The Structural Awards 2017 are now open for entries and submissions close on Monday 10 April.
The Awards, hosted annually by The Institution of Structural Engineers, are the world’s leading celebration of structural engineering, and winning an Award is a symbol of excellence that is recognised around the world.
This year the Awards feature new categories - designed by the judges to better reflect engineering innovation and achievement.
The judges decided to update the categories to place a stronger emphasis on the structural characteristics of a project, rather than the type of structure.
For instance, in the previous system, long span structures might have qualified for both the “healthcare” and “commercial” categories. The new categories better represent the judges’ primary interest in engineering accomplishment and will therefore better celebrate engineering excellence in the built environment.
The new categories:
- The Award for Tall or Slender Structures - awarded for excellence in projects where height or slenderness presents a particular structural challenge in the design and construction.
- The Award for Long Span Structures - awarded for excellence in buildings (not bridges) incorporating particularly long spans, relative to the proportions of the structure.
- The Award for Vehicle Bridges - awarded for excellence in the design of bridges carrying highways and/or railways.
- The Award for Pedestrian Bridges - awarded for excellence in the design of pedestrian and/or cycle bridges, or other lightweight bridge structures.
- The Award for Small Projects (of under £1 million) - awarded for excellence in the structural design of projects with a construction cost of less than one million pounds, including art structures and sculptures.
- The Award for Small Projects (of between £1-3 million) - awarded for excellence in the structural design of projects with a construction cost of between one and three million pounds, including art structures and sculptures.
- The Award for Structures in Extreme Conditions - awarded for excellence in the design of structures subject to extreme actions, including marine and offshore structures and those in seismic zones, or involving unusually complex interactions with the ground and/or particularly challenging foundations.
- The Award for Structural Heritage - awarded for excellence in structural design where important heritage characteristics of the original structure are maintained through appropriate restoration, conservation, extension or refurbishment.
- The Award for Structural Transformation - awarded for projects demonstrating structural engineering excellence in the transformation, extension, renovation or rehabilitation of an existing building or structure.
- The Award for Construction Innovation - awarded for projects demonstrating structural engineering excellence in the innovative use of construction materials or processes.
- The Award for Construction Integration - awarded for projects demonstrating excellence in the interaction between the structural design and the construction scheme where this represents a significant feature of the structural solution.
- The Award for Structural Artistry - awarded for projects in which what could otherwise have been an adequate and worthy solution has been transformed by the vision and skill of the structural engineer into something exceptional.
- The Award for Sustainability - for projects demonstrating outstanding commitment to sustainability and respect for the environment in the structural design (selected by the judges from all the entries)
- The Award for Outstanding Value - for projects where the structural engineering solution has resulted in significant savings for the client, or has delivered best value in some other way, based on the evidence provided (selected by the judges from all the entries).
- The Supreme Award for Structural Engineering Excellence - for the finest example of excellence in structural engineering design (selected by the judges from the winners of the twelve principal award categories).
The Structural Awards 2017 also feature a new judging process. From 2017 onwards the Structural Awards will feature a two-stage judging process.
After the first stage, any judges with a possible conflict of interest in any shortlisted project will withdraw and a second stage jury panel will select the winners. The changes have been made simply to deliver a clearer judging process for those entering The Structural Awards.
This year's event will be the 50th Awards celebration. Shortlisted candidates will be announced in August, and the Awards ceremony will take place on Friday 17 November at the Brewery, London.
