A LARGE sculpture in Middlesbrough and the refurbishment of the North Shields Fish Quay were among the winners at this years prestigious Robert Stephenson Awards, which celebrate some of region’s most eye-catching building projects.
The Robert Stephenson Awards, which are organised by the Institute of Civil Engineers (ICE) saw Temenos, a project by Balfour Beatty Civil Engineering, Arup and Faithful & Gould, for Tees Valley Unlimited, win the under-£4m category.
The £2.7m giant artwork designed by world-renowned artist Anish Kapoor and structural designer Cecil Balmond, has changed the skyline around Middlesbrough’s Middlehaven regeneration area and was unveiled in June last year.
The judges described Temenos as “a landmark sculpture in an iconic setting that encompasses first-class engineering that will inspire and promote the region.”
A commendation in the under £4m category also went to the Cockton Hill railway bridge replacement project by the Durham Strategic Alliance for Civil Engineering, made up of Jacobs and Balfour Beatty Civil Engineering, for Durham County Council.
The top award in the over £4m category went to The Fish Quay project, which was headed up by WA Fairhurst & Partners and Southbay Civils Ltd for North Shields Fish Quay Company Ltd and the Port of Tyne.
The project involved an alternative design for 300m of public quay situated at the mouth of the River Tyne, and involved driving 190 steel piles through the existing dilapidated quay and constructing a new concrete deck slab on top.
The judges described the North Shields Fish Quay work as “the transformation of a deteriorating facility to meet future demands and ensure the continual successful operation of the fish quay.”
The commendation in the over £4m category went to the Lambton Coke Works development, which involved redeveloping an area in Houghton-le-Spring for new housing by Carillion Civil Engineering and AECOM for the Homes and Communities Agency.
Jason Boddy, regional chairman of ICE North East, said: “This year’s Robert Stephenson Awards nominees came from all over the North East and included a wide range of different types of project.
“I believe that this, and the selection of the winners, is representative of the array of civil engineering work and skills on display across the North East.”
The awards were presented by Peter Hansford, president of ICE, at the annual ICE North East dinner at the Newcastle Gosforth Marriott Hotel.
He said: “To see a sculpture alongside bridge works and vital upgrades at a successful fish quay alongside the reclamation of a contaminated site to bring it back into use for the community is an excellent celebration of civil engineering.”