Delivering resilient water treatment with stainless steel

Stainless steel is fast becoming the material of choice across new and upgraded water infrastructure projects in Australia, valued for its durability, corrosion resistance, and long-term sustainability. This shift was on full display in the Gisborne Recycled Water Plant Upgrade in Victoria, where ASSDA Member and Accredited Fabricator, Total Piping & Mechanical (TPM), delivered expertise that strengthened best practice for stainless steel use in recycled water treatment facilities.

Installed in September 2024, the stainless steel pipework forms a key component of Greater Western Water’s wider upgrade of the Gisborne Recycled Water Plant.

Australia is now home to the Southern Hemisphere’s only large-scale mRNA vaccine manufacturing facility, a landmark achievement in global health security and sovereign capability. Located within the Monash Technology Precinct in Clayton South, Melbourne, Moderna’s new facility will produce vaccines annually for respiratory diseases. It will also provide Australia with the rapid-response capacity to deliver pandemic vaccines if needed.

Stainless steel plays a critical role in the facility, providing the purity, durability, and cleanability required for pharmaceutical production. It ensures system integrity for high-purity services such as water for injection, clean steam, compressed gases, and process waste, where contamination is

Redefining sustainable infrastructure

On 28 March 2024, the newly constructed Narre Warren Station officially opened on Melbourne’s Pakenham Line, removing a notorious and congested rail-road crossing and delivering a safer, modern public transport hub. Beyond the construction achievement, the project marks a milestone in material efficiency and sustainable design through the innovative use of stainless steel.
 

A materials breakthrough

The original ceiling design called for 30 tonnes of 800mm carbon steel deep beams – considerable welded elements that would have been heavy and disruptive to install. The beams were intended to support the ceiling spanning between the tracks above

Collaboration and the ASSDA Young Professionals Network drive a premium outcome

Sydney's Alfred Street Pedestrian Bridge is a striking landmark for Parramatta, providing residents with a safe all-abilities active transport link between the northern suburbs and the Parramatta CBD. The $19 million project, co-funded by the City of Parramatta and the NSW Government, forms a key element of the Parramatta River revitalisation program.

Bridges are the lifeblood of communities, designed to connect people, reduce transport costs and emissions, and encourage a healthier lifestyle. For the Alfred Street Bridge, design principles focused on accessibility, safety, elegance, and longevity. The final result

Urban arbours transform Melbourne's tram stops

A visionary streetscape initiative is redefining public transport environments in Melbourne, fusing green infrastructure with the long-term performance benefits of stainless steel. Six new 'Urban Arbours' have been installed across central tram stops in a pilot project set to deliver cooler, cleaner, and greener city spaces.

 
Delivered through collaboration and stainless steel expertise

Exposure to high temperatures - where liquid water is absent - degrades metals in three primary ways:

1. Corrosion or scaling - Leads to material loss and reduced functionality

2. Loss of strength - Includes immediate strength reduction and, above ~500°C, long-term creep.

3. Microstructural changes - Phase transformations or the formation of harmful precipitates, which can cause embrittlement and increased corrosion risk when later exposed to water. These effects tend to be more pronounced in ferritic structures than in austenitic ones.

 
Austentic stainless steels have the broadest service temperature range, from cryogenic conditions to high-hundreds of degrees Celsius. Beyond this range,

ASSDA Member and Accredited Fabricator Aflex has played a pivotal role in supporting the seismic resilience of one of New Zealand’s most important cultural infrastructure projects – the new Archives New Zealand building in Wellington.

 
Engaged by Motion NZ, Aflex was tasked with designing and delivering seismic bellows assemblies for the 10-storey archival facility at the corner of Aitken and Mulgrave Streets. Built to preserve more than 12 million irreplaceable documents and cultural taonga, the new building sits on a major fault line, necessitating an innovative approach to seismic protection.

Engineering a stainless steel solution

With space constraints for

ASSDA Member and Accredited Fabricator Leviat delivered critical expertise to realise the sculptural and award-winning design of the Phoenix Central Park Gallery in Chippendale, Sydney. A fusion of architecture and art, the private gallery of philanthropist Judith Neilson pushes structural boundaries with a façade that dimples, twists and curls in three dimensions. Behind this visually striking brickwork lies a bespoke stainless steel support system, engineered and manufactured by Leviat.

 
The result of a rare architectural collaboration between John Wardle Architects and Durbach Block Jaggers, and delivered by FDC Construction with brickwork specialist Favetti, the project demanded advanced technical solutions

ASSDA Member and Accredited Fabricator TFG Group has showcased its exceptional expertise in stainless steel design, fabrication and installation through the delivery of a greenfield project in New South Wales. Completed in September 2023, the Horsley Park Mixing Plant is a state-of-the-art liquid manufacturing facility set to redefine operational excellence in the production of household and personal care products.

The facility features world-class capabilities, including five standard production lines and a high-volume line capable of filling bottles ranging from 250mL to 5L at speeds of 30 to 100 bottles per minute.

Innovative design and sustainable execution

Engaged in late 2022,

ASSDA Member Outokumpu is leading the way in producing emission-minimised stainless steel, with its Circle Green product line boasting a 92% lower carbon footprint than the global average.

As the only stainless steel producer currently approved by the Science Based Target initiative (SBTi), Outokumpu is committed to reducing its carbon footprint by 42% from 2016 levels by 2030, aiming for carbon neutrality by 2050.

One of the key factors in Outokumpu’s low carbon emissions is the high utilisation of recycled materials, achieving 95% recycled content in its stainless steel in 2022. Outokumpu also benefits from having its own chromium mine

ASSDA Member and Accredited Fabricator, B&R Enclosures, delivered a custom stainless steel solution for a striking public art installation that transformed the western façade of the Central Club Hotel in North Melbourne. Commissioned by the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF), the project highlights the versatility, durability and aesthetic appeal of stainless steel in creating unique and functional architectural designs.
 

A vision in digital windows

Designed by Melbourne studio RAMUS, the artwork titled Silhouettes, consists of 10 low-resolution LED screens housed in custom-made stainless steel window boxes. These ‘digital windows’ intermittently illuminate the façade with scenes of

Proper storage and handling of stainless steel are crucial to maintaining its bright, durable finish. Care must begin at delivery and continue through fabrication, transport to the end customer and beyond.
 

Potential issues:
 

PHYSICAL DAMAGE

• Scratches or burrs: Can occur due to unprotected metallic rack supports, rough handling, inadequate packing, or contact with forklift tines. Use protective materials like wood, plastic, or carpet to minimise damage.
   
• Distortion or dents: Thin sheets and small-diameter tubes need adequate external support (e.g. boxes) to prevent kinking, flattening, or deformation.
   
• Improper storage: Poor support in pigeonhole or rack storage can

At the ingress of Victoria’s Port Philip Bay stands the Queenscliff Ferry Terminal – a beacon of architectural prowess and stainless steel ingenuity. Opened in April 2023 after a decade-long collaboration between visionary architects and dedicated clients, this world-class structure epitomises the marriage of functionality and aesthetic allure.

Linking Queenscliff to Sorrento and beyond, the terminal serves as a gateway to the scenic wonders of Geelong, the Bellarine Peninsula, and the iconic Great Ocean Road. As the bustling hub for Searoad Ferries’ car and passenger services, it orchestrates over 8,200 crossings annually, welcoming more than 960,000 passengers.

Designed by F2

Located in Pilbara of Western Australia, Gudai-Darri is Rio Tinto’s first Greenfield mine in the region in more than a decade. Stretching across both Banjima and Yindjibarndi country, both Traditional Owners were engaged through the planning and development stages in Rio Tinto’s most technologically advanced iron ore mine yet. Gudai-Darri features the world’s first autonomous water carts, trucks, drills, and trains, as well as a robotic ore sampling laboratory and solar farm. Gudai-Darri has a 40-year mine life and will support thousands of jobs moving into the future.
 

THE CHALLENGE

Rio Tinto faced the challenge of providing a sustainable

Located at One Barangaroo Avenue on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour and opened in 2022, Crown Sydney epitomises luxury with its opulent hotel, world-class casino, signature restaurants and top-shelf bars. At the heart of this luxury, stainless steel plays a crucial role, enhancing both the functionality and aesthetics of the resort. 

ASSDA Member and Accredited Fabricator Stoddart was instrumental in delivering a bespoke solution for 136 different food and beverage areas for Crown Sydney. They fabricated, supplied, and installed an extensive range of stainless steel commercial kitchen and food equipment. This included Halton ventilation exhaust hoods manufactured under license

When considering painting stainless steel, the initial question arises: why paint it in the first place?

If the design choice is simply about colour or aesthetic purposes and the product form has a smooth surface (i.e. sheet or round products), using factory-supplied coloured stock attached with fasteners might be the preferable option. This construction method is commonly used for non-contact areas such as walls or facades, as exemplified in ASSDA FAQ 12: Coloured and patterned stainless steel.

Similarly, in new constructions, there are often reflectance limits to consider. While highly polished stainless steels offer extreme reflectivity, embossed surfaces, like the

In 2022, a remarkable chapter in Australia's biotechnology research unfolded with the opening of the CSIRO National Vaccine and Therapeutics Lab in Clayton, Victoria. This state-of-the-art facility has been designed to play a pivotal role in the research and development of vaccines and drug treatments, ultimately contributing to Australia's innovative potential in the life sciences sector. At the heart of this ground-breaking lab, stainless steel has emerged as a critical component, ensuring the facility's functionality, quality, and safety.

The facility’s primary objective is to transform vaccine and drug candidates into products that can be manufactured onshore in substantial quantities for clinical trials. It

ASSDA Member Stainless Steel Wire & Mesh has played a pivotal role in delivering a stainless steel coastal fencing solution that has now become the gold standard in ecological management and restoration efforts.

Situated in the Northern Beaches of New South Wales, Curl Curl Beach faces the full force of several coastal conditions, enduring relentless assaults from strong winds, salt movements, extreme temperatures, pollution, and high humidity. This region is classified as a corrosive category C5, however, the location which is adjacent to the beach has been classified as CX under AS 4312:2019 Atmospheric Corrosive Zones, Figure 2.1 (Newcastle region)

Minimising mining (primary production) and maximising recycling (secondary production) are core principles of sustainable resource management. Consequently, there is an increasing interest in quantifying the material life cycle of stainless steel and its efficiencies from production to fabrication, manufacturing, use, recycling and, in some cases, disposal.

In 2006, Team Stainless and Yale University started the first project to quantify stainless steel stocks and flow cycles. In 2022, The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology made a more detailed analysis of 2019 data covering 50 countries, territories, and regions.

Stainless steels: A sustainable solution for more than a century

Stainless steels are procured

A FISH-FRIENDLY WATER EXTRACTION FACILITY  

For the past six years, ASSDA Member and Accredited Fabricator AWMA Water Control Solutions have been a proud partner of Rangitata Diversion Race Management Ltd (RDRML) in delivering one of the world's largest fish-friendly water extraction facilities using stainless steel.

The Rangitata Diversion Race (RDR) plays a crucial role in extracting water from the Rangitata River in New Zealand's South Island, serving irrigation, stock water, and hydropower generation needs year-round. However, the environmental impact on native fish populations was a concern for RDRML.

To address this challenge, AWMA was awarded the design and construct