CJ Arms delivered resilient, sustainable stormwater solutions at LIV Albert, integrating engineering and landscape design.

CJ Arms (Melbourne Studio)

Effective water management is critical in complex urban developments, particularly on challenging sites like former quarries or landfills. At LIV Albert, CJ Arms combined science-led engineering, integrating the landscape design to deliver a resilient, sustainable water strategy that protects downstream waterways while meeting the demands of a landmark build-to-rent development.

“We came in during the early masterplanning stage, reviewed the original stormwater design, and found the requirement for a single discharge point was neither appropriate nor sustainable,” explained Director Ben Wilson. “Instead, we applied a science- and engineering-led approach to maintain the pre-development hydrology.”

By analysing existing catchments and underground constraints on the former quarry and landfill site, CJ Arms developed a decentralised urban drainage strategy. “Rather than relying solely on large underground tanks and pumps, which were expensive and problematic given ground conditions, we integrated rain gardens into the landscape,” Ben said.

This approach treats and filters rainwater on-site before it leaves the development, while also offering built redundancy and resilience into the system by avoiding a single point of failure.

This commitment to balancing engineering precision with environmental outcomes reflects CJ Arms’ wider philosophy, focused on bringing together civil engineers and landscape architects to deliver truly integrated outcomes, through partnership. “Many of our projects sit beside natural or urban waterways, where the need to protect water quality is obvious,” Ben notes. “But even when there’s no visible waterway in sight, the responsibility is the same. Every site plays a role in improving urban water quality.”

At LIV Albert, this ethos translated into a water management system that was efficient, environmentally sound, and resilient for the long term. It’s a prime example of how CJ Arms uses science and design to put nature first while meeting the demands of complex urban projects.

CJ Arms expertise spans regenerative design, ecological conservation, flood analysis, resilience planning, and civil and landscape construction. Their capability includes both development and urban built form projects that celebrate water and use it to create a better future for people, communities and the environment.

For more information contact CJ Arms, Melbourne Studio, phone 03 9285 2800, website www.cjarms.com