On Wednesday 6 September the Wharf 7 Upgrade team proudly accepted the Innovation Award at the 2023 Construction Sector Accord Beacon Awards in Wellington.

The judges commented that “McConnell Dowell and Eastland Port challenged the norms by redesigning the project to save significant cost and embodied carbon while reducing environmental impacts and impact on locals. This is a great example of thoughtful design using an established contract approach with a great outcome for those involved. Really excellent project. A leader in innovation in our opinion.”

McConnell Dowell Project Manager, Mike Bonnette and Eastland Port GM of Infrastructure & Development, Marty Bayley were at the event to accept the award on behalf of the team.

“We are proud to be here accepting this award on behalf of our talented team of designers, engineers, and everyone who contributed to the project,” said Mr Bonnette.

“It was the team’s collective commitment to sustainability that enabled us to make the significant carbon savings we achieved and that brought us here tonight.”

Mr Bayley agreed that early engagement between the designer, constructor, and the Port was key to its success. “The wharf design was significantly refined” and “taking the time to collaborate at the start meant the project had minimal issues and achieved all the outcomes that were important to Eastland Port and community.”

The project was a very visible public asset upgrade in Tairāwhiit/Gisborne so it was important to the team that broader social and long-term environmental outcomes were prioritised.

Minimising the carbon footprint by 13,692 tonnes of CO2e was one of the ways the team made those goals a reality. To find out more about the innovations that led to these massive carbon emission savings click here.