School gymnasium in Bali selected as joint winner of the highest accolade

Atelier One and AKT II jointly receive The Supreme Award for Structural Excellence.

The winners of the Structural Awards 2022 were announced at a gala awards ceremony, held in London, in November last year.

Judged according to a new set of attributes, focusing on sustainability, social impact, innovation and ingenuity, Structural Awards 2022 reflect IStructE’s increasing focus on the societal and environmental role of structural engineers.

The 2022 Supreme Award for Structural Excellence was jointly awarded to Atelier One and AKT II.

When deciding on the winners of this prestigious accolade, the judges were unanimous in their feeling that both practices, and the projects they entered, showcased exceptional engineering skill and accomplishment.

Atelier One was singled out for its work on The Arc Gymnasium at Green School, in Bali, Indonesia. The judges were impressed by the project’s use of local, low-carbon materials, innovative technology and creativity, to produce an impressive and eye-catching building. The judges, particularly, praised its ability to showcase the use of natural materials throughout, making a clear case for this type of specification. As they highlighted, ‘This is a marvellous demonstration of artistry, tech know-how and net zero construction’.

Sharing the accolade, AKT II was recognised for its work on London’s HYLO building, which tested the skill and problem-solving abilities of the engineers involved. A challenging brief from the outset, the project required a new 13-storey building to be added to an existing 16-storey one. Ultimately, success was achieved through cleverly harnessing the strength of the existing frame and foundation to bear the load of the new structure, delivering significant carbon savings with minimal intervention. In the judges’ words, ‘A brilliant example of structural retrofit.’

Beyond the Supreme Award, eight other shortlisted projects were awarded the 2022 prize. They were chosen for their contribution to a more holistically sustainable approach to structural engineering.

Winners included a number of renowned practices, including Arup, Webb Yates Engineers, Eckersley O’Callaghan, BECA, Schlaich Bergermann Partner, Heyne Tillett Steel, StructureCraft and China Architecture Design & Research Group, and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.

All were lauded for their commitment to low environmental impact structural solutions, from design specification through to embracing circular economy principles throughout the build.

Commenting on this year’s landmark programme, the Chair of the judges, Prof Tim Ibell said, “We have seen a truly remarkable set of submissions this year and I am hugely encouraged, not only by the calibre of entries but how structural engineers worldwide are stepping up to the huge social, economic and environmental challenges society currently faces”.

“The winning projects perfectly encapsulate our new guiding attributes of Planet, People, Process and Profession, and should serve as an example to the entire global construction sector. I was delighted to see a record number of retrofit projects in this year’s awards and hope it sparks a trend going forwards, where the focus on repurpose and reuse, over new build, is prioritised. This will demonstrate how, in addition to safeguarding the public within the built environ- ment, we are also protecting the planet”, he added.

The Structural Awards are the world’s foremost celebration of structural engineers as innovative, creative design professionals and the guardians of public safety.

For over 50 years, the Structural Awards have showcased the world’s most cutting edge engineering achievements. Past winners include iconic structures such as the Sydney Opera House, the Pompidou Centre and the Severn Bridge.

All entries are reviewed by a panel of world renowned judges who are truly passionate about structural engineers’ contribution to society as design professionals.

For 2022, the judging was guided by the following four new attributes: Planet – Entries are judged on their holistic environmental impact, including efficiency of design, sustainability, resilience, response to local conditions, regeneration, circular economic principles and alignment with UN Sustainable Development Goals.

People – Entries are judged on principles such as collaborative design and procurement, how they add community value and their positive impact on end-users and the wider society.

Process – Entries are judged on technical achievement and the role of innovation in achieving a successful outcome. This will focus on the originality and application of new and improved technologies and structural design procedures to deliver greater efficiencies and economies.

Profession – Entries are judged on how the project/project team has inspired others, raised stan-