The new park on the former Water Police site at Pyrmont, for which Aurecon fulfilled the role of Principal Engineer, was last week declared Australia’s best public urban project at the 2009 Cement Concrete & Aggregates Australia (CCAA) Public Domain Awards held in Sydney.   Designed by landscape architects ASPECT Studios, the $26 million urban waterfront park was acclaimed as Best Overall Project as well as Best Project for NSW and joint winner in the category of Precincts. “We wanted to rejuvenate the urban site into a memorable park space for the community,” said Rob Angus, Project Leader for Aurecon.
“In collaboration with ASPECT Studios, we were able to achieve that and show our commitment to providing high quality outcomes for the wider community.” Overlooking the Sydney Harbour on Pyrmont peninsula, the park combines elements of the site’s history and waterfront environment with more contemporary forms and materials to create what the judges described as “an outcome of apparent simplicity and exemplary coherence” and “a masterful example” of the potential of concrete. Aurecon provided civil, structural and hydraulic engineering services for the vibrant public asset which consists of a modern playground, shade and barbecue facilities. Aurecon was also Principal Engineer for the Roxburgh Park Railway Station in Victoria which received Commendation in the Bridges Category. “The design [of the station] demonstrates how concrete, as an obviously robust material, can achieve experiential interest as well as longevity,” said the judges. The biennial Public Domain Awards are judged by an eminent panel of landscape architects, architects and urban designers, and recognise the innovative and functional use of concrete to enhance the public domain. CCAA Chief Executive, Ken Slattery, says the Awards celebrate infrastructure projects that connect to the community at a very fundamental level, such as parks, roadways, malls, transport interchanges, bridges and public artworks. “At a time when governments around Australia are focusing on infrastructure, these projects contain some important lessons on how to deliver value-for-money public infrastructure,” he says. The Awards this year attracted a record number of entries from around Australia. Entries were judged on functional performance, aesthetics, economy, durability, construction, traffic management or calming (where appropriate), sustainability, and their overall significance to the public domain. Aurecon is a leading, vibrant, global group created by the coming together of three world-class companies: Connell Wagner, Africon and Ninham Shand. The group placed 52 in the 2009 Engineering News Record Top 150 Global Design Firms list. Media contact James Bennett +61 3 8683 1501 Email James