Risk mitigation reaches a new level

The Centuria Property Services’ (CPS) WA team has taken physical climate risk mitigation to a new level with the introduction of an automated flood barrier at 1 William Street in Perth, which aims to prevent future potential flooding at the site.

The new system is only one of two in the Perth region and has been introduced in response to the rising risk of flooding in recent years. Overflow from rainwater on the street and storm water drains had resulted in flooding 1 William Street’s basement during heavy winter downfalls. This was a significant hazard due to critical electrical infrastructure located in the building’s basement.

The new flood barrier system, which is manufactured in Australia by AWMA Water Control Solutions, was tailored to the office building’s requirements. It is a permanent flood barrier that automatically activates when street-level water ceases to be drained from around the building.

Sensors detect when water reaches a certain level, triggering the barrier to rise above the water to prevent it from overflowing into the property. The ‘buoyancy barrier’ wall rises in tandem with the water level. The wall can tolerate up to 75cm of flooding, which exceeds a projected one in 500-year flooding event.

Annie Scott, Centuria’s National Facilities and Engineering Manager, said, “We are future proofing this property. The new system is part of a risk mitigation strategy to protect the asset against the frequency and intensity of extraordinary weather events we have experienced in Perth in the past few years. The fact that the new system is automated gives us peace of mind, too.”

The flood barrier initiatives forms part of Centuria’s wider Sustainability Framework, which helps to guide our strategic ESG initiatives. In particular, the initiative aligns with one of the Group’s environmental focus areas, ‘climate resilience’, which aims to build strategic resilience to potential future impacts of climate change.

1 William Street has been managed by Centuria since 2017. The 23,400 sqm building is 98% occupied and provides a 2.84-year WALE.