A 3D interactive model of the Sydney Opera House, a natural disaster mitigation project in Vietnam and a community development program for a remote indigenous community were among 30 projects commended at the 22nd annual Association of Consulting Engineers Australia (ACEA) Awards for Excellence late last year.
The keynote speaker at the event, Victorian Building Commissioner Tony Arnel, urged ACEA’s collaboration with World Green Building Council through the Green Building Council of Australia to develop templates for sustainable refurbishment and redevelopment. “The building and construction industry is one sector that can improve both economic and environmental outcomes,” Arnel said.
A Gold Award of Merit for Transport and Civil Infrastructure was presented to GHD for their work on Australia’s third largest cable stayed bridge, the 520m-long Green Bridge, now known as the Eleanor Schonnell Bridge spanning the Brisbane River. The bridge, with its 70m-high support towers, provides access for bus, pedestrian and cycle traffic and incorporates unique green solutions for rainwater runoff and solar powered lighting. The ACEA judges said GHD had applied innovative engineering to deliver an aesthetic and lightweight structure which incorporated energy neutral features and sustainable construction materials.
A Silver Award in the Transport and Civil Infrastructure category was presented to SKM for the $524 million Albury Wodonga Hume Freeway Project – the largest roads infrastructure project in regional Australia. The project consists of 17.4 km of four-lane freeway, 35 bridges and 7.5 km of shared pedestrian/cycle path, and involved cooperation and liaison with the federal government, two state governments and regional local governments.
The 2008 ACEA Awards for Excellence will be held in Perth on 28 November 2008, with entry forms due on 28 March 2008.
Source: Construction Contractor