of poor mental health and laid the groundwork for change. The Integrated Approach to Wellness Program, piloted on the Mordialloc Freeway project, demonstrated the power of preventative strategies and has since been adopted across multiple projects. The Mentoring Program, launched in 2022, has connected passionate mentors and mentees to foster resilience and leadership. In 2023, WII conducted a landmark follow-up survey with over 1,400 responses, confirming that while some progress has been made, the industry remains at high risk.
Recent years have seen WII expand its reach and impact. The organisation has hired staff, launched a national volunteer network, built a strong digital presence and hosted major events, including the inaugural Wellness in Infrastructure Awards in 2025. Looking ahead, WII is developing a Psychosocial Audit Tool (PAT) to help construction organisations identify and manage risks, while continuing to grow programs, partnerships and national influence.
The presentation underscored the urgent need for wellness in infrastructure. The industry cannot afford to accept the status quo when lives are at stake. By working collaboratively with companies, government and associations, WII is challenging harmful behaviours and offering a blueprint for healthier, more resilient workplaces. With continued support, this movement can transform the culture of construction, ensuring that the people building the future can do so in environments that protect their health and wellbeing.
A new era for Tasmania
Tasmania’s largest transport infrastructure project, the New Bridgewater Bridge, is more than a marvel of engineering. Stretching 1.28 kilometres across the River Derwent, the four-lane highway is transforming how Brighton, Derwent Valley and Glenorchy connect, uniting communities and landscapes.
The project claimed the Australian Construction Achievement Award 2025 and featured on the Major Projects Stage, where McConnell Dowell project leaders Peter Fraser, Toby Cuthbert-Ashmore and Francis Ally shared the inside story.
Their presentation explored the project’s delivery strategy, piling innovation in complex geology and the challenges of precasting and erection operations. It also offered rare insights into a culture of innovation, collaboration and commitment to community benefit.
The bridge has been designed to improve freight and commuter flow, provide safe pedestrian and cyclist access, support Tasmania’s heavy-vehicle network and enhance local connectivity, while preserving the sensitive marine and cultural environment of the Derwent. Its design and delivery demonstrate a balance of advanced engineering, environmental stewardship and social responsibility.
Delivering a project of this scale required world-class solutions. The site’s shallow mudflats, marine reserves, and Aboriginal and European heritage presented challenges. As constructor, McConnell Dowell responded with offsite precast fabrication, concurrent construction fronts and twin Special Segment Lifting Devices (SSLDs) to minimise site-based risks and weather exposure. The bridge is founded on 2.5-metre-diameter monopiles, among the largest bored piles in the Southern Hemisphere, extending up to 90 metres through complex geotechnical conditions.
A precast facility purpose-built two kilometres from the site produced 1,082 segments, supporting a just-in-time workflow and upskilling more than 150 local workers. This approach ensured quality and efficiency while strengthening team culture.
Environmental leadership was integral to the project. Real-time monitoring, adaptive management and innovative waste treatment, including a pioneering polymer disposal process and Tasmania’s first Acid Sulfate Soil treatment facility, reflected a commitment to sustainable construction. Ballasted barge causeways and modular temporary bridges were used to minimise ecological impact, protect threatened habitats and support the region’s circular economy goals.
The project created more than 2,000 jobs, with 77 per cent Tasmanian employment and more than 380 local suppliers engaged. Training and development delivered 160,000 hours of upskilling, a 78 per cent apprenticeship completion rate and targeted programs for women, Indigenous Australians and disadvantaged groups.
Officially opened on 1 June 2025, the New Bridgewater Bridge reflects what can be achieved through collaboration, innovation and a shared commitment to Tasmania’s future.
Shaping modern infrastructure
Sustainability and social procurement specialists from BMD and VIDA Roads took part in a Major Projects Stage panel discussion, sharing how their collaborative approach to Stage 1 of the Mickleham Road Upgrade delivered sustainability innovation and social value.
BMD was represented by Nicholas Newby, Martin Holliday and Saphy Hau, and VIDA Roads’ Mira Herath and Tracy Carey joined the panel on behalf of Victoria’s dedicated major roads delivery agency.
The session explored how the Victorian construction industry is evolving, with social value and sustainability embedded as core delivery disciplines. In line with the Victorian Government’s Social Procurement Framework, VIDA Roads translates policy into practical requirements and provides support to contractors. Guided by these requirements, BMD partnered with Aboriginal-owned businesses including BA Roads and Indigenous Civil Group, and social enterprises Brite Nursery and Veterans in Construction.
Underpinned by government policy, Stage 1 of the Mickleham Road Upgrade exceeded expectations in workforce participation, Aboriginal engagement and supplier diversity, while also delivering sustainability outcomes.
The project also introduced the Patriot Zero Waste System, the first mobile unit of its kind in Australia for infrastructure projects, which recycles slurry waste and reuses water on site, reducing landfill.
The panel reinforced that collaboration between agencies, contractors and communities is key to achieving lasting impact. Through projects like Mickleham Road Upgrade – Stage 1, BMD and VIDA Roads are demonstrating how infrastructure can shape a more sustainable and inclusive future for Victoria.
Faster freight and stronger regions
Inland Rail will form a 1,600-kilometre freight rail network connecting Melbourne and Brisbane via regional Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland once completed. Inland Rail’s Ed Walker told delegates on the Major Projects Stage that it would allow freight to move between the two major cities in under 24 hours, making rail a faster, more reliable and competitive option.
By 2050, the Australian Bureau of Statistics projects the nation’s population will grow to between 32 and 37 million people, while the Department of Infrastructure forecasts the total domestic freight task will increase from around 765 billion tonnes in 2019–20 to around 964 billion tonnes in 2049–50.
Inland Rail is designed to meet that challenge. It will strengthen the national freight network, better connect businesses, manufacturers and producers to domestic and global markets, and unlock new opportunities for industries and regions both during construction and long after the last track is laid.
Shifting more freight onto Inland Rail means safer roads, fewer emissions and a more resilient supply chain.
Every 1.8km double-stacked freight train removes the equivalent of 110 B-double trucks from Australia’s highways, reducing congestion and minimising wear and tear on roads. This will mean mangoes from Queensland can reach Victoria, and strawberries from Victoria can reach Queensland, in less than a day.
To achieve the clearances required to safely accommodate double-stacked freight trains, Inland Rail is building 600km of new railway and upgrading 1,000km of existing line. Works include replacing bridges with elevated overpasses, lowering tracks, upgrading rail infrastructure and modifying railway stations.
Walker says construction of the first phase between Melbourne and Narromine is progressing strongly. In Victoria, the Glenrowan, Barnawartha, Wangaratta and Seymour-Avenel Road projects are complete, with works at Benalla, Euroa, Hume Freeway – Seymour and Tallarook, Broadford and Wandong well underway.
In NSW, the Parkes to Narromine and Narrabri to North Star (Phase 1) projects are complete, with the Stockinbingal to Parkes section nearing completion and works underway on Albury to Illabo and Illabo to Stockinbingal.
Walker says the program has a strong focus on community engagement, environmental sustainability and Indigenous participation.
“Hundreds of local businesses are benefiting from the procurement opportunities, including 54 First Nations businesses that have won work on the project,” says Walker.
Overall, his presentation highlighted how Inland Rail is connecting regions, creating jobs, building regional capability and strengthening the national economy.
Building the digital backbone
On the Major Projects Stage, HDR’s Kevin Miller and Kapitol’s Tim Trimble imparted insights from their combined 50 years in design, engineering and construction. They shared lessons from six years working with Australian data centre developer NEXTDC, outlining how collaboration, flexible design and advanced construction methods can deliver data centres that meet today’s digital demand while remaining adaptable for the new era.
Their core message: data centres are not just buildings – these are the DNA of the digitally connected world and the artificial intelligence (AI) revolution.
The rise of generative AI is driving exponential growth in data centre capacity. Workloads that once ran on CPUs are shifting to GPUs, with rack loads projected to reach 1,000kW within a few years due to increasing chip density and emerging technologies such as agentic AI.
Meeting this demand means building at pace. Projects benefit from early planning, prefabrication, and concurrent design and construction. Every facility designed today must be ready to scale tomorrow, making flexibility and agility critical design principles.
Future-ready data centres need to cater for high-density loads and liquid cooling, already being deployed at scale for accelerated compute. Power constraints present the biggest risk, as traditional grids cannot support large-scale facilities without extensive upgrades. Developers are exploring alternatives, including on-site generation, battery energy storage systems, behind-the-meter natural-gas turbines and demand-response models.
Data centres are becoming one of the largest energy users, driving a shift in thinking about how energy and digital infrastructure intersect. Sustainability is a critical factor increasingly prioritised by clients, regulators and communities.
Another challenge – and opportunity – is the workforce. The data centre industry faces potential labour shortages, prompting questions about how to best retain and upskill the existing workforce and attract new talent. The sector can create thousands of long-term, highly skilled, well-paid jobs in Australia.
“How do we, as industry leaders, create the training pathways, the partnerships with academic institutions and the career stories that bring people in?” asks Miller. “Architects, civil engineers and digital specialists now need to speak the same ‘data language’ so that information can transfer between custodians and allow development at speed.”
The session’s key takeaway: outstanding projects cannot be delivered in silos, and the best results come from strong partnerships and collaboration across disciplines, companies and the industry.
A world-first all-women TBM crew
As it delivers Suburban Rail Loop (SRL) East’s Tunnels South package, Suburban Connect will achieve a world first – bringing together an all-women tunnel boring machine (TBM) crew to help dig the tunnels between Cheltenham and Glen Waverley.
On the Major Projects Stage, project leaders Raphael Touzel, Olga Mikhaylova and Isolde Piet discussed the leadership and culture that brought the initiative to life.
The twin tunnels will be Victoria’s longest at 16km. Suburban Connect is also building two station boxes at Clayton and Monash, a tunnel entrance in Heatherton, a TBM launch site in Clarinda and 54 cross passages.
But it is with the all-women TBM crew that Suburban Connect, a global consortium of CPB Contractors, Acciona and Ghella, is breaking new ground.
The idea emerged during the consortium’s 2022 bid for SRL East Tunnels South. Committed to going beyond ‘business as usual’, it proposed a TBM crew made up exclusively of women, including support staff.
The proposal aimed to proactively support diversity and inclusion and to break down barriers that have traditionally prevented women from pursuing construction careers. Central to the concept was a commitment to include women without prior tunnelling experience. After winning the contract, Suburban Connect formed an internal working group to turn the idea into reality. One of its first actions was to convene tunnelling and construction experts to advise on how to successfully form an all-women crew. Over two roundtables, insight was gathered on crew composition, support roles, and training, recruitment and development programs.
In August 2024, Suburban Connect launched an expression of interest that drew almost 900 applications, including more than 100 from women with no construction experience.
Following a recruitment process, the crew is coming together, with all recruits set to complete a tailored onboarding program providing the training and support required.
When tunnelling begins in 2026, the all-women crew members will be deployed across Suburban Connect’s other TBM crews to gain on-the-job experience. Once competency and experience have been demonstrated, the women will come together to begin tunnelling as the world’s first all-women TBM crew.
Suburban Connect will also identify other roles for women not selected for the crew, including opportunities within the project, its parent companies and subcontractors.
The presentation brought these efforts together, reinforcing Suburban Connect’s commitment to leaving a legacy of diversity and inclusion.
Strategic defence, regional impact
The Australia-Singapore Military Training Initiative (ASMTI) is a cornerstone of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Australia and Singapore. On the Major Projects Stage, Laing O’Rourke’s James Foreman presented a case study on works delivered at Shoalwater Bay Training Area in Queensland, completed in 2024. As managing contractor, Laing O’Rourke constructed new facilities and upgraded existing infrastructure to support training for up to 14,000 Singapore Armed Forces personnel each year over 25 years.
Throughout delivery, Laing O’Rourke demonstrated how strategic partnerships, regional engagement and modern methods of construction can enhance Defence capability, deliver community benefits and drive regional economic growth.
Scope included 17 staged handovers across three precincts, covering hundreds of kilometres. Facilities included live-fire and non-live-fire training environments, a 2,000-person camp with accommodation, medical and administrative buildings, secure ammunition storage, vehicle wash bays and fibre networks for advanced simulation. Transport infrastructure comprised 40km of new roads, 250km of fire trails and 30km of tactical tracks. Materials were sourced locally, supporting regional suppliers.
“Early interface with stakeholders and end users was essential – it allowed us to shape delivery around operational priorities and build trust across every phase,” says Foreman.
Construction methodologies focused on early contractor involvement and construction-led design, enabling efficient staging and mobilisation. Off-site manufacturing improved safety and program certainty, with ballistic panels and insulated modules produced in Rockhampton. Digital engineering tools, including Synchro and CFD modelling, enabled 4D planning and compliance in live-fire systems.
Environmental protection was critical given the site’s location within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. Redesigns preserved 17 hectares of habitat and upgraded 280 water crossings. Laing O’Rourke developed a modular accommodation solution that could be erected and dismantled without environmental impact – now adopted at other training areas across North Queensland.
Work packages were sized to suit the cash flow of smaller businesses, supporting the local market. More than 80 per cent of packages were awarded to regional Queensland contractors, supporting more than 550 full-time equivalent jobs. Workforce development included $350,000 in Construction Skills Queensland funding, delivering 707 training courses to 325 workers.
Early engagement with the Darumbal Traditional Owners ensured the project’s Indigenous participation plan aligned with a negotiated Indigenous Land Use Agreement and fostered a collaborative relationship. Achieved engagement targets included 11 per cent Indigenous workforce participation and $55.5 million spent with Indigenous businesses.
Through the presentation, Laing O’Rourke showed how the project has become a model for future Defence infrastructure programs across Australia.
Delivering Australia’s largest urea plant
Project Ceres is set to redefine Australia’s fertiliser industry and transform the Pilbara region. The $6.4 billion development on the Burrup Peninsula is being delivered by the Saipem and Clough joint venture (SCJV), combining world-class engineering, innovative construction techniques and a focus on safety and sustainability. Clough, a member of the Webuild Group, brings local delivery expertise backed by global capability.
Project leaders Peter Cook and Danny Van Niekerk outlined what it takes to deliver the country’s largest urea plant on the Major Projects Stage.
The plant will produce 2.14 million tonnes of urea annually – more than half of the nation’s current consumption – while generating over 110 megawatts of power, enough to supply a city the size of Darwin. This scale has the potential to reduce reliance on imports and position Australia as a net exporter to high-demand regions such as Southeast Asia and India.
The project’s complexity is matched by its innovative approach. SCJV employs a globally integrated team, coordinating engineering from Chennai, module fabrication at Larsen & Toubro and on-site construction in Karratha. At peak, 600 engineers and 7,000 fabrication personnel are working across locations to deliver 110 prefabricated modules weighing a total of 62,000 tonnes.
“This modular approach is a first for Australia, enabling us to manage schedule, quality and safety more effectively while delivering one of the most complex industrial projects in the country,” says Van Niekerk.
Safety remains a top priority, with 24.5 million work hours recorded without a lost-time injury. Project Ceres also demonstrates construction innovation. A self-supporting ammonia storage tank roof was lifted into place using a controlled air-pressure system, reducing risk and improving efficiency.
Managing logistics on the remote Burrup Peninsula, including transporting oversized modules from Chennai, requires real-time tracking, modular sequencing and coordination with local authorities.
The plant’s integrated design combines Haldor Topsoe’s SynCOR technology for ammonia production with Saipem’s Snamprogetti urea process, producing a high-quality product while minimising emissions. Supporting systems, including power generation and water treatment, are integrated to ensure continuous operation.
“From engineering to fabrication to on-site construction, Project Ceres is a true example of global collaboration,” says Van Niekerk. “It sets a new benchmark for industrial innovation, workforce development and sustainable engineering in Australia.”
As the SCJV team advances toward completion in mid-2027, the presentation showcased the lasting economic, environmental and social benefits that Project Ceres will deliver to the Pilbara and the nation.
The post Big builds and bold ideas on the Converge Major Projects Stage appeared first on Inside Construction.
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