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A striking 30-metre-high landmark sculpture is being built as part of Transport for NSW’s M12 Motorway West project.
The sculpture has been co-designed by Indigenous design studio Balarinji with locally-connected Aboriginal artists to celebrate the sacred creation story of the Great Emu Constellation, as told by traditional Dharug owners.
Located at the Western Sydney International Airport Interchange and visible to motorists, cyclists, Metro passengers and air travellers, CPB Contractors’ Project Director, Vishal Khosla shares insights into the construction process:
“Our team is using locally sourced and fabricated structural steel to construct this Geodesic dome, which features stainless steel branches with a total length of 3.8km that replicate signature sticks forming the nest in the sculpture referencing the landscape and materials of the Darug area – ridge lines, silcrete, sightlines, and waterways,” adds Vishal.
Typically, the geodesic dome is made up of interconnected triangles that form a self-supporting structure of hexagons. These distribute weight evenly across the structure, resulting in a durable framework that minimises the material needed. There are a total of eleven stages to construct the structural steel of the dome followed by Install of the branches to the outside of the dome, and catenary system for the lighting inside of the dome.
At night, lighting will bring two distinct emu forms to life: one sitting on the nest and the other in the night sky, mirroring the changing presence of the Great Emu Constellation across the Aboriginal six seasons.
Approximately 70% of the dome’s structural steel has been installed at a height of 20m, marking significant progress on site.
CPB Contractors is delivering the M12 Motorway West package in a joint venture. The delivery of this project includes the construction of a 6km dual carriageway toll-free motorway between The Northern Road, Luddenham, and 400 metres east of Badgerys Creek, along with the construction of eleven bridges and a grade-separated interchange connected with the Western Sydney International Airport.
The sculpture has been co-designed by Indigenous design studio Balarinji with locally-connected Aboriginal artists to celebrate the sacred creation story of the Great Emu Constellation, as told by traditional Dharug owners.
Located at the Western Sydney International Airport Interchange and visible to motorists, cyclists, Metro passengers and air travellers, CPB Contractors’ Project Director, Vishal Khosla shares insights into the construction process:
“Our team is using locally sourced and fabricated structural steel to construct this Geodesic dome, which features stainless steel branches with a total length of 3.8km that replicate signature sticks forming the nest in the sculpture referencing the landscape and materials of the Darug area – ridge lines, silcrete, sightlines, and waterways,” adds Vishal.
Typically, the geodesic dome is made up of interconnected triangles that form a self-supporting structure of hexagons. These distribute weight evenly across the structure, resulting in a durable framework that minimises the material needed. There are a total of eleven stages to construct the structural steel of the dome followed by Install of the branches to the outside of the dome, and catenary system for the lighting inside of the dome.
At night, lighting will bring two distinct emu forms to life: one sitting on the nest and the other in the night sky, mirroring the changing presence of the Great Emu Constellation across the Aboriginal six seasons.
Approximately 70% of the dome’s structural steel has been installed at a height of 20m, marking significant progress on site.
CPB Contractors is delivering the M12 Motorway West package in a joint venture. The delivery of this project includes the construction of a 6km dual carriageway toll-free motorway between The Northern Road, Luddenham, and 400 metres east of Badgerys Creek, along with the construction of eleven bridges and a grade-separated interchange connected with the Western Sydney International Airport.