Sustainability Award

The 2012 ICE Sustainability Award was presented at the NI Annual Dinner on 6th December to Graham in partnership with Ilex Regeneration for their delivery of the Peace Bridge.  The award was judged by a panel of experts upon the following criteria: innovation, community benefit, environmental benefit, economy of materials and labour, value engineering, and health and safety. 

Winner


Runners-up

 

Graham and Ilex Regeneration - The Peace Bridge. 

This iconic bridge with the symbolism of bridging communities together- a “structural handshake” across the Foyle has created and promoted regeneration of the Derry City Council area and secured physical, economic and social regeneration of the Ebrington and Fort George sites. Graham partnered Kickstart to Work to help deliver equality of opportunity across the religious divide to compliment the philosophy of the project itself to create highly skilled and sustainable job roles.   

DRD Roads Service, Aecom, Lagan Construction - A2 Dualling - Maydown to City of Derry Airport.

The A2 Maydown to City of Derry Airport scheme involved upgrading 6.6km of single carriageway to dual two lane carriageway. The layout incorporated four roundabouts, a pedestrian underpass, a pedestrian footbridge and four river bridges. Construction began in April 2009 and was substantially completed in January 2011; the new road was officially opened in February 2011. The road forms part of the main route linking Belfast to Londonderry via Coleraine, providing a link between the outskirts of Londonderry and the City of Derry Airport. In December 2003, Roads Service commissioned consultants Aecom to assist with the route selection and procurement process. Following a Public Enquiry in March 2007, local contractor Lagan Construction Ltd was appointed as contractor under an NEC 2 Design and Build contract, with Hyder Consulting acting as their designer. The project outturn cost was £24.5M. 

Adman Civil Projects Ltd - Carrickatane Wind Farm

Adman Civil Projects Ltd recently completed the civil construction of Carrickatane Wind Farm. The civil works undertaken by Adman involved the upgrade to the public roads leading to the wind farm; the construction of over 4.5km of site access tracks; the excavation and construction of 9 turbine foundations and crane hardstands, temporary and permanent fencing, and the construction of the substation. The site is located in an area of agricultural use with private dwellings located along the access route to the wind farm. Upon completion Carrickatane Wind Farm will generate enough electricity for over 11,000 homes. The key target of the sustainability plan was to deliver an innovative and environmentally friendly project. Adman’s goal was to ensure the project caused no adverse impact on the environment and that, as a minimum, we complied with all regulatory requirements.  

NI Water, White Young Green, Graham Construction - Carrowreagh Storm Project.

Northern Ireland Water delivered an innovative Sustainable Drainage System (SUDs) project consisting of a large diameter sewer and 1300m3 storm attenuation tank to serve a new development in East Belfast. The £600,000 project is designed to attenuate storm water during a large rainfall event, limiting the discharge flow to a receiving watercourse and reduce the environmental impact of river flooding downstream. NI Water moved away from the traditional concrete tank approach and delivered an innovative underground modular geocellular storage tank. This approach substantially reduced the capital cost, construction programme and carbon footprint during project delivery. The construction process allowed installation of the lightweight plastic modules within hours of delivery on site and ensured minimal risk of injury to construction staff. The final result is a SUDs solution with a green amenity area and all weather basketball court on the surface for social use by the local community.  

Department for Regional Development, Department of the Environment, NI Electricity - The E-Car Project

Once in a while a revolutionary development comes along that changes how we view things. It changes the way we think, behave and live. It changes our society in such a profound way that future generations wonder how we lived without it. The electric car is such a development. The ‘ecar Project’ is creating a major transition in the history of sustainable transport in Northern Ireland. ‘ecar’ is a complex, highly innovative infrastructure project.  In the first phase, ‘ecar’ installed 44 electric vehicle charge points for public use, kick-starting the EV industry in Northern Ireland. ‘ecar’ has installed two types of charge points, 4 rapid charge points and 40 standard charge points. Behind the charge points, an intelligent IT system has been developed, which cleverly communicates between the customer and their vehicle. When completed, we will have one of the most comprehensive charging networks in the world.  

Doran Consulting, Northern Ireland Water, BSG Civil Engineering, WIS - Magherafelt Wastewater Treatment Works

Magherafelt WwTW was an existing trickling filter plant that needed to accommodate a doubling of its design capacity to 25,00PE and meet more onerous discharge standards. An innovative double filtration trickling filter process was demonstrated to offer at least 17% lower operating energy demand than alternatives, re-used almost all of the existing assets for their original or modified purposes and is simple to operate. Re-using existing assets minimised transport and limited the materials needed for new structures. The new biological stage was constructed almost entirely from by-product material (blast furnace slag). Site excavation was minimised with all excavated material re-used on site. Demolished reinforced concrete structures were crushed, the concrete re-used on site and the steel recycled; offcut PVC pipe recycled. Facilities were left to allow future installation of an anaerobic digestion plant for energy production from the waste sludge generated on site. 

Northern Ireland Water, Mournes Heritage Trust, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Woodland Trust, Forestry Service, Northern Ireland Environment Agency - Sustainable Catchment Management Planning Northern Ireland (SCAMP)

SCAMP NI is an initiative to improve NI Water’s raw water abstractions through sustainable catchment based solutions.  Working with stakeholders NI Water, have four active work streams:

• Land Management of the Eastern Mournes (Mourne Heritage Trust)

• Peat Bog Restoration and Land Management (RSPB)

• Woodland Restoration (Woodland Trust / Forestry Service) 

• Pesticide Awareness Campaign (NIEA) 

The Primary Drivers are:

• Protect or improve raw water quality

• Protect or improve the reliability or quantity of raw water

• Reduce the risk to the quality, reliability or quantity of raw water

• Aid NI Water in managing its land portfolio and deliver its statutory responsibility under national and international obligations to protect and manage the natural environment.

The following secondary driver should also be achieved

1. Habitat protection or creation 

2. Managing lands so that they act as a ‘carbon sink’ 

3. Biodiversity management 

4. Invasive species management 

5. Improved farming practises 

6. Recreational activities 

7. Revenue creation for NI Water  

NI Water, BSG Civil Engineering/Williams Industrial Services, McAdam Design – Rural Wastewater Investment Programme

The 'Rural Wastewater Investment Programme' (RwwIP), was established by NI Water in 2008, initially as a two-year contract, to upgrade some of the 900 wastewater treatment works and septic tanks in villages and hamlets across NI where the population is less than 250 people. Many of these old rural treatment facilities consist of open concrete tanks dating back to the 1960's which over the years have become increasingly ineffective; struggling to cope with the demands of rural population growth and rising discharge standards.

The two-year contract was awarded to a joint venture partnership between local companies, BSG Civil Engineering and Williams Industrial Services with project management support provided by McAdam Design. The success of the original two-year project was such (44 schemes completed for cost of 40), that after securing additional funding from NIW capital works budget, work was immediately rolled out for a third year in 2010 and re-tendered in April 2011 to ensure further and continuous efficiencies.  

SSE, Slieve Kirk Wind Farm

On June 15, SSE Renewables officially opened Northern Ireland’s newest wind farm at Slieve Kirk in County Derry / Londonderry. Built at a cost of £50 million, the project commenced construction in July 2012. Constructed over a 15 month period, Slieve Kirk is unique in being the first ever energy project in Northern Ireland to utilise a transmission grid connection constructed by an energy utility other than Northern Ireland Electricity (NIE), making it a significant first for SSE in this market and a significant first for the industry. Now fully operational, Slieve Kirk Wind Farm exported its first energy in October 2011. With an installed capacity of 27.6MW, the SSE site generates enough green energy to power 27,000 homes.  

Strategic Investment Board, Harcourt Construction (NI) Ltd, Todd Architects, RPS Consulting Engineers, Aecom, EC Harris - Titanic Belfast

Titanic Belfast is the new iconic must-see tourist destination driving a step change in tourism. Designed as an iconic landmark attraction, it embraces the three pillars of sustainability – environmental, economic and social –achieving a BREEAM Excellent rating. With education about Belfast’s maritime heritage as its hallmark, it has drawn more than 600,000 visitors from 111 countries since opening, creating significant benefit to the NI economy. Education and outreach programmes, training and employment opportunities, and the creation of a new place within the city, bring community benefits, and the regeneration and de-contamination of the former H&W shipyards create environmental benefit. This challenging project, incorporating innovative design, management and construction processes, focussed on environmental performance and life cycle costs. Supported by the NI Executive, Belfast City Council, Belfast Harbour and Titanic Quarter, and with the commitment of the construction team, it is a testament to true partnership working and sustainability.