Proud Sponsors of the Structural Awards 2012

Ancon is proud sponsor of this year’s Structural Awards, one of the industry’s most prestigious awards ceremonies, celebrating international excellence in structural engineering.

Established in 1968, the Structural Awards recognise and reward the work of the world’s most talented structural designers, their indispensable contribution to the built environment and showcase projects that lead the industry's development.

Over 100 projects are submitted every year; the 2012 awards consisted of 13 principal categories and the winners were:

Supreme Award for Structural Engineering Excellence

WINNER: West Gate Bridge Strengthening by Flint & Neill
The iconic 2.6km long West Gate Bridge over the Yarra River is an important part of the Australian national road network. It consists of an 850m long cable-stayed steel box girder with pre-stressed concrete box girder approach viaducts.

Award for Arts or Entertainment Structures

WINNER: Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art by Buro Happold
The Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art is a series of eight interrelated structures that overlook two man-made ponds fed by a small stream.

Award for Commercial or Retail Structures

WINNER: The Al-Hamra Firdous Tower by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
Rising to a height of 413m, the AI Hamra Firdous Tower dominates the skyline of Kuwait City as the second tallest building in the Middle East region.

Award for Pedestrian Bridges

WINNER: Jarrold Bridge by Ramboll
The Jarrold Bridge is a unique, curved, double cantilever pedestrian bridge in Norwich.

COMMENDATION: The Peace Bridge by AECOM
The Peace Bridge is a unique, double curvature, self-anchored suspension bridge for pedestrians and cyclists.

Award for Sports or Leisure Structures

WINNER: The London 2012 Olympic Stadium by Buro Happold
A 55,000 seat stadium suitable for showcasing athletics events at the 2012 games, whilst providing the theatre for the opening and closing ceremonies.

Award for Infrastructure or Transportation Structures

WINNER: King’s Cross Station Redevelopment by Arup
Creating an integrated transport facility above and below ground at London’s busiest station is an enormous challenge, and the engineers have risen to this by creating a truly elegant and world class solution.

Structural Heritage Award

WINNER: West Gate Bridge Strengthening by Flint & Neill
The iconic 2.6km long West Gate Bridge over the Yarra River is an important part of the Australian national road network. It consists of an 850m long cable-stayed steel box girder with pre-stressed concrete box girder approach viaducts.

COMMENDATION: Victoria Memorial Museum Building Rehabilitation by Parsons Brinckerhoff Halsall
The Victoria Memorial Museum Building is a Canadian Classified heritage building which was completed in 1910. It suffered almost immediately from settlement, however a thorough analysis concluded that demolition was not necessary, and that careful alterations could save it.

COMMENDATION: Conservation and Restoration of the Iron Market by Alan Baxter & Associates
In 2010 an earthquake caused the collapse of part of the market building, and considerable damage to the clock tower. The end of the market building was eased back into place. The tower was stabilised by putting concrete galoshes round the column bases.

Award for Highway or Railway Bridge Structures

WINNER: Compiègne Bridge by Flint & Neill
The design of this elegant bridge neatly combines a shallow arch in one span with an under-slung catenary in the other, creating a smooth and sinuous curve in elevation.

COMMENDATION: Twin Sails Bridge by Ramboll
By cutting the deck of this bridge diagonally to create two triangular sections, this dramatic lifting bridge creates the impression of two passing yacht sails when open.

Award for Small Projects

WINNER: RISE by Price & Myers
Sculptural structures are an unusual addition to the Structural Awards programme, however the judges recognised in RISE the opportunity to celebrate the intrinsic beauty of a highly efficient structure where everything is on show for the public to see.

Award for Small Practices

WINNER: Retention and relocation of Façade at Chenil House by Considine Consulting
Relocating the Dutch Gable fagade of a 120 year old house in Chelsea provides a considerable engineering challenge; doing it whilst also removing the supporting structure and thus having to provide a temporary retention system made it unique.

COMMENDATION: Georgia Ministry of Justice Prosecutor’s Office by Engenuiti
Creating an iconic public building in the Georgian capital using techniques, materials and design provisions previously unused in that country represented a considerable challenge for a four­ person practice.

Award for Community or Residential Structures

WINNER: VanDusen Botanical Gardens Visitor Centre by Fast + Epp
Constructed to revitalise public interest in gardens, this building has a free-form curvaceous roof as a metaphor for an orchid, flowing seamlessly from a central oculus to the petal tips cantilevering into the landscape.

Award for Education or Healthcare Structures

WINNER: Tunbridge Wells Hospital by Ramboll
This massive 66,000sqm new PFI hospital had to meet the significant challenges of a steeply sloping site. From the onset it was decided to fully utilise BIM to model the various three to seven storey concrete buildings and to standardise as much as possible.

COMMENDATION: Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability by Fast + Epp
This four storey building is almost entirely constructed in structural timber in response to the desire to be at the forefront of sustainability.

Sustainability Award

WINNER: Conservation and Restoration of the Iron Market by Alan Baxter & Associates
In 2010 an earthquake caused the collapse of part of the market building, and considerable damage to the clock tower. The end of the market building was eased back into place. The tower was stabilised by putting concrete galoshes round the column bases.

For further information on the winning projects visit the Structural Awards website.