The Victorian engineering profession has celebrated its contribution to Australian and international best practice, showcasing engineering excellence at the Australian Engineering Excellence Awards (AEEA) Victoria 2016.
AEEA Victoria Awards 2016 Chief Judge, Professor John Wilson FIEAust CPEng NER said the awards program seeks recognise and reward outstanding achievement in the practice of engineering.
“This year, the best examples of Victorian engineering came from a Geelong-based boutique engineering firm; a Melbourne-based animatronics manufacturer; a national construction company; and an international consultancy with its roots heavily embedded in Melbourne,” Prof Wilson said.
Aurecon won the Excellence Award in Buildings and Structures for the $160 million Margaret Court Arena upgrade. The upgrade consisted of two pleated, operable roof panels, measuring approximately 57m x 32m. The design achieved an exceptional straight-line dimension of only 1.25m between the top of the operable roof panels and the top of the fixed roof.
Geelong based engineering firm, Austeng took out the Innovation, Research and Development category receiving the Excellence Award for designing and building Imagine Intelligent Material’s commercial graphene production plant. The plant is now fully operational and has the capacity to produce up to 10 tonnes of graphene per year.
Bringing science fiction to life, Creature Technology Company received the Excellence Award in Products and Manufacturing Facilities for the eight metre animatronic King Kong figure that will star in a new attraction at Universal Orlando Resort, Florida, USA. Kong looks and moves like a living, breathing animal, with sophisticated and dynamic facial expressions, neck and shoulder articulation and multi-axis gross body movements.
BMD Constructions won the Excellence Award in Project Infrastructure for delivering the Roads and Services package of the Port of Melbourne’s Port Capacity Project. The completion of this backbone infrastructure, including roads, utilities and buffer zones, enabled the Port’s terminal operators to fast track the development of their facilities.
“I also wish to congratulate the project teams of the 40 entries in the AEEA Victoria Awards 2016. The projects entered demonstrate the diverse engineering capability throughout this great State,” Prof Wilson said.
Individuals who received recognition for their commitment and contribution to the profession include Darren Green AFIEAust; Michael Goodwin TFIEAust CEngT NER; Robert Ladd AFIEAust CEngA EngExec NER; and Esther Warren MIEAust CPEng.
Recipients of the AEEA Victoria Awards 2016 are now invited to nominate for the national Australian Engineering Excellence Awards which will be staged in Brisbane during the Australian Engineering Conference, 23-25 November 2016.
Australian Engineering Excellence Award Victoria 2016 Recipients
Buildings and Structures Award
Winner: Aurecon
Project: Margaret Court Arena
Innovation, Research and Development Award
Winner: Austeng with Imagine Intelligent Materials
Project: Pioneer Commercial Graphene Production Plant
Products and Manufacturing Facilities Award
Winner: Creature Technology Company with Universal Creative
Project: Reign of Kong Animatronic Figure
Project Infrastructure Award
Winner: BMD Constructions
Project: Port Capacity Project - Roads and Services
Individual Award Victoria 2016 Recipients
Engineering Technologist of the Year
Michael Goodwin TFIEAust CEngT NER
Associate Engineer of the Year
Darren Green AFIEAust
Young Professional Engineer of the Year
Esther Warren MIEAust CPEng
Young Associate Engineer of the Year
Robert Ladd AFIEAust CEngA EngExec NER