The University Railway Station Redevelopment in Birmingham won in three categories at the region’s annual awards.
The University Railway Station Redevelopment in Birmingham took home three prizes at this year’s ICE West Midlands Awards.
The project walked away with the Team Achievement, Large Project and coveted Overall Project Awards.
Bringing together 13 different organisations, with one unified aim, the project transformed the railway station into a world-class facility for the local community.
The project has made the station fully accessible to the University of Birmingham and Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
The award was presented to key collaborators, namely:
- West Midlands Rail Executive
- Transport for West Midlands
- West Midlands Trains
- Network Rail
- University of Birmingham
- VolkerFitzpatrick
- SLC Rail – AECOM Joint Venture
- Mott MacDonald
- Associated Architects
- CrossCountry Trains
Held in Birmingham, the ICE West Midlands Awards were presented by ICE President Professor Anusha Shah, regional chair Hudson Taivo and guest speaker, explorer Benedict Allen.
Heritage Award
Other winners on the night included Tony Gee, in partnership with Midland Metro Alliance, who took home the Heritage Award for the Tipton’s ‘Hanson’s Mild Ale’ Metro Bridge restoration project.
Originally built in 1849, the bridge features an iconic inscription which is a staple to the local community.
Recognising the bridges cultural significance to the local community, the team’s approach included recommissioning the same typography to keep the iconic phrasing visible to local commuters.
Medium Project Award
The M42-M6 Viaduct Motorway Link East Viaduct Development was victorious in the Medium Project category.
The Link East Viaduct is a four-span, continuous high-speed railway viaduct, made up of two 45m main spans, one over each carriageway of the M42-M6 link road.
These structures form part of a complex network of 15 viaducts in the Delta Junction of the HS2 railway.
The award was presented to SYSTRA, Balfour Beatty VINCI, Mott MacDonald, Victor Buyck Steel Construction, Weston Williamson + Partners, Arcadis, Hewson Consulting Engineers and HS2.
Sustainability Award
Sponsored by Arcadis, the Sustainability Award was presented to Arup, the Environment Agency, Jackson Civil Engineering and Birmingham City Council for the First Avenue Flood Alleviation Scheme in Birmingham.
The project demonstrated significant efforts to reduce the use of 170 metres of concrete flood walls.
The final design included an earth embankment with a flower meadow, overall aligning with ICE President Prof Anusha Shah’s theme of nature- and people-positive solutions.
Studies and Research Award
The University of Birmingham’s collaborative research project with Keller Group, KB International and Balfour Beatty Ground Engineering won the Studies and Research Award.
Their research on Project Impacts of Polymer and Bentonite Slurries Effects on Bored Piles was the first of its kind to use a large-scale laboratory setup under controlled conditions.
People Awards
As well as projects, individual civil engineers were celebrated on the night.
Bob Dunn Award
The Bob Dunn Award, in memory of the late Bob Dunn, was presented to David Henthorn Brown in recognition of his work to preserve our engineering heritage.
Brown has been a member of the ICE since 1983 and became a Fellow of the institution in 2010.
For over three decades, Brown has worked for Canal & River Trust (formerly known as British Waterways) and has been at the forefront of the trust’s asset management procedures.
Technician Award
Luca Grail-Langston from Arup received the Technician Award for taking extra time to train members in the wider project team, ultimately improving workflow.
Young Achiever Award
Chloe Bess-Lester from Taylor Woodrow was given the Young Achiever Award for setting up a ‘respect campaign’.
This is a three-year long roadmap to help educate staff on equality, diversity and inclusion.
STEM Ambassador of the Year
Systra’s Gbenga Oludotun won STEM Ambassador of the Year for his commitment to promoting and educating young people about the sector.
The ICE West Midlands Awards were sponsored by Systra UK (headline sponsor) and Arcadis (Sustainability Project Award sponsor).
