Site Engineering
Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning
Graduate and Undergraduate Subject
Lecturer: Scott Heyes
Tutors: Kevin Ayrey, Gary Lantzsch, Tom Richards and Dan Borg

In semester 1, I coordinated Site Engineering, a core undergraduate and graduate subject. The subject explored various design options for a fish way, spillway and associated structures at Dights Falls on the Yarra River, Melbourne. Students were introduced to the principles of site engineering through hydraulics. The hydraulics lab in the Engineering department at Melbourne University was used for instructional purposes.

Students produced digital and physical models of a weir system for the Yarra River as part of their final project. This proved to be a very innovative, entertaining and enjoyable exercise for the students to learn about site engineering.

An intensive workshop, convened by A/P Glenn Thomas of QUT formed an integral component of the subject. The surveying component was taught as an intensive by Simon Fuller of Geomatix, and the hydrology component of the subject was delivered with the assistance of Prof Robert Keller of Monash University. Guest lecturers for the subject included: Steve Saddlier of the Arthur Rylah Institute; Mark Donnellan, historian and landscape architect, City of Yarra; A/P Ian Rutherford, fluvial geo-morphologist at Melbourne University; and Dr David Fisher, Melbourne Water.

Site Engineering students presenting their models, 2008

Animations and experiments produced by students for the redesign of a rock-ramp fishway at Dight's Falls, Melbourne