With 2020 having been an unprecedented year of "uncertainty, trauma and market complexity", Consulting Engineers South Africa (Cesa) CEO Chris Campbell says this year’s Cesa Aon Engineering Excellence Awards, which took place virtually, “showcased the resilience and commitment of the consulting engineering industry”.

The yearly celebration of innovation, quality, outstanding workmanship and professionalism in the engineering industry took place on the evening of November 11, with this year’s key difference being that a virtual platform was used to communicate the results, owing to restrictions that are in place in response to Covid-19.

Awards were handed out in the following categories: Lifetime Industry Achievement Award; Visionary Client of the Year; Mega Projects with a Value Greater Than R1-Billion; Projects with a Value Between R250-Million and R1-Billion; Projects with a Value of Between R50-Million and R250-Million; Projects with a Value Less Than R50-Million; Best International Project; HVAC in Building Design Award; Engineering Technology and Innovation; Business Excellence; Small/Medium Company of the Year; Mentor of the Year; Mentoring Company of the Year; Young Engineer of the Year; and Publisher of the Year.

WINNERS

Llewellyn Pike was recognised for his 40-year career in consulting engineering with the Lifetime Industry Achievement Award, while the Western Cape Department of Health was recognised as Visionary Client of the Year for its Facility and Infrastructure Covid-19 response programme which demonstrates the province’s readiness to deal with health needs and provide effective service delivery.

In the category of Mega Projects with a Value Greater than R1-Billion, SMEC South Africa was the winner for their provision of water and sanitation services to informal settlements and schools in the eThekwini municipality.

Zutari was named the winner for Projects with a Value Between R250-Million and R1-Billion, with its upgrade and extension of the Stellenbosch Wastewater Treatment Plant. It also received a commendation for its work on 144 Oxford Road, an office building in Rosebank.

Tirisano Consulting Engineers was named winner for Projects with a Value of Between R50-Million and R250-Million. The award was for the additional shopping area it worked on for Wonderpark Spar, Middelburg.

A commendation was also given to Hatch for the Midmar Water Treatment Works Upgrade, in Howick, while Naidu Consulting was commended for its work on the Mabhobhane River Bridge over the Tugela river.

In the category of Projects with a Value Less Than R50-Million, Naidu Consulting was the winner for its work on the eZimbokodweni pipe and pedestrian bridge for the eThekwini municipality.

The winner of Best International Project was MPAMOT Ruben Reddy Architects JV for the Cote D’Or National Sports Complex, in Mauritius. The complex provides legacy sporting facilities for Mauritius and the wider Indian Ocean region and is delivering multiple social benefits for the island’s population.

For Engineering Technology and Innovation, the HVAC in Building Design Award commendation went to AOS Consulting Engineers for the New Orange Data Centre and Office, in Botswana.

Naidu Consulting also won the Business Excellence Award for its “smart responses for a sustainable future”. Despite the current pandemic, sound business practice has seen all staff proactively prepare to work remotely, and this commitment resulted in no employee salary cuts, no retrenchments and no dependence on external funding, Cesa said in a statement.

ROMH Consulting was named Small/Medium Company of the Year, while Naidu Consulting’s Pierre Cronje was recognised as Mentor of the Year.

Naidu Consulting was also named Mentoring Company of the Year.

Further, each year, Cesa recognises the contribution young engineers make to the profession, and aims to promote the consulting engineering profession by naming Young Engineer of the Year.

While entries were strong this year, SMEC South Africa’s Yolan Pillay and Zutari’s Lloyd Fisher-Jeffes were jointly named Young Engineer of the Year.

Publishing Excellence in the Trade Publications category went to Creamer Media, publisher of Engineering News and Mining Weekly, while the Daily Newspaper category was awarded to Independent Online (IOL).