2012 Olympic Park takes top Institution of Civil Engineers Award
(04/03/2010)

Thirteen infrastructure and building projects were shortlisted for the Institution of Civil Engineers’ (ICE) annual Awards, which recognise engineering excellence in the capital.

The London 2012 Olympic Park Enabling Projects in Stratford have been awarded the top honour at the ICE London Civil Engineering Awards 2010. Four other projects received awards including King’s Cross St Pancras Underground Station Redevelopment – Phase 2, The Shard Construction Methodology, Thames Water’s Ring Main Extension and Woolwich Town Centre.

The winning schemes were announced last night at the London Transport Museum by BBC London newsreader Alice Bhandhukravi and ICE President Paul Jowitt. Previous winners include Heathrow Terminal 5A, Hampton Advanced Water Treatment Works, Wembley Stadium and the Sackler Bridge Crossing at Kew Gardens.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: "If you want symbols of how London is powering its way out of recession you need only look at this year's winners. Many said that the credit crunch would halt the construction of Renzo Piano's visionary Shard of Glass and no-one predicted that a brand new ticket hall and pedestrian tunnels at Kings Cross St Pancras would be delivered ahead of schedule.

"I am delighted that the 2012 Olympic Park took the top award. This work is helping to secure a truly lasting legacy for the capital and the transformation of the East End is one of the biggest ever single regeneration projects seen in Europe. The calibre of this year's entries are world-class, stating loud and clear that London is the place to be for a career in engineering excellence."

Director of ICE London, Miranda Housden, said: “The ICE London Civil Engineering Awards have celebrated engineering excellence in the London region for over a decade. All of the winning projects highlight the important contribution that civil engineers make to London and I congratulate all involved.”

Judgements on engineering excellence were based on criteria such as creativity and innovation, sustainability and environmental sensitivity, and benefits to the client and wider public.

The ICE London Civil Engineering Awards 2010 winners are:

London 2012 Olympic Park Enabling Projects received the Greatest Contribution to London Award.
Location: Olympic Park, Stratford
Engineer: CLM/Atkins
Client: Olympic Delivery Authority
Contractor: Morrisons Construction Limited/BAM
Architect: Nuttall

This project has provided the foundations for the Olympic legacy to be realised and will deliver huge environmental and infrastructure benefits far beyond 2012, both for the local and London regional areas, in the form of improved transport infrastructure, sporting facilities, mixed residential and light industrial uses, parkland and improved biodiversity. Major achievements include the construction of 25 bridges, 5 underpasses and over 3 kilometres of new highways, together with the revitalisation of over 3km of rivers and canals which have been brought back into use.

King’s Cross St Pancras Underground Station Redevelopment – Phase 2 received the Infrastructure Award.
Location: King’s Cross
Engineer: Arup
Client: DfT/London Underground
Contractor: Atkins Balfour Beatty Management/Balfour Beatty Civil Engineering/Morgan BeMo JV/Balfour Beatty Engineering Services
Architect: Allies and Morrison

Works to construct a major new ticket hall and pedestrian tunnels at one of the busiest stations on the London Underground network were completed ahead of schedule in November 2009. With revitalised St Pancras Station now an international and high speed commuter hub and the Olympics looming in 2012 passenger numbers were set to double so something had to be done. The project team had to find a way of threading 300m of tunnels and sinking a four storey underground structure under and around the Kings Cross train shed and listed Great Northern Hotel. Construction techniques for the deep excavations and tunnels were developed to avoid damage to surrounding listed buildings and maintain the operational railway. The finished ticket hall has delivered brand new, state-of-the-art facilities, which have doubled the capacity of the station, reduced congestion and improved accessibility.

The Shard Construction Methodology received the Buildings Award
Location: Bankside
Construction Engineer: Robert Bird Group/Byrne Brothers
Contractor: Mace Group

The Shard is part of the £2 billion mixed use London Bridge Quarter redevelopment adjacent to London Bridge station. An innovative construction methodology aims to reduce cost, enhance the construction programme and reduce programme risk. The principal concept was to ‘jump-start’ the concrete core and steel structure to allow construction above and below ground to commence simultaneously. When complete the Shard will be Europe’s tallest building and the iconic Renzo Piano design will redefine London’s skyline.

Thames Water’s Ring Main Extension received a Special Award in recognition of the scale of its contribution to London
Location: North and south London
Engineer: Mott MacDonald
Client: Thames Water
Contractor: Morgan Est/Costain/Black & Veatch

London’s growing demand for drinking water is being met by a project to extend the Thames Water Ring Main. Nearly 10 km of deep tunnels and four large diameter pump-out shafts will increase the Ring Main’s capacity by 500 million litres a day. These works had to provide maximum operational flexibility and not adversely affect future extensions while avoiding disruption to the surroundings and the environment. Tunnels have been dug under some of the busiest, most densely populated areas of London with no major disruption to residents, no interruption to amenities, no road closures and no transport suspensions.

Woolwich Town Centre received a Special Award for its contribution to the local community
Location: Woolwich
Engineer: Transport for London
Client: London Borough of Greenwich
Contractor: Ringway Infrastructure Services/JB Riney
Architect: Witherford Watson Mann

The £6 million Woolwich Town Centre project improves public space, public transport accessibility, provides enhanced cycling and walking facilities and is designed to reduce the fear of crime: all key objectives for both Greenwich Council and the Mayor. The implementation of the project was delivered in two phases; firstly reducing traffic in the town centre and then enabling the creation of a two-way sustainable transport corridor.

The judging panel for the ICE London Civil Engineering Awards 2010:
· Mark Whitby (chair): founder and previous chairman of Ramboll and past president of the Institution of Civil Engineers
· Susan Angoy: London Development Agency board member, and urban renewal, international development and corporate social responsibility advisor
· Ken Dalton: Group Chief Executive, European division, AECOM
· Thomas Lane: an assistant editor at Building Magazine, responsible for its technical coverage. Winner of five awards at the International Building press awards, shortlisted for business journalist of the year at the PPA awards
· Chris Wise: Structural engineer, trustee of the Design Council and founder and director of Expedition Engineering

A four week exhibition of all thirteen shortlisted schemes will take place between 22 March – 10 April at the Building Centre, 26 Store Street, London WC1E 7BT.