The Free Air Carbon-Dioxide Enrichment (FACE) experiment was a unique construction project which has no comparison within Australia, and only one comparative predecessor in the world, which is now redundant. The FACE experiment placed enormous importance on environmental controls and procedures to ensure the project’s impact on the environment was kept to a minimum.
The project involved the construction of a state-of-the-art infrastructure for simulating future carbon dioxide atmospheric conditions in native Cumberland bushland. The facility consists of six 25 metre diameter ring structures, 28 metres high, located at predetermined experimental plots within the existing local old growth woodland. 
To ensure that the impact was minimized, construction methodologies were based around not using vehicles and machinery and, where these were necessary, they would be the smallest available and were driven on track matts to minimize compaction and damage. 
A screw pile foundation system was deliberately selected for the project to ensure that no concrete was used within the forest. The screw pile system was selected for the foundations of the central services corridor, the ring masts and the crane foundations. 
A central material handling area was established so that materials could be delivered to the work distribution area, where the materials were broken into small packages and carried by hand into each experimental ring area. 
It was decided that erecting the six cranes using helicopters would drastically reduce the impact the works would have on the forest. The tower sections and jibes were put together in an assembly area outside the forest so that they could be picked up by the helicopter and moved into place at each crane location. 
The challenge was made more difficult with the overlying requirement to maintain the scientific integrity of the forest. 
The success of the project is measured not only by the completed structures, but also that the ecology and environmental integrity of the whole site remained intact for the duration of the works. 
With the extraordinary efforts taken by Hansen Yuncken for the FACE project, they are worthy winners of the 2012 Excellence in Construction Award - Environmental Management for a Project up to $20 Million.