March 2011
The Thames Barrier trunnion and bearing refurbishment project, for which Halcrow is the designer, has won a prestigious ICE London Civil Engineering Award.
The awards celebrate outstanding achievement, innovation and ingenuity by companies, organisations and individuals in London.
The project which was submitted by Halcrow and the Environment Agency, has won the Heritage Award.
Chris Wise, chair of the judging panel, said:
“What captured the judges’ imagination was the critical importance of this work in using contemporary technology to further enhance the Barrier, to extend its life, and so protect hundreds of thousands of Londoners and the fabric of the city they occupy...so we gave its unsung watchmen and women a prize for heritage with a twist.... not for the past but for the future of our city.”
The barrier, operational since 1982, is an iconic structure for London and the engineering community. The structure has been at the heart of London’s flood defences for 28 years, so far closing on 119 occasions to prevent flooding in the nation’s capital city.
The objective of the refurbishment project was to inspect and refurbish the gates main bearings and bearing support structures, managed within a fixed programme, constrained by navigational and maintenance requirements.
In addition to the refurbishment works unique state-of-the-art monitoring systems have been installed on the bearings. These new systems allow remote and continuous monitoring of the condition of these vital components, enabling a proactive approach to maintenance, reducing the frequency of inspections and maintenance interventions yielding cost savings and minimising the need for staff to enter potentially hazardous areas of the structure.
Successful delivery of this challenging scheme has required excellence in management, design and implementation, with safety at the very heart of every stage of the project.
The awards have grown over the last decade into the highest honour for civil engineering excellence in the London region. Previous winners include Heathrow terminal 5A, Hampton Advanced Water Treatment Works, Wembley Stadium and the Sackler Bridge Crossing at Kew Gardens.
The awards were held in the Great Hall at One Great George Street, Westminster on Friday 4 March.
BBC London’s Alice Bhandhukravi hosted the evening alongside ICE President Peter Hansford.