Water awards

Warrington flood risk management

Halcrow won seven awards at the 2011 Environment Agency Project Excellence Awards which showcase projects across the flood and coastal erosion risk management sector.

The awards invite submissions from all framework contractors, consultants and Environment Agency employees who have undertaken project work on behalf of the agency.

The Blackpool Central Area Coast Protection Scheme

The Brunel Medal recognises valuable service or achievement, which has been rendered to or within the civil engineering industry.

The scheme employed innovative design and construction techniques to deliver a flagship scheme combining vital coastal protection improvements along with an enhanced seafront environment.

The scheme involved the construction of new coastal defences to the central tourist area of the town including; the iconic Blackpool Tower, historic tramway, three pleasure piers, many hotels, arcades and other tourist facilities. The coastal defence project is part of a jigsaw of schemes that form a regeneration master plan for the town.

Halcrow provided support to client Blackpool Council, through the development of the Project Appraisal Report for funding from defra. Halcrow subsequently undertook the detailed design of coastal defence elements of the scheme in advance of construction commencing in 2005, working in partnership with the selected scheme contractor, Birse Coastal and landscape architects, EDAW.

Broadland flood alleviation scheme

The Broadland flood alleviation project scooped the prestigious environmental award at the British Construction Industry Awards (BCIA), held in London. The awards are widely regarded as the industry's 'Oscars' and are the most rigorously judged awards in the construction sector.

Ten years ago the Environment Agency awarded a 20-year contract to the Halcrow/Bam Nuttall joint venture, Broadland Environmental Services Limited, to maintain and improve the flood defences in Broadland, East Anglia. The £118 million project is now nearing the end of the programme of improvement works and moving on to a maintenance phase.

Halcrow’s chief executive, Peter Gammie, was at the ceremony and commented: “The Broadlands project exemplifies the diversity of our expertise and is a testament to the commitment and talent of the Environment Agency, Bam Nuttall and Halcrow team. This win supports our stated purpose to sustain and improve the quality of people’s lives, so it’s been a great night for the project and Halcrow.”

National charity The Waterways Trust works with others to promote greater public enjoyment of our inland waterways. The Waterways Rennaissance Awards recognise best practice in sustainable waterway regeneration and development throughout the UK.

Three Halcrow projects were recognised at the 2011 awards:

The Bedford and Milton Keynes Waterway project claimed the outstanding achievement award which gives special recognition to an inspiring project.

Three Mills Lock in east London won the design and construction category. 

Ryeford Double Lock on the Stroudwater Navigation in Gloucestershire was runner up in the historic environment awards category.

Click here to watch a video of the event.

Radcot Paddle and Rymer Weir replacement project

The team’s efforts to improve health and safety while lessening the scheme’s environmental impact were instrumental in securing the award. Halcrow’s design sought to reduce carbon emissions by introducing cement replacements in the concrete. Fish are able to pass through the weir via a specially designed fish and canoe passage – the first in the UK. Both elements were commended by the client. Halcrow’s supervisors and environmental clerk of works also supported the contractor, Jackson Civil Engineering, during construction. Innovative ideas such as the last concrete truck removing the concrete wash-out waste, recycling concrete from the previous weir in the new structure and having a robust site waste management plan have continued to draw positive responses from the client, the lock keeper and local residents.

The area is home to a range of wildlife, including salmon, otters, badgers and grass snakes. Close monitoring of the project’s environmental impact using motion sensor cameras enabled a reactive response if construction was deemed to damage the surrounding habitats. The second construction season, will also review the impact of piling works and consider the use of bubble curtains in the river to potentially reduce the risk to fish populations.

The Thames Barrier trunnion and bearing refurbishment project

The awards celebrate outstanding achievement, innovation and ingenuity by companies, organisations and individuals in London.

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.

Halcrow’s Cobbins Brook Flood Alleviation Scheme and Hartham Weir project were the toast of the 2010 ICE East of England awards.

Fourteen civil engineering projects were honoured in the ICE East of England 2010 Merit Awards.  The awards recognised excellence in the design and construction of projects that have delighted clients and in many cases brought benefits to the public. 

The awards are broken down into the three categories of; Physical Achievement, Technical Excellence/Innovation and Sustainability.

Each category is divided into projects below and above £2.5million.  Some projects were entered under more the one category making 17 entries in total, the largest number of entries ever received.  The highest award is Exceptional Merit of which five were awarded – two of them to the Cobbins Brook Flood Alleviation Scheme, Waltham Abbey. 

Halcrow’s Hartham Weir project near Hertford was commended in the Physical Achievement under 2.5m category.

The Long Term Initiatives for Flood Risk Environments (LifE) project

The LifE project was funded by Defra’s Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Innovation Fund under the Making Space for Water initiative. Three UK sites were selected, to provide a range of potential flood risk environments, and three alternative sustainable development design approaches were developed for each site.

The RIBA awards promote and champion high-quality research and encourage its dissemination and incorporation into the professions’ knowledge base.

BURA recognises best practice in sustainable waterway regeneration and development throughout the UK.

The Foxton Locks and Inclined Plane site won the historic environment award, a commendation in the design and construction category and was presented with the prestigious outstanding achievement award.

The Washlands Flood Storage Area improvement scheme in Dagenham won the innovation achievement award for its team role.

Boscastle Valency flood defence scheme won the flood defence award.