Here, the Excellence Awards spotlight series focuses on the Engineering Project of the Year Award.
The Engineering Project of the Year Award, sponsored by Transport Infrastructure Ireland, recognises the highest level of achievement in the engineering field and provides peer recognition of outstanding Irish engineering work.
The 2019 shortlist for the Engineering Project of the Year, sponsored by Transport Infrastructure Ireland, is:
• IAA Visual Control Tower, Dublin Airport by Arup
• Cruiserath Biologics by Bristol Myers Squibb
• East Tip Haulbowline Island Remediation Project by Cork County Council, RPS, PJ Hegarty & Sons and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
• Dublin Port Ro-Ro Jetty by Keating
• Ocean Pier Berth 31-34 by Keating
• Center Parcs Longford Forest by ORS
Michael Nolan, chief executive of Transport Infrastructure Ireland, said: “The Engineers Ireland Excellence Awards provides an opportunity for TII to celebrate the invaluable contribution engineers make to society.
"In particular, the quality of projects shortlisted for the Engineering Project of the Year Award showcases true engineering excellence and remind us of the impact that the engineering profession has on the lives of communities across Ireland.
"I’d like to congratulate each organisation shortlisted for the Engineering Project of the Year Award and I look forward to announcing the winner on Friday, November 15.”
Engineers Ireland is now calling on the Irish public to vote online for what they consider to be the Engineering Project of the Year before the deadline of midnight on Friday, November 8, 2019.
Find out more about each project below and cast your vote today.
IAA Visual Control Tower, Dublin airport, by Arup
IAA Visual Control Tower, Dublin airport, by Arup. Photo: Paul Tierney
At 87.7m high, the new Visual Control Tower (VCT) in Dublin Airport is Ireland’s tallest occupied building and is a worthy symbol of welcome to Dublin.
International best practice in areas of structural design, sway control, geotechnics, fire safety, vertical transport, wind testing, lighting, facade design and mechanical/electrical resilience were all incorporated in the total design of this iconic new addition to the city’s skyline.
The VCT is a vital element in safeguarding the delivery of the new parallel runway in Dublin airport and was completed within budget in April 2019.
The facility will be ready to provide single runway operation during the first half of 2020, transitioning to provide parallel runway operations by 2021, when the new runway becomes operational.
The new tower is a powerful visual reference point that impacts on people’s experiences both near and far from the aerodrome.
The design includes the tower shaft, the 5-level cab at the top and area control functions within the base building. The tower is visible from a range of locations, throughout Dublin city, bay and mountains.
Cruiserath Biologics by Bristol Myers Squibb
For more than 50 years, BMS has maintained a significant manufacturing presence in Ireland, and their new multi-product manufacturing facility continues to build on that legacy through the completion of Cruiserath Biologics.
Cruiserath Biologics by Bristol Myers Squibb.
The Cruiserath Biologics start-up is a multi-product facility which was designed, built, commissioned, qualified and put into production in three years – this is among the best in the world for a manufacturing facility of its size.
The single and most powerful element of the success of this start-up is the team that has delivered it. It is through their hard-work and adaptability that BMS has continued to deliver innovative medicines for patients with serious disease.
Louis Schmukler, senior vice-president of BMS’s global product development and supply group commented that the team behind the successful Cruiserath Biologics project “made and continue to make the extraordinary look ordinary”.
The BMS Cruiserath Biologics project was completed safely, on time and on budget. The one-team ethos and related aspects resulted in a very successful project for BMS, for Ireland, for all those that worked on it, and ultimately for BMS’ patients. Each day, our employees around the world work together for patients – it drives everything we do.
East Tip Haulbowline Island Remediation Project by Cork County Council, RPS, PJ Hegarty & Sons and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
The remediation of the East Tip on Haulbowline Island has seen 650,000m3 of steelworks waste, a negative legacy of the island’s industrial past, transformed into a magnificent public recreational amenity for the beneficial use of local residents, the local workforce and visitors alike (www.magnifly.ie/thejourney).
East Tip Haulbowline Island Remediation Project by Cork County Council, RPS, PJ Hegarty & Sons and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
With Haulbowline’s history as the location of the only steelworks ever to operate in Ireland this was a unique journey fraught with many challenges. It required the application of innovative and bespoke engineering solutions from project initiation through to completion.
Delivered comfortably under budget the project provides a template for the successful delivery of public sector projects.
Considering the extensive contractual risks presented by the uniqueness of the site, nature and characteristics of the waste material and location within Cork harbour this is a significant achievement.
The project is a true testament of the power of civil and environmental engineering to lift the human spirit. Cork harbour has been transformed by the remediation of the east tip and it is a landmark project for excellence in Irish engineering and its positive impact on society.
Ocean Pier Berth 31-34 by Keating
Dublin Port Company are implementing their 2040 masterplan with the first phase of work focusing on the redevelopment of Alexandra Basin.
Keating as part of the Roadbridge Keating joint venture has been working with Dublin Port under a Single Party Framework to deliver a major share of the required capital infrastructure, including Ocean Pier Berth 31-34.
Ocean Pier Berth 31-34 by Keating.
The first section of this project, ‘Berth 31/32’ was commissioned in February 2017 and involved the design and construction of 90m of deepwater combi-quay wall under a challenging delivery programme.
The complex quay structure included two linkspan bankseats for a novel interchangeable linkspan solution. This section of works was programmed, budgeted, designed and constructed in less than 174 days all while keeping the port operations active and while working within strict environmental rules.
‘Berths 32-34’ were subsequently commissioned. Remarkably, this highly technical 340m quay wall structure was programmed, budgeted, designed and constructed all within a 197-day off-season possession, improving on the previous record set by ‘Berth 31/32’.
Dublin Port RoRo Jetty by Keating
Dublin Port Company are implementing their 2040 masterplan, with the first phase of work focusing on the redevelopment of Alexandra Basin.
Keating as part of the Roadbridge Keating joint venture has been working with Dublin port under a single party framework to deliver a major share of the required capital infrastructure.
Dublin Port RoRo Jetty by Keating.
One such commission is the Dublin Port ABR Ro-Ro Jetty project – which is a critical element of the overall Alexandra Basin project. Ro-Ro, short for roll-on/ roll-off, refers to shipping services and activities where freight vehicles are driven on and off ferries.
The ambitious project has delivered a new jetty which is future proofed to cater for the largest in class Ro-Ro vessels in the world.
Delivered in a truly collaborative fashion from concept to construction, this 273m long jetty was delivered on time and within budget using highly innovative solutions and bespoke construction techniques.
Center Parcs Longford Forest by ORS
The unique Center Parcs Longford forest is the single largest private tourism investment ever on the island of Ireland. The 466 lodges and the 30 apartments provide accommodation for up to 2,500 guests.
At full capacity, the forest resort will have a population equivalent to five per cent of that of Co Longford. With more than 10km of internal roads and a purpose-built wastewater treatment plant on-site, the scale of this project is such that it could be considered as Ireland’s newest small town.
Center Parcs Longford Forest by ORS.
The development and construction project delivery team consisted of ORS, Edmond Shipway, JDA Architects, Holder Mathias Architects and PBA Consulting Engineers.
The project was split into three main contracts. Roadbridge was appointed as design and build contractors for the infrastructure contract and Sisk as design and build contractors for the lodge and centre buildings contracts.
ORS acted as the principal Irish consultant for the Center Parcs team from conceptual design stage right through to project handover.