Aurecon's Brisbane Ferry Terminal team at the Australian Engineering Excellence Awards
29 November 2016 - Having excelled at the Engineers Australia Divisional Excellence Awards, Aurecon has gone on to achieve three Australian Engineering Excellence Awards, including the highest honour possible: The Sir William Hudson Award for its Brisbane's Flood Recovery Ferry Terminals.
This is the flagship engineering achievement award conferred by Engineers Australia for an engineering project and is only conferred if one of the annual entrants across all categories meets the stringent criteria. In addition, the company has also achieved two highly sought after Consult Australia Awards for Excellence, including Gold in Design Innovation for 5 Martin Place, Australia.
The Sir William Hudson Award is inspired by the achievements of Sir William Hudson, the first Commissioner of the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Authority and is acclaimed by engineers around the world.
Critical transport infrastructure was devastated when the flooded Brisbane River broke its banks on 12 January 2011. Today, Brisbane’s new ferry terminals all include world-first technology to help them better withstand floods. They are a bold design concept and a significant shift away from previous design convention in aesthetics, flood resilience and accessibility. What’s more, they provide resilience in infrastructure which can be applied to any ferry terminal network, and in particular those subject to flooding, ushering in a new generation of terminals which provide resilience and longevity even in the face of natural disasters.
Dr Kourosh Kayvani, Aurecon’s Global Director, Excellence and Expertise, who himself was the recipient of the prestigious John Connell Gold Medal this year from the Engineers Australia Structural College, praised the efforts of Aurecon’s engineering design and delivery teams involved in the project, saying he believes it is the company’s focus on design that has supported the win. “We have worked very hard at developing an explorer’s mindset, imagining what is possible, experimenting and challenging the status quo. At the heart of good design and great engineering is asking ‘Why?’ We are delighted that these efforts are being recognised.”
In addition to the Sir William Hudson Award, Aurecon also won two additional Australian Engineering Excellence Awards:
The Gold in Design Innovation Award recognises outstanding innovation in the design process, including the value a particular innovation lends to a project.
The 5 Martin Place development transformed a 1916 heritage building in Sydney’s CBD with an iconic 20-level premium grade office building, while revitalising the area’s historic character. Development constraints prohibited any demolition or modification of heritage building sections as well as precluding extra permanent loading on the heritage structures. An innovative architectural design and believed world-first structural engineering solution finally unlocked the potential of the site. To use all available area and maintain project viability, the proposal was to cantilever 10 levels of office tower projecting 22 metres over the heritage building.
“This award is a powerful demonstration of the transformative power of design, representing a triumph involving the solving of a complex problem, creating new value, exceeding customer expectations and transforming a business model,” says Dr Kayvani.
He adds, “Our philosophy is to elevate our design leadership in the marketplace by empowering our best designers and allowing our teams to imagine what might be and connect deeply with projects. This engineering design approach requires that our teams bring a greater level of imagination and creativity, to better finding and framing problems and delivering solutions beyond expectations. This award is a welcome recognition that this approach is delivering meaningful results,” he adds.
In addition to the Gold in Design Innovation award, Aurecon’s Louise Adams also received a High Commendation for the Champions of Change Award – Female Leadership.
Louise is currently Aurecon's Regional Director in Victoria, South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory where she leads approximately 730 staff. She was appointed as Executive Director to the Aurecon Global Board in June 2013, in recognition of her impressive leadership and analytical capabilities. With an ongoing passion to make a real difference in the lives of the less fortunate, Louise has taken Aurecon's Corporate Social Responsibility portfolio under her mandate which aligns with her past aid work undertaken in places like South America and Southeast Asia. Before returning to Australia to take up her current position, Louise was Country Manager in the United Arab Emirates.
“Aurecon is committed to becoming a more innovative organisation that provides unique solutions to our clients’ challenges. This can only be achieved in a work environment where everyone feels valued and willing to contribute. Inclusive leadership gets to the heart of creating diverse organisations -– something I am passionate about supporting. Aurecon’s partnership with the Diversity Council Australia (DCA) on their latest campaign, #WordsAtWork, is an example of the progress Aurecon is making on its diversity and inclusion effort,” explains Louise.
Considering the recent plethora of awards gained by the company, Dr Kayvani acknowledges the synergistic power of teaming with visionary stakeholders, proudly concluding, “We share these wins with our clients and partners.”
Watch our VIZ RT video — a visual explanation of exactly how the ferry is resilient to rising water.
Read a full project profile, including a list of previous awards the Brisbane's Flood Recovery Ferry Terminals have won.
Read a full project profile, including a video interview with the Aurecon team and a video exploring the remarkable structural solution.
Aurecon Global Director of Excellence and Expertise, Dr Kourosh Kayvani, has won the John Connell Gold Medal Award from Engineers Australia - Structural College Awards.
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Aurecon was recognised for its outstanding contributions to the civil engineering profession at the SAICE-SAFCEC Annual Awards on 13 October 2016.
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