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Arup scoops two 2020 ACEI Engineering Excellence Awards

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Clare O'Loughlin Clare O'Loughlin Europe Press Office, Ireland
7 October 2020

Two flagship Arup projects have been recognised at Ireland’s ACEI Engineering Excellence Awards. The Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Bridge over the River Barrow, part of the N25 New Ross Bypass, was awarded Project of the Year 2020, while the retrofit of Dublin’s Miesian Plaza office complex won the Climate Change Adaptation Award.

Established by the Association of Consulting Engineers of Ireland (ACEI) in 1970, the ACEI Awards celebrate the contribution of the engineering profession to society, highlighting recent creative and innovative designs across the country. The award winners visited the ACEI headquarters in Merrion Square last Wednesday to receive certificates from 2019/2020 ACEI President, Gerry Carty.

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Though our awards presentations were reimagined this year in line with public health measures for COVID-19, we were delighted to celebrate these remarkable and transformative projects. These awards serve as a reminder of the fundamental and all-encompassing role of engineers in transforming the built environment. ” Conor McCarthy ACEI President

Representatives from Mott MacDonald, ACEI and Arup at the award presentation for the Project of the Year 2020 for the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Bridge.
Representatives from Arup and ACEI at the award presentation for the Climate Change Adaptation category for Miesian Plaza.
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Pictured from left to right: Jim Sherry (Mott MacDonald), Gerry Carty (ACEI), Alfonso Ramirez and Marcos Sanchez (Arup). Photo credit: Conor McCabe

Arup and Mott MacDonald received the Project of the Year Award for the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Bridge, part of the strategic bypass of New Ross town. As joint winners, this award recognised the team’s creative solutions at the concept and delivery stages of the N25 New Ross Bypass, resulting in a state-of-the-art design to the highest international standard.

A key feature of the bypass scheme, the bridge serves as a landmark – currently the longest in Ireland at 887m in length. The two main spans of 230m each are the longest post-tensioned concrete spans of their type in the world.

“ Designing this iconic long-span bridge required an extensive collaboration, pairing world-class engineering and construction services. We are proud to have won the ACEI Project of the Year Award together with the scheme's technical advisors, Mott MacDonald. ” Marcos Sanchez Marcos Sanchez Director

The newly created Climate Change Adaptation Award went to Miesian Plaza for the sustainable approach to upgrading the design from the 1960s to a 21st century high quality office building.

The protected façades were sensitively refurbished and a complete replacement of the existing mechanical and electrical infrastructure was undertaken to create three stand-alone buildings. In 2019, Miesian Plaza became the first development in Ireland to achieve LEED Platinum v4 Certification – the highest level of the LEED green building rating system.

The project involved redesigning every aspect of the building from insulation to energy management and water use, while recycling over 75% of demolition materials. Photo credit: Donal Murphy Photography

“Achieving high standards in energy efficiency was a priority for the restoration of Miesian Plaza, in line with the client’s ambitious sustainability targets. This project was particularly noteworthy due to the protected status of the buildings. It is an honour to receive the Climate Change Adaptation Award from ACEI. By working closely with the client and the design team, we were delighted to achieve a sustainable and sensitive refurbishment,” said Sean Barrett, Associate, Structures.

Arup was shortlisted in multiple categories, including Trinity Business School in the Structural category, Mary Elmes Bridge in the Environmental Sustainability (natural environment) category and the IAA Visual Control Tower, Dublin Airport in the Innovation category.

Arup’s projects have been recognised at numerous previous ACEI Awards ceremonies, including a Mechanical & Electrical Award for the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital in 2014, the President’s Award for Terminal 2 at Dublin Airport in 2014 and the President’s Award for the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre in 2011.