Queensland’s Engineers celebrated at 2018 QEEA Awards night Wednesday, 22 August 2018

The State’s top projects across the various engineering sectors were celebrated at Tuesday night’s 2018 Queensland Engineering Excellence Awards (QEEA) at The Sofitel, Brisbane.

The Awards Night, held every two years by Engineers Australia, recognises the State’s engineers’ outstanding achievements in their various fields and the invaluable contribution and legacy their projects leave on the economy, community and the environment.

A total of six projects received awards, with BMT and Aurecon’s Brisbane River Catchment Flood Study taking out the night’s most prestigious title: the RJ Hawken Award.

There to accept the award on the night were representatives of BMT, including Software Manager, Bill Syme and Team Leader of Flooding Queensland, Cathy Barton.

Said Bill Syme: “It’s really nice after many years of flood studies to do a study of this magnitude and complexity. There’s a lot of technical challenges along the way… and to achieve the result that we achieved, we are very, very proud.”

Said Cathy Barton: “We were proud that we had achieved and made a success of such a huge, complex project. It certainly is a world leader in terms of our field that we are in. This award (RJ Hawkin Award) is really just a lovely bonus, it’s fantastic and a huge honour.

“Our study and its outcomes will influence a huge proportion of the South East Queensland population and hopefully make the community safer in the long term.”

Joining BMT and Aurecon on the stage were:

  • Sunshine Coast University Hospital (Aurecon);
  • Sun and Salt: Logan’s Water Quality Solution (Logan Water Infrastructure Alliance, Logan City Council, Downer, Cardno, WSP);
  • Leica GS18T – World’s Fastest GNSS RTK Rover (Leica Geosystems);
  • Project Currawong [Boeing Defence Australia (BDA), Defence Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group (CASG)]; and
  • Brisbane Airport Runway Stage 2 Overlay (GHD Pty Ltd)

The Queensland Engineering Excellence Awards are decided on a number of factors, including:

  • The actual or potential contribution of the work to the economy,
  • Impact of the work on the quality of life of the relevant communities,
  • The significance of work as a benchmark of Australian Engineering,
  • The extent to which the work represents world best practice, and
  • Other considerations, including environmental impacts, sustainability and work health and safety aspects

The 31 entries were judged by a panel of 12 local practicing and retired engineers and fronted by Chief Judge, Cliff Button.

Button said: “The entries are broken into seven categories and judged against those categories accordingly. We had a number of diverse entries, ranging from army communications to flood studies and to looking after water in large reservoirs.

“It’s very rewarding for the 230-odd people that have come and all the entries we had spread across some very big projects to some relatively small ones.

“We had a showcase of all those projects that are happening across our State; we’ll take these (nominees) down to the final Awards Night in Sydney in September so we’re very much looking forward to that. We think we’ll put up a good fight.”

Two of Queensland’s engineers were also recognised for individual awards on the night, with Harry Asche taking out the State’s Engineer of the Year while Stuart Cook was awarded Young Engineer of the year.

The six winners on the night will progress to Australian Engineering Excellence Awards (AEEA) to vie for national recognition against the winners from the remaining eight States and Territories.

The 2018 AEEA Awards will be held at the International Convention Centre, Sydney on Tuesday 18 September.

 

UPDATE:

Two of Queensland’s entrants were recognised as winners at the 2018 Australian Engineering Excellence Awards, competing against the best projects nation-wide.

Congratulations go to Leica Geosystems for its Leica GS18 T innovation for the world’s fasted GNSS RTK Rover and Boeing Defence Australia’s Currawong Project which delivers a next-generation deployed integrated battleship communications network to the ADF.

All the night’s award winners are listed here.

 

All 2018 Queensland Engineering Excellence Awards Nominees (in alphabetical order):

  • Amrun Project Chith Export Facility (Rio Tinto, Bechtel, Jacobs, McConnell Dowell)
  • Asta Project [Norwood Technologies Pty Ltd (trading as The Project Office), Enesys]
  • Brisbane Airport Runway Stage 2 Overlay (GHD Pty Ltd)
  • Brisbane Citywide Creek and Overland Flow Path Modelling and Flood Risk Mapping Study (GHD Pty Ltd, Brisbane City Council)
  • Brisbane River Catchment Flood Study (BMT, Aurecon)
  • Bruce Highway – Boundary Road Interchange Upgrade (BMD Constructions, Department of Transport and Main Roads)
  • Capricorn Copper Refurbishment and Restart Project – Innovative Repurposing of Obsolete Infrastructure (Ausenco)
  • Charters Towers Tennis Courts Upgrade (Langtree Consulting, Charters Towers Regional Council, Charter Towers Tennis Club)
  • Conergy’s Lakeland Solar and Storage Project (Conergy Australia)
  • Coomera to Helensvale Rail Duplication (GHD Pty Ltd, Golding Contractors)
  • DBCT Remedials Project (John Holland Pty Ltd)
  • Gateway Upgrade North Project (Department of Transport and Main Roads, Lendlease, Transurban Queensland)
  • Hota Outdoor Stage (Arup Pty Ltd, City of Gold Coast, ARM Architecture, ADCO Constructions)
  • Iluka Redevelopment Foundations – Stage 2 (Keller Pty Ltd)
  • Innovative Use of Floating Wetlands to Treat Stormwater Runoff in a Greenfield Development (Covey Associates Pty Ltd, The Stormwater Research Group at the University of the Sunshine Coast)
  • Leica GS18T – World’s Fastest GNSS RTK Rover (Leica Geosystems)
  • Logan Enhancement Project (Transurban Queensland, CPD Contractors)
  • Metropolitan Coal Mine Waste Backfill – Environmentally Sound Storage and Reduction of Waste Cartage Through Community (Ausenco)
  • NCOS Online – World’s Most Accurate Physics-Based Port Traffic Management System (Port of Brisbane Pty Ltd, DHI Water and Environment Pty Ltd)
  • Original Gateway Bridge Bearing Replacement Project (Transurban Queensland, AECOM Australia, Freyssinet Australia, Heywood Engineering Solutions)
  • Petrie Water Supply Upgrade (Unitywater, Seqwater)
  • Phu Kham Process Improvements – Benchmark Model and Plant Optimisation (Ausenco)
  • Project Currawong (Boeing Defence Australia, Defence Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group)
  • Project Nullarbor (Boeing Defence Australia)
  • Sun and Salt: Logan’s Water Quality Solution (Logan Water Infrastructure Alliance, Logan City Council, Downer, Cardno, WSP)
  • Sunshine Beach Earth Retention and Piling (Piling and Civil Australia)
  • Sunshine Coast University Hospital (Aurecon)
  • Super I Girder (Arup Pty Ltd, Seymour Whyte Constructions, Port of Brisbane Pty Ltd)
  • Transmission Tower Foundation Replacement for Lines BS 1219 and BS 1223 Townsville (Piling and Civil Australia)
  • Wagners Cement Wharf Project (Wagners New Generation Building Materials, Wagners CFT)
  • Whitty Building Redevelopment Project (Aurecon Australasia Pty Ltd)