Established in 1971, the Awards for Excellence in Concrete recognise and publicise the many significant contributions to excellence in concrete design, construction and materials in Australia.
Concrete related projects, technologies and innovations are all eligible to receive an award. The Institute’s Awards program caters for both large and small projects, as well as large and small organisations.
The Kevin Cavanagh Trophy
In 1991 the Council established the Kevin Cavanagh Medal for Excellence in Concrete, in honour of one of the Institute’s founding fathers and long-time servant of the concrete industry. It was introduced to recognise an overall winner in the pursuit of excellence in concrete, in 2017 this was replaced by the Kevin Cavanagh Trophy, and continues to recognise this vision.
The Kevin Cavanagh Trophy for Excellence in Concrete is a prestigious industry award, which is granted to the overall winner judged from all categories on the basis of being an outstanding contribution to the quality of concrete construction in Australia, clearly demonstrating an outstanding level of excellence above all other entries.
The 2025 winner of the Kevin Cavanagh Trophy is the Sydney Metro Martin Place Integrated Station Development which was entered by Arup. The winner was from New South Wales and was entered in the Infrastructure Projects category.
Sydney Metro Martin Place is the first fully integrated station development in Australia. It features the underground Martin Place station and two commercial towers connecting into the heritage listed 50 Martin Place. The two towers linked underneath creating a vibrant underground retail environment and link to the new metro platforms are:
1 Elizabeth Street, a 39-story tower featuring a curving vertical profile that introduces a series of inward stepping floor plates and inclined columns up the building.
39 Martin Place, a 29-storey concrete framed structure consisting of a “book-end” core and long-span post-tensioned beams to create an open office floorplate.
The complex geometry of the towers and existing site conditions emphasised and fully utilised the flexibility of concrete construction, whilst discrete structural elements were carefully co-ordinated to support the towers directly atop the station structure without spatial penalty.
Some of the comments from the judges included:
- The entry exhibited examples of new advances in concrete mix design including those used for temperature control, along with the use of SCMs,
- Design and construction innovation outstanding with novel arch forms, the 4-storey high portal frame construction, the raked columns & long span floors.
- The provision to retain the heritage of 50 Martin Place, combined with the intricate programming & construction methodology was not only considered but improved the entire structure.
- The concrete solutions were tailored for a number of extreme conditions, including durability design to protect against saline groundwater, whilst ensuring compatibility with Sydney Harbour’s ecosystem.
- An incredible project of immense magnitude that created world class city infrastructure in Australia, made possible through the use of concrete
National Awards for Excellence in Concrete – 2025 Winners
Winners of Awards for Excellence from each state were judged in their separate categories for an overall category winner. The winner received a Medallion for Excellence in Concrete and an accompanying certificate. From those entries receiving a Medallion for Excellence in Concrete, one was judged to receive the Kevin Cavanagh Trophy for Excellence in Concrete and an accompanying certificate.
Our National Awards winners in 2025 were:
Residential Buildings – Gill House, awarded to DBCorp.
Commercial Buildings – Barangaroo Pier Pavillion, awarded to Besley & Spresser, Mahaffey Associates, and Terrazzo Australian Marble
Infrastructure Projects – Sydney Metro Martin Place Integrated Station Development, awarded to Arup
Repair, Rehabilitation & Retrofitting – Victoria Bridge Strengthening & Refurbishment, awarded to Brisbane City Council, Acciona, Arup, and Freyssinet Australia
Technology & Innovation – Museum of Underwater Art – Ocean Sentinels at John Brewer Reef, awarded to Built Environment Collective
State Awards for Excellence in Concrete
All entries were judged in groups based on the state in which they are completed, and winners were awarded with an Award for Excellence in Concrete. Winners received a framed Award certificate. More than one award was able to be granted in each category.
The entries that progressed to the National Awards were:
NSW
Unfolding House
SDA Structures, Chenchow Little, Pacific Plus Constructions, Masterform Services
Category: Residential Buildings
Barangaroo Pier Pavilion
Besley & Spresser, Mahaffey Associates, Terrazzo Australian Marble
Category: Commercial Buildings
Sydney Metro Martin Place Integrated Station Development
Arup
Category: Infrastructure Projects
Merchant House
BG&E, FDC
Category: Repair, Rehabilitation and Retrofit
National Carillon Facade Remediation
Duratec
Category: Technology & Innovation
SENSE 600 – A more sustainable high strength reinforcing steel
InfraBuild, University of New South Wales, Monash University
Category: Technology & Innovation
Queensland
Gill House
DBCorp
Category: Residential Buildings
Electrolux’s Distribution & Experience Centre for Port of Brisbane
Port of Brisbane, McNab
Category: Commercial Buildings
Wharf 5 Extension Relieving Slab Reconstruction
Port of Brisbane, BG&E
Category: Infrastructure Projects
Victoria Bridge Strengthening & Refurbishment
Brisbane City Council, Acciona, Arup, Freyssinet Australia
Category: Repair, Rehabilitation and Retrofit
UNECA Africa Hall Restoration & Modernisation
Built Environment Collective
Category: Repair, Rehabilitation and Retrofit
Museum of Underwater Art – Ocean Sentinels at John Brewer Reef
Built Environment Collective
Category: Technology & Innovation
South Australia
The Australian Bragg Centre for Proton Therapy and Research
WGA, Lendlease
Category: Commercial Buildings
Renmark Riverfront Wharf Upgrade
Renmark Paringa Council
Category: Infrastructure Projects
The Queen Elizabeth Hospital – Clinical Services Building
Built Environs, Aurecon, Cheesman Architects, BCA, Bestec Engineers, DIT, RLB
Category: Infrastructure Projects
Victoria
Rangebank Battery Energy Storage System
BOSFA, RJE Global
Category: Infrastructure Projects
First Use of Concrete with Australian Calcined Clay in Australian Transport Infrastructure
Major Road Projects Victoria, Arup, University of Melbourne, BMD Group, Heidelberg Materials
Technology & Innovation
Crushed Glass in Structural Concrete Innovation
Cross Yarra Partnership Design & Construction, University of Melbourne, Vortex Industrial Solutions, Holcim (Australia)
Category: Technology & Innovation
Western Australia
Mondiale Container Facility
BOSFA
Category: Commercial Buildings
Innovative Structural Solutions for Adaptive Reuse – 441 Murray Street
Colliers Engineering and Design, Tomahawk Property, Built, Anglican Schools Commission
Category: Repair, Rehabilitation and Retrofit
Nominees for the 2025 Awards for Excellence
Residential Buildings
This category includes single dwellings or multi-story dwellings used for residential purposes only, with the condition that these projects are up to eleven stories. Entries highlight the use of concrete as an architectural and structural material, perfectly adept for residential use.
Unfolding House
Entered by SDA Structures, Chenchow Little, Pacific Plus Constructions, and Masterform Services
New South Wales
Gill House
Entered by DBCorp
Queensland
Commercial Buildings
This category includes projects such as offices, industrial buildings, institutional buildings, large residential complexes, or combinations of these. Entries include large scale office towers, distribution centres and university structures; demonstrating the versatility of concrete as a construction material.
Barangaroo Pier Pavilion
Entered by Besley & Spresser, Mahaffey Associates, and Terrazzo Australian Marble
New South Wales
Electrolux’s Distribution & Experience Centre for Port of Brisbane
Entered by Port of Brisbane and McNab
Queensland
The Australian Bragg Centre for Proton Therapy and Research
Entered by WGA and Lendlease
South Australia
Mondiale VGL – SIGMA Slab Container Pavement
Entered by BOSFA, SARICH Building, S&C Concrete Services, PERITAS Engineering, BGC Concrete, Aleemax, CCL – Specialised Engineering Solutions for Structures
Western Australia
Infrastructure Projects
This category includes buildings such as schools and hospitals and encapsulates engineering infrastructure projects, such as bridges, roads, wharfs, public amenities and water resources. Entries included in this section are stellar examples of how concrete has contributed to communities and built environments.
Sydney Metro Martin Place Integrated Station Development
Entered by Arup
New South Wales
Wharf 5 Extension Relieving Slab Reconstruction
Entered by Port of Brisbane and BG&E
Queensland
Renmark Riverfront Wharf Upgrade
Entered by Leed Engineering & Construction, Ecospec, and Renmark Paringa Council
South Australia
The Queen Elizabeth Hospital – Clinical Services Building
Entered by Built Environs, Aurecon and Cheeseman Architects
South Australia
Rangebank Battery Energy Storage System
Entered by BOSFA and RJE Global
Victoria
Repair, Restoration and Retrofit
This category includes remedial works applied to both existing buildings and infrastructure and demonstrate creativity in how concrete is applied to increase a structures service or design life.
Merchant House
Entered by BG&E and FDC Construction
New South Wales
UNECA Africa Hall Restoration & Modernisation
Entered by Built Environment Collective
Queensland
Victoria Bridge Strengthening & Refurbishment
Entered by Brisbane City Council, Acciona, Arup, and Freyssinet Australia
Queensland
Innovative Structural Solutions for Adaptive Reuse – 441 Murray Street
Entered by Colliers Engineering and Design, Tomahawk Property, Built and the Anglican Schools Commission
Western Australia
Technology and Innovation
This category includes significant contributions to the understanding or use of concrete as evidenced by research, technical publications, patent applications, new products or pieces of equipment, new techniques, design innovations, or educational activity. Concrete technology and its innovative application plays true to the Institute’s mission statement – excellence in concrete.
National Carillon Façade Remediation
Entered by Duratec
New South Wales
SENSE 600 – A more sustainable high strength reinforcing steel
Entered by InfraBuild, University of New South Wales, and Monash University
New South Wales
Museum of Underwater Art – Ocean Sentinels at John Brewer Reef
Entered by Built Environment Collective
Queensland
Crushed Glass in Structural Concrete Innovation
Entered by CYP Design & Construct, University of Melbourne, Vortex Industrial Solutions, Holcim
Victoria
First Use of Concrete with Australian Calcined Clay in Australian Transport Infrastructure
Entered by Major Road Projects Victoria, Arup, University of Melbourne, BMD Group, Heidelberg Materials.
Victoria