2021 Winners
Winners of the 2021 Excellence in Concrete Construction Awards
ACI recognized 14 winners at the 2021 ACI Excellence in Concrete Construction Awards during the ACI Virtual Concrete Convention on October 18, 2021.
Overall “Excellence” Award Winner/First Place – Flatwork
Aldilonda promenade around Bastia fortress, Corse-du-Sud, France. Constructed at the foot of the Bastia fortress on the island of Corsica, the Aldilonda promenade is a sinuous path set into rock, giving pedestrians, disabled people, and cyclists access to 450 m (1480 ft) of coastline. The pathway unfolds like a suspended balcony over the water, following the contours of the meandering coastline and allowing ramblers direct contact with the rocky cliff. The reinforced concrete pathway pierces the rock below the fortress to connect the city’s north and south parts through a tunnel constructed using board-formed architectural concrete.
Project Team Members: Owner: Mairie de Bastia; Lead Architect: Dietmar Feichtinger Architectes; Architect: Buzzo Spinelli Architecture; Architectural Firms: SBP Engineers, In Situ Landscape, Betem; General Contractor: SAS Antoniotti; Concrete Contractor: Lagarrigue; Concrete Supplier: Comptoir Des Bétons Corses; Other: NGE Foundations.
Nominator: ACI Paris Chapter
Second Place – Flatwork
INTEL Multi-Level Car Park, Karnataka, India. This project involved the design and turnkey construction of a parking structure for 2200 cars with 65,900 m² (710,000 ft²) of built-up area and an overall height of 14.96 m (49 ft). This facility is one of the largest composite multi-level parking structures in India. The floor system is a composite slab on metal deck supported on steel beams and steel columns. This semi-exposed building was designed to maximize use of natural daylight and ventilation. Completely prefabricated steel was delivered and assembled on-site with almost no requirement of site welding to maximize output, achieve better quality control, and improve logistics management on site (due to space constraint and adjacent operational facilities).
Project Team Members: Owner: Intel Technology India Pvt. Ltd.; Architectural Firm: Thomas Associates, Bengaluru; Engineering Firm: Thornton Thomasetti; General Contractor, Concrete Contractor, and Concrete Supplier: Shapoorji Pallonji & Co, Pvt, Ltd.
Nominator: ACI India Chapter
First Place – Low-Rise Buildings
Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, Arkansas, USA. The Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts underwent a $142 million renovation. Construction started in October 2019, concrete work was completed in October 2020, and the new facility is scheduled to open in the fall of 2022. The 133,000 ft² (12,400 m²) space blends elements of the original 1937 Art Deco structure, which will serve as an entrance to the museum with stunning contemporary design. Its signature roof is a flowing, folded-plate concrete structure. Below the roof is a custom curtainwall system that allows for breathtaking views of MacArthur Park. The interior includes a new gallery, administrative and education spaces, a restaurant, retail space, and new entrances.
Project Team Members: Owner: Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts; Architectural Firm: Studio Gang; Engineering Firm: Thornton Tomasetti; General Contractor: Nabholz, Pepper Construction Company, and Doyne Construction Company; Concrete Contractor: Pepper Construction Company; Concrete Supplier: Heslep Concrete; Other: Polk Stanley Wilcox Architects of Little Rock, Bass Commercial Concrete, SCAPE Landscape Architecture DPC, and Answer Advisory (formerly Ascent).
Nominator: ACI Arkansas Chapter
Second Place – Low-Rise Structures
Infinity House, Metro Manila, Philippines. The studio Carlo Calma Consultancy Inc. believes in blurring boundaries in art and architecture while being inspired by the everyday. Because the site of Infinity House was once a kindergarten school, its design is infused with the memory of play, including a pivot-door that is easily accessed by guests and presents a grand welcoming of the street. The home features raw concrete with oxidized metal in surreal forms, such as the curvilinear staircase made of weathered steel. The living area’s triangulated windows create kaleidoscopic light effects. The master bedroom’s connecting balcony becomes an elevated garden and is also a grandkids’ playground and skateboarding space. Butterfly-shaped concrete portals act as a structural element supporting 6 m (20 ft) deep cantilevers.
Project Team Members: Owner: Multi-Development & Construction Corp.; Architectural Firm: Carlo Calma Consultancy Inc.; Engineering Firm: Sy^2 + Associates, Inc.; General Contractor: Multi-Development & Construction Corp.; Concrete Contractor: Holcim Philippines, Inc.; Concrete Supplier: 10K South Concrete Mix Specialist, Inc.
Nominator: ACI Philippines Chapter
First Place – Mid-Rise Structures
Deichman Bjørvika, Oslo, Norway. Oslo’s new main library, Deichman Bjørvika, opened in 2020 after 6 years of construction. The top of the building cantilevers 18 m (almost 60 ft) out from its footprint. The cantilevered floors are suspended from the concrete roof above. The roof has a characteristic folded geometry that provides structural strength. Three atria cut diagonally through the building, connecting the building’s three entrances, and providing views into the sections of the library. The atria connect the floors and distribute daylight downwards from three big skylights in the roof. The concrete structures around the light shafts and in the folded roof are lasting elements that give the building a permanent and recognizable quality.
Project Team Members: Owner: Municipality of Oslo, Kultur- og idrettsbygg; Architectural Firm: Lundhagem Arkitekter/Atelier Oslo; Engineering Firm: Multiconsult/Bollinger + Grohmann; General Contractor and Concrete Contractor: Skanska Norge; Concrete Supplier: Unicon AS.
Nominator: Norwegian Concrete Association (NCA), ACI International Partner
Second Place – Mid-Rise Structures
Center for Culture, Arts and Design in Aquitaine, Bordeaux, France. Centrally located in Bordeaux, France, between the River Garonne and the Saint-Jean railway station, the 18,000 m² (193,750 ft²) Maison de l’Économie Créative et de la Culture en Aquitaine (MÉCA) houses agencies for contemporary art; cinema, literature, and audiovisuals; and performing arts. The building is conceived as a single loop of public space and cultural institutions, as the pavement of the promenade rises to form the roof of the main lobbies, ascends along the building’s stage tower, bridges across the promenade, and returns to the ground to connect with the waterfront promenade.
Project Team Members: Owner: Région Nouvelle-Aquitaine; Architectural Firm: BIG | Bjarke Ingels Group; Engineering Firm: Khephren Ingénierie; General Contractor: GTM Bâtiment Aquitaine; Concrete Contractor: Dr. Lüchinger+Meyer Bauingenieure AG; Other: FREAKS Architecture and LAFOURCADE & ROUQUETTE architectes.
Nominator: ACI Paris Chapter
First Place – High-Rise Structures
Leopoldo 1201, São Paulo, Brazil. The Leopoldo 1201 residential building has a total built area of 10,974 m² (118,120 ft²) within 1125 m² (12,100 ft²) of land, with four underground floors, a ground floor, and 23 stories. This building has one house/apartment per floor and a penthouse at the top. The architectural concrete façades emphasize the biophilic design of the terraces that have varied designs that vary in thickness and span. The building columns have reduced cross sections to increase the internal free space and to provide more parking spaces; and the architectural concrete of the terraces was formed with a slatted wood texture. These characteristics posed great challenges for the structural design and development of the concrete mixtures.
Project Team Members: Owner: Nortis Incorporadora e Construtora Ltda.; Architectural Firm: aflalo/gasperini arquitetos; Engineering Firm: Ávila Engenharia de Estruturas Ltda.; General Contractor: Nortis Incorporadora e Construtora S.A. Concrete Contractor: PhD Engenharia Ltda.; Concrete Supplier: Votorantim Cimentos S.A. – Engemix.
Nominator: Instituto Brasileiro do Concreto (IBRACON), ACI International Partner
Second Place – High-Rise Structures
Statue of Belief – Lord Shiva Statue and Allied Works in Nathdwara, Udaipur, Rajasthan, India. The 351 ft (107 m) high statue of Lord Shiva is designed for a lifespan of 250 years and is world’s tallest Shiva statue. It is also the fourth tallest statue of the world using composite construction, with structural steel as the skeleton and ultra-high-performance concrete for the skin. The statue was designed to have all the details, expressions, features, and emotions associated with Shiva. Single-use, innovative fiber-reinforced polymer molds were specially designed and prepared to achieve the required features. Upon completion, the statue was cleaned, sandblasted, and then metallized with zinc and copper by a thermal process to provide a metallic finish and a protective coating to increase the longevity of the structure.
Project Team Members: Owner: Tatpadam Upavan (Miraj Group); Architectural Firm: Placekinesis Associates; Engineering Firm: Skelton Consultants Pvt. Ltd.; General Contractor, Concrete Contractor, and Concrete Supplier: M/s Shapoorji Pallonji and Co. Pvt. Ltd.; Other: Matu Ram Art Center.
Nominator: ACI India Chapter
First Place – Decorative Concrete
The Cave That Travelled, Kerala, India. This project was imagined as an experiential sculpture in the form of a pavilion and deck for a swimming pool. The character of the ferrocement shell as a “cave” is emphasized by the continuity of the facia, the soffit, the wall, the seats, and the floor that flow seamlessly as one continuous surface indistinguishable from one another. Ferrocement was the material of choice because it allowed fluidity of form and shape as well as the ability to design the morphed surfaces offsite. At site, the retaining wall and top slab were kept ready to receive the shell; and the fabrication mesh pieces were rewelded in position and fixed to the slab and retaining wall. A 2 mm (8 mil) thick cementitious color coat was applied.
Project Team Members: Owner: Sadev Farms LLP; Architectural Firm: Forethought Design Consultants; Engineering Firm: M/s. G A. Bhilare Consultants Pvt. Ltd.; General Contractor, Concrete Contractor, and Concrete Supplier: Deep Ferro Tech Group; Other: Jaisons Construction Solutions.
Nominator: ACI India Chapter
Second Place – Decorative Concrete
Acoustically Diffuse and Absorbent Lightweight Aerated Concrete, Oklahoma, USA. The acoustical character of an occupied space is defined by built environments that reflect, diffuse, and absorb frequencies. Placement and articulation of surfaces directly relate to how desired sounds and unwanted noises reach and impact occupants. This project showcases research and development of fabricated prototypical concrete panels by manipulating ingredients and form, yielding acoustical properties conducive to speech frequencies. Developed through spatial analysis, software validation, laboratory tests, material science, and prototypical fabrications, the research supports the potential for functional, sustainable, resilient, and productive space interwoven with and codependent upon acoustics.
Project Team Members: Owner: The University of Oklahoma; Concrete Supplier: Coreslab Structures Inc.
Nominator: ACI Oklahoma Chapter
First Place – Infrastructure
The Darwin Bridges, Montreal, Canada. The City of Montreal is replacing the two Darwin Bridges on Nuns’ Island. These structures enable pedestrians and cyclists to cross under the boulevard’s four traffic lanes safely and enter West Vancouver Park. The overall length of these reinforced cast-in-place concrete bridges is 37 m (121 ft). A special type of concrete comprises the architectural features of these curved bridges. The Darwin Bridges are the world’s first bridges to incorporate glass powder concrete. In fact, 10% of the ternary binder was replaced by finely ground recycled glass. About 40,000 kg (88,200lb) of cement will be saved and a total of nearly 40,000 kg of recycled glass will be used for this project (the equivalent of 70,000 wine bottles).
Project Team Members: Owner: City of Montreal; Architectural Firm: Provencher_Roy; Engineering Firm: City of Montreal Bridges and Tunnels Design Department; General Contractor: Tisseur Inc.; Concrete Contractor: Béton Hébert Inc.; Concrete Supplier: Lafarge Canada Inc.; Other: SNC-Lavalin, University of Sherbrooke, Les Services EXP Inc.
Nominator: ACI Québec and Eastern Ontario Chapter
Second Place – Infrastructure
Viaduct V3 in the duplication of Tamoios Highway, São Paulo, Brazil. The Tamoios Highway provides access to a major port and a popular summer destination for tourists. The highway rises 750 m (2460 ft) in elevation and passes through the Serra do Mar State Park, which led to a solution that includes a series of tunnels and viaducts. The Viaduct V3 has a curve radius of about 500 m (1640 ft). The cross section was conceived as a prestressed single-cell box girder, which was built using the cantilever method with cast-in-place segments of 2.5 to 4.5 m (8 to 15 ft).The main span is 125 m (410 ft) long and the smaller, balancing spans are 62.5 m (205 ft) long, with a height that ranges from 6.4 m (21 ft) at the supports to 3.2 m (10 ft) mid-span, as well as a 12.6 m (41.3 ft) width. The superstructure alone consumed 3100 m³ (4055 yd³) of concrete.
Project Team Members: Owner: Concessionária Tamoios; Engineering Firm: Engecorps Engenharia S.A.; General Contractor and Concrete Supplier: Construtora Queiroz Galvão S.A.; Concrete Contractor: S. Takashima Consultoria e Assessori, Ltd.
Nominator: Instituto Brasileiro do Concreto (IBRACON), ACI International Partner
First Place – Repair and Restoration
The Austonian | Exposed Slab Edge Repairs, Texas, USA. Less than 6 years after construction of the 59-story building, a large piece from a slab edge fell more than 200 ft (60 m) onto the podium. A visual survey of the exposed slab edges identified 31 locations with signs of severe cracking and distress, and a forensic investigation determined that the cause of the concrete damage was carbonation-induced corrosion due to improper placement of slab reinforcement during construction. The contractor used 12 swing stages to access the exposed slab edges, sometimes at elevations exceeding 600 ft (183 m). The demolition and surface preparation equipment used were specifically selected to mitigate damage to existing post-tensioned assemblies. The prepackaged concrete repair material was mixed at balconies near the placement locations to avoid transportation delays. The repairs also included a four-step quality control program.
Project Team Members: Owner: Austonian Condominium Association, Inc.; Engineering Firm: Pivot Engineers, PLLC; General Contractor and Concrete Contractor: Structural Preservation Systems, LLC; Concrete Supplier: Sika Corporation; Other: Austech Roof Consultants, Inc., ECS Southwest, LLP.
Nominator: ACI Central Texas Chapter
Second Place – Repair and Restoration
Adaptive Reuse at 225 W. Madison, Arizona, USA. Formerly the Madison Street Jail constructed in 1985, the 225 W. Madison project repurposed a decommissioned facility as a Class A office building. Maricopa County chose not to demolish the structure, which saved $10M in taxpayer money and prevented 16,633 yd³ (12,700 m³) of concrete from being sent to the landfill. The 278,775 ft² (25,900 m²) building was transformed into an open workspace, which from a code perspective required evaluating the loading for the requirements of this new occupancy. This was accomplished without compromising the structural integrity of the original cast-in-place structure that also serves as the exterior skin. The redesigned building provides modern offices with panoramic views, a bridge to connect to the adjacent building, and an outdoor rooftop garden.
Project Team Members: Owner: Maricopa County Facilities Management Department; Architectural Firm and Engineering Firm: DLR Group; General Contractor: Layton Construction.
Nominator: ACI Arizona Chapter