Long-anticipated project finally gets going as we await for the first tower crane to arrive on site in early January. But first piling works need to be done to stabilize the ground underneath.

On Sunday the very first concrete pile went into the ground under what will become Perth’s largest and most modern stadium by early 2018. Altogether over 2,000 piles need to be struck into the ground to stabilize the riverside plot.

And these works follow over a year of enabling process on site, where temporary cargo routes are being established as heavy machinery begins to arrive. By official estimates, up to 5,700 people will work on the project on and off-site.

The Stadium will be built using more than 10,000 tonnes of structural steel and more than 52,000 cubic metres of concrete – enough to fill 21 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

In the New Year, the first of eight tower cranes will be installed.  Located in the western side of the plot, it will be used to assemble prefabricated stands. They should start growing in July-August, reaching final height of 42m in the west by year end. Progress and time frame can be seen in the below clip:

The new Perth Stadium will become the heart of Perth’s largest leisure precinct, costing the taxpayer roughly $AU 821 million ($680m / €555m). Three-tiered stands will have oval form to accommodate as many disciplines as possible, ranging from athletics, through cricket and Australian football to association football and rugby.