Queensland’s Airport Link project, a joint venture by Parsons Brinckerhoff and Arup, has won the R.W. Hawken Award, Queensland’s top engineering prize presented by Engineers Australia at the 2013 Engineering Excellence Awards.

Praised for its significant contribution to Queenland’s road transport system and its innovative solutions for traffic congestion, the $5.6 billion project encompasses the Airport Link, Northern Busway (Windsor to Kedron) and Airport Roundabout Upgrade projects.

The Airport Link connects Brisbane’s CBD to Brisbane Airport using 15 kilometres of tunnel, 25 bridges, as well as a number of off-ramps and specially designed bus-tunnels.

“This major infrastructure project boasts many Australian and world firsts; including one of the world’s largest road caverns ever to be excavated during its construction, using one of the largest tunnelling machines ever used in Australia,” says Engineers Australia Queensland Division President, Simon Orton.

“The judges were particularly impressed by the complexity of the project and its exceptional design in difficult geological environments. The project involves multifaceted interfaces of road geometry within the tunnel and its surrounds.”

Design features include large-span mined tunnels providing three-lane uni-directional vehicular travel, with underground intersections and high-capacity interchanges providing access to the tunnel infrastructure and existing road network, as well as high-quality urban design and finish.

Brisbane Airport Link. Image courtesy of Arup

Arup took home its second award for the night with One One One Eagle Street, constructed by Leighton Contractors and designed by Cox Rayner Architects.

Winning the Building Structures Excellence Award, the structural frame of the building was inspired by the adjacent Moreton Bay fig trees, with the extremes of the tower floors supported by a seemingly random collection of slender inclined columns that ‘grow’ from the base of the tower, branching and tapering as they rise.

One One One Eagle Street. Image courtesy of Leighton Contractors

The Building Services Excellence Award was won by the Translational Research Institute, submitted by Aurecon, Multitech Solutions, Opus and Hawkins Jenkins Ross.

The TRI is conceived as a series of interconnected places to enable a community of research. Wilson Architects and Donovan Hill were selected to design the project following an architectural design competition.

Translational Research Institute designed by Wilson Architects + Donovan Hill. Image: Wilson Architects

Full list of winners and High Commendations:

R.W. HAWKEN - OVERALL AWARD

Airport Link, Northern Busway (Windsor to Kedron) and Airport Roundabout Upgrade submitted by Parsons Brinckerhoff and Arup Joint Venture

BUILDING STRUCTURES
Excellence Award
One One One Eagle Street submitted by Arup and Leighton Contractors

High Commendation
Soleil submitted by Bonacci Group/ Meriton Apartments

BUILDING SERVICES
Excellence Award
Translational Research Institute (TRI) submitted by Aurecon, Multitech Solutions, Opus and Hawkins Jenkins Ross

High Commendation
Queen Elizabeth II Courts of Law submitted by Aurecon

CONTROL SYSTEMS, NETWORKS, INFORMATION PROCESSING AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS
High Commendation
Emergency Vehicle Priority Project submitted by Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads for the Queensland Department of Community Safety and Transmax Pty Ltd

ENVIRONMENT
Excellence Award
Goodna Sewage Treatment Plant Stage 4A Upgrade submitted by Sinclair Knight Merz and Thiess

High Commendation
QCLNG Export Pipeline - Narrows Crossing submitted by Queensland Gas Company, McConnell Dowell Constructors and Consolidated Contractors Company

INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT AND MANUFACTURING
High Commendation
Lucinda Bulk Sugar Terminal Cyclone Yasi Recovery submitted by Aurecon and Queensland Sugar Limited

PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Excellence Award
Ipswich Motorway Upgrade: Dinmore to Goodna Project submitted by Origin Alliance

High Commendation
PortConnect; The Port of Brisbane Motorway Upgrade Project submitted by BMD Seymour Whyte Joint Venture in collaboration with GHD and project owner, the Department of Transport and Main Roads

PROJECT INFRASTRUCTURE UNDER $50 MILLION
Excellence Award
Lucinda Bulk Sugar Terminal Cyclone Yasi Recovery submitted by Aurecon and Queensland Sugar Limited

High Commendation
Life Extension of Existing High Voltage Transmission Tower Foundations Using Micropiles – Woree to Kamerunga submitted by Piling & Concreting Australia

PROJECT INFRASTRUCTURE OVER $50 MILLION
Excellence Award
Airport Link, Northern Busway (Windsor to Kedron) and Airport Roundabout Upgrade submitted by Parsons Brinckerhoff and Arup Joint Venture

High Commendation
Townsville Port Access Road submitted by AECOM and AbiGroup/Seymour Whyte Joint Venture on behalf of Department of Transport and Main Roads

RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT AND INNOVATION
Excellence Award
Anaerobic Digestion of Waste Activated Sludge Only at Coombabah WWTP submitted by The Coombabah and Stapylton Program Alliance of Gold Coast Water, AbiGroup, KBR and Worley Parsons

High Commendation
QCLNG Export Pipeline - Narrows Crossing submitted by Queensland Gas Company, McConnell Dowell Constructors and Consolidated Contractors Company

REPORTS, PROCEDURES AND SYSTEMS
Excellence Award
Townsville Coastal Hazard Adaptation Strategy submitted by GHD

High Commendation
Cedar Grove Connector Planning and Preliminary Design Studies submitted by SMEC Australia

Geraldine Chua

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