Breese Pitt Dixon music case study

"Breese Pitt Dixon produce civil design plans for urban developers. Melbourne Water require use of music to show how stormwater treatment systems will perform – it has to be provided as part of the conceptual design prior to the detail design. We get approval from Melbourne Water by using music to model stormwater treatment systems. music is the standard." – Greg Easton, Design Engineer, Breese Pitt Dixon

Breese Pitt Dixon is a multi-disciplinary consultancy delivering services in the areas of engineering, surveying, town planning and urban design, water and environment, and 3D visualisation. The company is involved in a range of innovative urban development projects, from high-rise apartments, major residential land subdivisions, to rural land developments. The firm puts an emphasis on water quality and conservation, and satisfies Melbourne Water’s standards for Best Practice Water Quality Treatment.

Greg Easton, design engineer at Breese Pitt Dixon, is involved in complex wetland systems, water sensitive measures in residential zones, and water re-use systems. He uses music for water sensitive urban design of developments.

BPD uses music in the pre-conceptual stage to produce a preliminary stormwater design, and Greg Easton says it is always a challenge when designing a development to fit the stormwater system into the allocated treatment area. “BPD runs music to make sure it all fits,” says Greg. “music helps achieve best practice – the Melbourne Water quality objectives of 80% suspended solids, 45% nitrogen and 45% phosphorus.”

BPD saves time by using music. It can design in-house, which avoids the cost of outsourcing to a specialist. music is seen as a credible stormwater treatment design tool, endorsed by Melbourne Water.

Bridgewater Estate, Wyndham, Victoria

The development incorporated a bioretention facility, creating challenges for the project. The stormwater treatment system had to fit in a small area contained within the development. Breese Pitt Dixon had to retrofit existing outfalls within the treatment system, and other stormwater systems had to be treated in the same area as well.

Breese Pitt Dixon modelled other catchments with music and connected them to the treatment system at Bridgewater Estate. They used music to see if the required water quality objectives could be met. BPD submitted a music model for approval to justify the sizing of the basins, and everything went smoothly.