Month: April 2025

TEK1 is proud to be part of an iconic project—the ‘Great Emu in the Sky’ sculpture, a monumental 30-meter-high emu nest that will stand as a cultural landmark along Sydney’s M12 Motorway.

A Symbol of Dharug Heritage

The peanic structure celebrates the Dharug Community’s sacred creation story of the Great Emu constellation.

A Landmark Visible from Land & Sky

Positioned for maximum visibility, the sculpture will be seen by:

• Road users
• Pedestrians
• Sydney Metro passengers
• Even planes approaching and departing Sydney Airport

Blending Art, Culture & Engineering

The steel artwork will take on different forms depending on the time of day and viewing angles:We look forward to seeing this one-of-a-kind sculpture take its place in Sydney’s landscape, honoring history while welcoming the future.

• By day, it will resemble an emu nest, crafted from signature steel “sticks” that reflect the natural landscape and traditional materials of the Dharug people.
• By night, it will illuminate and reveal two emu forms, visible only from certain perspectives—mirroring the Great Emu constellation as it shifts throughout the six Aboriginal seasons.

TEK1’s Role in Detailing the Sculpture

A lot of technical challenges were navigated to ensure that this complex structure, could be fabricated and erected, cheaply and efficient. We will document this on our blog if you’re interested.

Please refer to the below video which represents the various stages of on-going erection

TEK1, we recently had the opportunity to detail GRC panel brackets for a section of the Sydney Metro Tunnel, utilizing a point cloud survey to ensure precise alignment and installation.

Project Overview

The client provided a point cloud survey of the tunnel, allowing us to accurately determine the placement of GRC panels and their supporting brackets. Since tunnel walls are rarely perfectly straight—often featuring irregularities, ups, and downs—extra attention was required to ensure each bracket was positioned correctly for a seamless fit.

Challenges & Solutions

Efficient Coordination – By leveraging point cloud technology, we minimized potential site adjustments, streamlining the installation process for our client.

As-Built Adjustments – The natural deviations in the tunnel wall’s shape meant that standard placements wouldn’t work. The point cloud data helped us fine-tune the bracket positions to match real-world conditions.

Precision Detailing – Each steel bracket was meticulously detailed to accommodate the GRC panels, ensuring a secure and uniform installation.

Conclusion

Working with as-built tunnel walls requires high accuracy and adaptability, and this project was a great example of how TEK1 effectively integrates advanced technologies like point cloud surveys into our detailing process.

Check out the snapshots below to see how the GRC panels are securely fixed to the tunnel wall using custom steel brackets.