ACENZ Announces 2007 Innovate NZ Winners

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ACENZ AWARDS

ACENZ Announces 2007 Innovate NZ Winners

Geothermal energy, a regional landfill, a European Aid bridge for Fiji and a stunning new addition to the Auckland Museum were the top winners at the INNOVATE NZ ™ Awards from the Association of Consulting Engineers NZ announced on Saturday 11 August.

The awards are made by the association each year to projects that show innovation in engineering design as well as exceptional service to the client. The four Gold winners this year show that New Zealand engineering is world standard.

The Tauhara Geothermal Heat Plant, by Dobbie Engineers for Contact Energy and Tenon is the first heat exchange plant in New Zealand to use both the liquid and steam part of geothermal fluid. The heat plant is used to dry timber at the Tenon plant in Taupo. This innovation makes good economic and environmental sense for the plant, with substantial savings in energy cost, as well as an increased production for the plant.

In North Canterbury, the Kate Valley Landfill by Tonkin & Taylor for Canterbury Waste Services, is a model for efficient landfill services with minimal impact on the environment. This project has drawn considerable interest from the community and had extreme conditions set by the Environment Court to allay fears of contamination. The service provided by the consultant to their client, greatly eased the court process. They also provided longer term benefits to the community as this state of the art landfill will continue to operate long into the current century.

As the culmination of a long refurbishment programme to the Auckland Museum, construction of the Grand Atrium Project deserves the accolades it has already received for architectural merit. Much of the architecture would not have been possible without the skill of structural engineers, Holmes Consulting Group in the excavation work and superstructure design to support the impressive bowl inside the atrium space, and its undulating roof.

The New Rewa River Bridge in Fiji was a joint venture between the designer, Beca Infrastructure and contractor, Fletcher Construction for the Fiji government, funded through the European Development Fund. The NZ design was selected as the most workable and cost effective for this project and has used some innovative construction techniques to realise the end product.

SHORT DESCRIPTIONS and PHOTOS of each project are available to the media – to select images go to www.acenz.org.nz

INNOVATE NZ ™ also commended a number of projects at the Silver and Merit levels. These are:

Auckland
- Army Bay Sewage Treatment Plant Upgrade, by Sinclair Knight Merz: SILVER
- Lighter Quay Development, by Holmes Consulting Group, SILVER
- Tane Whakapiripiri - Forensic Maori Mental Health Unit, by Maunsell, SILVER
- Upper Harbour Bridge Duplication & Causeway Widening, by Beca Infrastructure, SILVER
- Central Motorway Junction Core Area Upgrading, , by Beca Infrastructure, MERIT
- Mangere Wastewater Treatment Plant Dissolved Oxygen Control, by MWH NZ, MERIT
- Waitakere Civic Centre, by Alan Reay Consultants, MERIT

Waikato / Bay of Plenty
- Mercer to Longswamp Expressway, by Bloxam Burnett Olliver, MERIT
- Te Maunga Wastewater Treatment Plant Bioreactor Upgrade, by MWH NZ, MERIT
- Tirau Sewage Treatment Plant Upgrade, by Harrison Grierson, MERIT
- Taupo Race Track, by Connell Wagner, SILVER
- Weavers Pit Rehabilitation by Maunsell, COMMUNITY AWARD

Hawkes Bay
- Corner 50 Estate, by Connell Wagner, MERIT

Wellington
- Environment House, by Connell Wagner, MERIT

South Island
- Aviemore Dam Seismic Safety Evaluation & Upgrade, by Opus International Consultants and URS NZ, SILVER
- Project Black Point Stage 1, by Sinclair Knight Merz and Tonkin & Taylor, MERIT

SHORT DESCRIPTIONS and PHOTOS of each project are available to the media – to select images go to www.acenz.org.nz

INNOVATE NZ is trademark to Association of Consulting Engineers NZ. The Awards are made to projects of outstanding merit in the field of consulting engineering, taking into account, technical excellence, management of the project, relationships with the client and other parties involved in the project, social and economic impact.

This Press Release Authorised by

Kieran Shaw, CEO

ENDS

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