Engineers Australia’s Sydney Division has announced its winners as the states continue to honour the field’s best through the regional Excellence Awards.
Queensland, WA and SA have all recently celebrated their own unique finalists, which demonstrated outstanding achievement, innovation and best practice.
In the built form categories, NSW engineering highlighted some particularly interesting achievements.
Commonwealth Bank Place at Darling Quarter, a joint venture between Arup, Lend Lease and Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies, and Westfield Sydney by Hyder Consulting with Westfield Design and Construction won Excellence Awards in the Buildings and Structures category.
The judges said Commonwealth Bank Place was ‘an impressive example of a collaborative effort to create an urban renewal precinct and notable for its energy saving and sustainability initiatives.’
The largest commercial office development in Sydney’s CBD, the unique development is characterised by the integration of the latest green technologies, including a tri-generation system and black-water and rain-water systems. The impacts of these systems are displayed in real-time so that tenants can see the tangible benefits of their behaviour.
The project pushes the envelope in terms of engineering and architecture with tall atria supported by thin steel pillars and intersected with floating pods. Cantilevered stairs extend into the void to achieve the open feel desired by the architect and the tenant.
Westfield Sydney, meanwhile, was hailed for ‘successfully meeting the unique challenges associated with the tower, through rigorous and independently validated engineering, as well as transparent risk management.’
The project took seven years to complete, with the finished product turning an aging retail precinct beneath Sydney Tower into premium retail space. The combination of a refurbishment and new build presented an exceptional challenge, which Hyder, as structural and façade engineer for the project, met through its strong commitment to sustainability, the community, safety, innovation and achieving client satisfaction.
Some of the features singled out for praise included GPS monitoring during modification, a geo-fence to validate design and ensure safety and structural glass portal pedestrian bridges – both Australian firsts.
The President’s Award went to ‘Halo’ – a major public artwork installed in Sydney’s Central Park. The impressive 12-metre in diameter ring, supported by a 15-metre inclined post, is powered by the wind and rotates consistently. The project required innovative techniques in management, design and fabrication. A highly specialised team, including engineering firm Partridge as well as fabricators and specialists came together to produce this artwork envisioned by the artist.
“Halo demonstrates how professionals from very disparate disciplines and backgrounds can form a cohesive and collegiate team to enthusiastically push each other to achieve remarkable results,” said Engineers Australia Sydney Division president Brendyn Williams.
