Some Excellent Concrete Construction: The Chau Chak Wing Museum

Chau Chak Wing Museum, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, winner of the Overall Excellence in Concrete Construction Award and 1st Place for the Mid-Rise Structures category.American Concrete Institute

In a first for the organization, the 8th annual Excellence in Concrete Construction awards allowed contractors to self-nominate their project. The program recognizes projects that exhibit innovation and complexity, as well as showcase the value provided by concrete as a material. Organized by seven categories with a first and second place declared - one of which is selected to receive the "Overall Excellence Award".

The winners were announced on October 24, during the 2022 ACI Fall Convention in Dallas, Texas. Concrete construction projects that won an ACI chapter award were automatically entered. This marks the first year that the ACI allowed self-nomination. Judges for the Excellence in Concrete Construction Awards program are independent industry professionals who have technical expertise in each award category, as well as domestic and international project experience.

The Overall Excellence in Concrete Construction Winner

Receiving first place in the Mid-rise Structures category, the "Overall Excellence” award was presented to Chau Chak Wing Museum, located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Concrete Contractor: Azzurri Concrete.

The Chau Chak Wing Museum at The University of Sydney is the culmination of many years of strategic planning that consolidates the University's Nicholson, Macleay, Power, and University Art collections and showcases some of Australia’s most significant artistic, scientific, and archaeological artifacts. With a specified design life of more than 100 years, the aspiration for the Museum was to be as highly regarded as the iconic Great Hall and Quadrangle, the symbolic and ceremonial heart of the University. The construction of the museum involved bulk excavation, construction of a six‐level building (including a plant level and two basement levels) with 7740 m2 (83,300 ft2) of gross floor area.

“What makes this project particularly noteworthy is its commitment to sustainability and its focus on constructability.”, stated Overall Excellence judge Emily Guglielmo. “All this while meeting the demanding architectural vision. This project represents a model for concrete design and construction that we should all strive to achieve.”

Additional Projects

Repair & Restoration

• 1st Place:  The Corniche Kennedy, in Marseille, France
  Concrete Contractor: Innobeton, UHPFRC (phase 1), Mediterranee Prefabrication (UHPFRC and slabs, phases 2-4)
• 2nd Place: Mercato di Corso Sardegna, in Genova, Italy
  General Contractor: Cosmo Costruzioni Moderne

Decorative Concrete

• 1st Place:  Aquatic Gallery, in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
  General & Concrete Contractor: Shapoorji Pallonji and Company Private Limited
• 2nd Place: Hollywood Park NFL Media Building, in Inglewood, CA, USA
  Concrete Contractor: Shaw & Sons

Low-Rise Structures

• 1st Place:  Chai Château Haut-Bailly Winery, in Léognan, Gironde, France
  General Contractor: Spie Batignolles
• 2nd Place: Brossard Aquatic Complex, in Brossard, QC, Canada
  Concrete Contractor: Fox Construction

Mid-Rise Structures

• 1st Place:  Chau Chak Wing Museum, in Sydney, NSW, Australia
  Concrete Contractor: Azzurri Concrete
• 2nd Place: Denver Water Operations Complex - Administration Building, in Denver, CO, USA
  Concrete Contractor: Mortenson

High-Rise Structures

• 1st Place:  100 Above the Park, in St. Louis, MO, USA
  Concrete Contractor: Concrete Strategies
• 2nd Place: Faria Lima Plaza, in São Paulo, Brazil
  Concrete Contractor: Construtora Fonseca & Mercadante

Infrastructure

• 1st Place:  SCG-CPAC Ultra-High-Performance Concrete Bridge, Bang Sue, Bangkok, Thailand
  Concrete Contractor & Supplier: The Concrete Products and Aggregate Co., Ltd.  
• 2nd Place: Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Bridge, in New Ross, Wexford, Ireland
  Concrete Contractor & Supplier: Roadstone 

Flatwork

• 1st Place:  MSPT Proving Ground Facility and Test Track, in Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, India
  General Contractor: Larsen & Toubro Ltd.
• 2nd Place: SoFi Stadium, in Inglewood, CA, USA
  Concrete Contractor: Trademark Concrete Systems Inc.

The winning project details can be found at ACIExcellence.org.

Entries for the 2023 ACI Excellence in Concrete Construction Awards are being accepted now through April 30, 2023. 

People's Choice Award

You can also vote for the 2022 People’s Choice Award – an audience-driven award for the ACI Excellence in Concrete Construction Awards. Beginning October 24 and ending November 30, 2022, participants can judge and vote for their favorite concrete project entered in this year’s ACI Excellence in Concrete Construction Awards. Following the completion of the voting period on November 30, the American Concrete Institute will announce the winning project of the People’s Choice Award on ACI’s official social media pages.

VOTE NOW

The awards were created to honor the visions of the most creative projects in the concrete industry while providing a platform to recognize concrete innovation, technology, and excellence across the globe. To be eligible for participation in the ACI Excellence in Concrete Construction Awards, projects need to be nominated by an ACI Chapter, or International Partner or selected through self-nomination.