Electrical engineering and communications specialist O’Donnell Griffin has won nine state titles in the National Electrical and Communications Association (NECA) Awards.

The state-winning entries are now all in contention for the national titles, to be announced in October.

O’Donnell Griffin took out three South Australian titles, three Victorian titles, two Western Australian titles and one ACT title.

The company also won the South Australia Perpetual Award for best project across all categories.

O’Donnell Griffin NECA titles included one for the installation of lighting, power and communications for the new Canberra Airport Multi User Terminal. The existing terminal was operational 24 hours a day during the project

O’Donnell Griffin CEO David Rafter said: “We were also very proud to see our Industrial division apprentice Michael Cirocco take out the South Australian Apprentice of the Year title. Michael has worked hard to earn this honour, and the award is a testament to his work ethic and skills.”

In Western Australia, the company claimed the Environment and Energy Efficiency Award for a project to install a large and complex solar power system at the Perth Zoo.

The WA team also won the Commercial Large Project title for major electrical services at the new performing arts venue at the landmark State Theatre Centre of WA.

Award overviews:

South Australia

Industrial — Large Project AND Perpetual Award

Glenside Power Cooling and Support Capacity Upgrade

This was a very complex and logistically challenging project. Apart from an incredibly short time frame, other challenges included high level security, inclement weather and dust and vibration control in critical areas. The data centre also had to keep operating throughout the entire upgrade, meaning all new installations and upgrades had to be quick and seamless. This was successfully achieved by detailed planning, high level risk management and close integration with building management systems.

Apprenticeship Award - Electrical — Industrial

Michael Cirocco, O’Donnell Griffin

Western Australia

Environment & Energy Efficiency

Perth Zoo Solar Systems

O’Donnell Griffin provided Perth Zoo with a 90kW solar project. This was Stage 1 of a total 250kW solar station located on various buildings across the Perth Zoo. The size and complexity of this system meant that numerous individual PV solar arrays were installed across a number of animal shelters, enclosures and office buildings.

This category is awarded to a project where the design, product selection, lighting, processes or technologies have created an energy efficient or sustainable installation and/or made a significant contribution to preservation of a site’s natural environment.

Commercial — Large Project

New Performing Arts Venue (NPAV), Perth

O’Donnell Griffin provided NPAV with electrical services to the State Theatre Centre of WA. The theatre is a landmark venue in Perth that includes the 575 seat Heath Ledger Theatre. The size and the complexity of NPAV meant that the technical and installation aspects were extremely demanding and required superior quality workmanship.

Victoria

Occupational Health and Safety

Incident Investigation Process

O’Donnell Griffin developed and implemented an Incident Investigation Process that is used to investigate all significant incidents resulting in injuries to employees or disruption to site operations. With the implementation of this new process, O’Donnell Griffin has achieved a lost time to injury rate of zero.

Industrial Project - Small

Crown - Generator Step-up Transformer Refurbishment Project

During maintenance, O’Donnell Griffin found cracks in the frames of six transformers. The scope of this project was to remove and refurbish the six step-up transformers, then re-install and recommission them. This was a complex exercise as the transformers were refurbished one at a time, and the work needed to be done at odd hours and in a tight time frame, with no down-time, to accommodate operational requirements.

Industrial Project - Large

Telstra Clayton Operations Building Upgrade - Electrical Installation

Work on this project included the supply, installation, testing and commissioning of the Operations Building’s mechanical and base building electrical services and associated equipment. All works and activities were to meet the critical dates as defined by the Project Manager. This project presented a major challenge for O’Donnell Griffin as it was a fully functional data hall and it was necessary to keep it operational 24 hours per day throughout the work.

Australian Capital Territory

Commercial — Large Project

Canberra Airport Multi User Terminal — Southern Concourse

Works carried out by O’Donnell Griffin included the installation of lighting, power and communications for the new terminal, including the new Qantas lounge. A major challenge for the team was getting the new terminal built while keeping the existing terminal operational 24/7. The team demonstrated their commitment to the project by working nights on many occasions to complete the job on schedule.

Architecture & Design Team

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