Dating back to 1658, the Upper Furnace Pool formed part of the Ironbridge watercourse network used to power the blast furnaces of Coalbrookdale and became the most important iron production centre in the world during the industrial revolution.
Working at the World Heritage Site, the project team needed to consider various challenges, including extensive silt accumulation in a live watercourse set below a historic railway viaduct and within a residential area.
In conferring the award, the judges were impressed with the management of silt removal, by using long reach excavators, which provided safer working whilst restoring the local waterways. The area is now a popular walking location and school children have visited the site to learn about the engineering process.
Commenting on this year’s awards, ICE East and West Midlands Regional Director, Jo Barnett, said: “Our judges had a diverse range of projects to consider from all sectors of the industry, drawn from right across the region. Many entries this year also highlighted the sustainable benefits civil engineers in the region are bringing to our everyday lives and these particular projects are both a great example of that.
"Our annual awards are important in not only demonstrating the importance of civil engineers, whose hard work and dedication can often go unnoticed, but in also celebrating the positive impact that civil engineering has right across the region.”
This year's event was sponsored by Taylor Woodrow. Guests were joined by ICE President, Professor Jim Hall and guest speaker was Professor Turi King, Director of the Milner Centre for Evolution at the University of Bath, known for her work leading the genetic analysis for the identification of King Richard III.