Awards

Ironbridge Gorge Upper Furnace Pool Restoration

The Heritage Award was given to WM Longreach, Telford and Wrekin Council and Balfour Beatty Living Places for their project Ironbridge Gorge Upper Furnace Pool Restoration.

The World Heritage Site needed to manage extensive silt accumulation in a low watercourse beneath a historic railway viaduct in a residential area. After detailed planning, to preserve and safeguard the industrial heritage and historical integrity, the project created a natural, vibrant community space.

Highly Commended in the same category was the Radford River Bridge Refurbishment project submitted by Amey in partnership with Staffordshire County Council.

Real-scale testing of geogrid-stabilised temporary working platforms

The University of Birmingham and Tensar won the Studies and Research Award for their entry: Real-scale testing of geogrid-stabilised temporary working platforms.

This project, a collaboration between the National Buried Infrastructure Facility (NBIF) at the University of Birmingham and Tensar, conducted the first independent full-scale assessment of geogrid-stabilised Temporary Working Platforms (TWPs).

Traditional designs rely on high-quality quarried aggregates, but this study demonstrated that geogrids can significantly reduce fill material while enhancing bearing capacity.

Bromford Walls Renewal Scheme

Jackson Civil Engineering, the Environment Agency and Jacobs received the Team Achievement Award for the Bromford Walls Renewal Scheme.

The wall collapses threatened critical transport links, including rail lines to Birmingham New Street Station and the M6, as well as to adjacent properties.

To minimise environmental impact on the River Tame, wire saws and core drilling were used to remove failed wall sections and prevent detritus from polluting the river.

STEM Initiative

Mott MacDonald Bentley won the Education and Inspiration Award for their STEM Initiative.

They arranged a network of STEM ambassadors to deliver activities and talks across primary and secondary schools, as well as universities. The topics ranged from water treatment, bridge-building, sustainability in engineering and the importance of managing cost.

Mott MacDonald Bentley's Centre of Excellence for Active Travel project, submitted on behalf of Transport for West Midlands, was also Highly Commended by the judges.

Bob Dunn Award

The Bob Dunn Award is given in memory of the late Bob Dunn who made an outstanding contribution to the promotion of civil engineering in the West Midlands.

This year's award was presented to Andrew Kenchington from Tony Gee and Partners, in recognition of his career working on numerous schemes across the region.

On one project of note, Selly Oak Bypass, he developed an alternative design for two 70m, three span bridges which provided significant construction and environmental benefits.

Regional STEM Ambassador of the Year Award

Arup’s Samuela Osei won Regional STEM Ambassador of the Year for her commitment to promoting and educating young people about the sector.

Samuela tutored students in Maths and helped them prepare for their upcoming SAT’s all before her 9-5 job.

Rising Star Award

Ben Merchant-Smith from Tony and Gee and Partners, won the Rising Star Award.

Ben was recognised by his company with his geotechnical and technological knowledge and has recently led the geotechnical engineering on their first major scheme.

Serena Gough from Arcadis, was Highly Commended by the judges in the same category.