The award was presented to engineering and consultancy firm Arup at ACEA’s annual awards night held in Perth on November 28.Judges said the Water Cube was an “exemplar project embodying brilliant design and engineering, with outstanding and innovative techniques and materials being adopted to achieve one of the world’s most iconic structures of the 21st century”.The judges also said the high-profile project placed Australian consulting engineering in the global spotlight and highlighted the breadth and depth of world-leading technical and related industry skills.More than 300 representatives from Australia’s top engineering consultancies gathered to receive recognition for their work during the year from their peers.Apart from Arup’s peak award, other Australian consulting firms won in the various categories.Connell Wagner won the gold award in the Building Category for its work at the internationally renowned Wembley Stadium – home of the FA Cup – with its distinctive arch and roof;
SMEC Australia took away the gold award in the Transport and Civil Infrastructure Category for the Brunswick Heads to Yelgun Pacific Highway upgrade;
GHD/ Peron Group won the gold award in the Water Category for the Western Corridor Recycled Water Project;
Sinclair Knight Merz won the gold award in the Environmental Category for its Water and Land Use Change Study of the Glenelg-Hopkins catchment area in Western Victoria;
Coffey International won the gold award in the Community and Urban Development Category for its Cuu Long Delta Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Project in Vietnam;
Norman, Disney and Young won the gold award in the Building Services Category for Innovation Place, North Sydney;
Coffey Geotechnics and Coffey Environments won the gold award in the Specialist Services Category for the Ichthys Gas Field Development LNG plant;
Sinclair Knight Merz won the gold award in the International/Export Projects Category for its Coastal Wetlands Protection and Development Project in Vietnam; and
Arup won the gold award in the Specialist Services Category for its fire safety innovations for the head office of property company Stockland.
The ACEA award night was also the last official event for outgoing president Dennis Sheehan, who passed the baton at the ACEA annual general meeting to Western Australia-based consulting engineer Paul Reed.
