Australian Construction Achievement Award announces project finalists

Six elite projects have been selected as this year's ACAA finalists, with one overall project winner to be selected next year at a gala dinner on Thursday 8 May, 2014 at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre.

"The Australian Construction Achievement Awards finalists, together with the construction companies behind them, represent world-class expertise and innovation in developing and implementing construction solutions. These construction projects play a critical role in the daily lives of Australian society," said Lindsay Le Compte executive director Australian Constructors Association.

The ACAA Finalists for 2014 are:

The Royal North Shore Hospital (RNSH) by Thiess is a $1.127 billion redevelopment. The project converted a health precinct with a 126-year history into a modern day purpose-built facility. InfraShore was established to deliver the PPP contract, spanning finance, design, construction, and O&M (with the exception of clinical services) for a 28-year period. As design and construct contractor, Thiess' $721 million contract brought this NSW Project of State Significance to life. Thiess' approach simplified or removed legacy infrastructure constraints and ensured the flexibility could expand and adapt to meet Sydney's future healthcare needs.

700 Burke Street, entered by Brookfield Multiplex, is the latest addition to the Melbourne Docklands' thriving commercial sector. This 16-storey building is the new National Australia Bank headquarters for Melbourne. The project was completed in May 2013, some six weeks ahead of schedule, following an almost two-year construction program. At 75,000m2, 700m Bourke Street includes retail facilities, a 310 seat theatrette, two podium levels incorporating a car park, plant rooms and bicycle racks.

The Hunter Expressway (Stage 2) was delivered by the Hunter Expressway Alliance including Roads and Maritime Services (RMS), Thiess, Parsons Brinckerhoff and Hyder Consulting (the Alliance). The $1.7bn Hunter Expressway involved the construction of a new four-lane freeway link between the M1 Pacific Motorway near Seahampton and the New England Highway, west of Branxton. Traversing the Sugarloaf Range, the Alliance team navigated steep environmentally-sensitive terrain to provide new connections and ease traffic congestion across the Upper Hunter Region.

The Cape Lambert Marine Works by John Holland involved construction of a new port facility adjacent to the existing Cape Lambert Port, 40 km east of Karratha. This complex project involved construction of new train unloading facilities, associated infrastructure, stockyard, new ship-loading facilities and associated dredging. The Cape Lambert Port B project has been crucial for the resources industry in Australia.

The M80 ring road upgrade - Calder Freeway to Sydney Road was delivered by the Tulla Sydney Alliance, a partnership between VicRoads, Thiess, Parsons Brinckerhoff and Hyder. The M80 Ring Road links Melbourne's northern and western suburbs, providing critical access to Melbourne International Airport, as well as the ports of Melbourne and Geelong, and rail freight terminals. The $2.25bn upgrade project is designed to deliver a safe and reliable road infrastructure system for motorists and surrounding communities.

The Gold Coast University Hospital entered by Lend Lease is a $1.76bn development and one of the largest health infrastructure projects completed in Australia. The project consists of six separate buildings, 750 overnight-beds, tertiary level hospital facilities, pathology, and mental health facilities that provide new and expanded services for the Gold Coast. The Gold Coast University Hospital is a vital component in Queensland Health's vision to deliver state-of-the-art health service facilities designed to cope with the population growth in South East Queensland.

"This year the ACAA judges were particularly impressed by the complexity of each of the projects and their exceptional construction work, which often took place in difficult or highly sensitive environments. Each of the projects involved multifaceted construction techniques, which were delivered to the highest standards.

"A huge number of engineering professionals are employed in Australia's construction industry due to their proven expertise in leading such projects. The aim of ACAA is to showcase the people and the projects within the construction industry that are succeeding in setting brand new benchmarks around the world," said Mr Le Compte.