The New Lynn rail trench and station project took out the ‘supreme award’ at the New Zealand Engineering Excellence Awards in Auckland last Friday.
The supreme award recognises the project which stands out from all the others for its eminence and contribution to engineering and New Zealand.
Entered by Beca – an engineering and consultancy company operating through Asia Pacific – and Fletcher Construction, the rail project was recognised for innovation in overcoming a range of complex geotechnical and logistical constraints, as well as effective management of the challenges involved with construction in a narrow rail corridor, which was kept operational throughout the project.
In addition, judges commended the project team’s determination to identify and rapidly respond to issues raised by the public.
In their review of the project, judges deemed many of the design and construction methods “leading-edge”, including the H section design for the trench itself, and the fire design for which a worldwide search was made for similar concepts.
On accepting the award, representatives from Beca and Fletcher Construction acknowledged the valuable participation of specialists from Synergine and Parsons Brinckerhoff.
The KiwiRAP highway rating system also received an award for excellence in engineering for safety.
The internationally recognised programme – a partnership between the NZ Transport Agency, Automobile Association, Ministry of Transport, ACC and NZ Police – evaluates nearly 11,000km of highway to identify crash risks so targeted improvements can be made.
The full list of awards included:
Project and product awards:
Supreme award for New Zealand engineering excellence
New Lynn rail trench and station
Beca
Fletcher Construction Company Ltd
Building and construction
Forsyth Barr Stadium
Sinclair Knight Merz
Energy and resources
West Wind: Whole-of-business engineering approach delivers a world-class development
Meridian Energy Ltd
Mechanical and manufacturing
The Komodo: A platform technology for the mass production of nanofibre products
Revolution Fibres Ltd
Chemical, bio and food
Com::pass predictive coagulation control
H2ope Ltd
Greater Wellington Regional Council
DCM Process Control Ltd
Transportation Infrastructure
New Lynn rail trench and station
Beca
Fletcher Construction Company Ltd
Water, waste and amenities
Hastings WWTP: A paradigm shift in wastewater planning and treatment
MWH
Hastings District Council
ICEET (information, communication, electrical and electronic technology)
World leading Milford and Knobs flat variable message signs (VMS)
NZ Transport Agency
Opus International Consultants
Aspect Solutions
Excellence in engineering practice:
Excellence in engineering for safety
KiwiRAP Star Ratings & KAT: The development of a proactive road safety assessment tool
MWH
NZ Transport Agency
Excellence in community engagement
Rebuilding Kaiapoi: engaging with our earthquake affected community
Waimakariri District Council
Excellence in environmental practice
An innovative solution in managing road stormwater contaminants for Auckland Transport
GHD Limited and Auckland Transport
Awards recognising people:
William Pickering Award for engineering leadership
Sir William Gallagher
New Zealand engineering entrepreneur of the year
Hamish Kennedy (Compac Sorting Equipment)
New Zealand engineering innovator of the year
Richard Little and Robert Irving (Rex Bionics)
New Zealand young engineer of the year
Ben Hayward (Fulton Hogan)
