Arup’s work on the Victoria Bridge, Brisbane and Lowestoft Gull Wing Bridge in Lowestoft have been shortlisted for this year’s Institution of Structural Engineers Awards (scroll down for entry details).
The IStructE’s prestigious 2025 Structural Awards celebrates global projects that demonstrate exceptional innovation, sustainability and social impact. The judging panel evaluates entries against four core attributes: Planet (environmental impact), People (social value), Process (technical innovation) and Profession (collaboration and advocacy).
Past winners include iconic structures such as the Severn Bridge connecting England Wales, the Sydney Opera House in Sydney and the Pompidou Centre in Paris.
All shortlisted projects have provided detailed embodied carbon footprint calculations using the IStructE carbon calculator tool. Collectively they demonstrate a strong commitment to environmental and social responsibility in structural design.
The shortlist features 34 projects from around the world – ranging from hospitals, office buildings and rail bridges to sport stadia, schools and metro stations. Arts structures include the Dynamic Equilibrium of Life Pavilion in Osaka, Japan, featuring innovative paper tube and laminated bamboo construction, and Fern the Diplodocus at London’s Natural History Museum, a bronze sculptural installation combining art with structural precision.
Bridge projects showcase innovation from the opening Gull Wing Bridge in Lowestoft, England to Germany’s pioneering Oder Railroad Bridge, which uses carbon fibre hangers in a world-first application for railway infrastructure.Infrastructure highlights range from Sydney’s Central Station Metro, transforming urban transport connectivity, to Singapore’s Thomson – East Coast Line Orchard Station, demonstrating excellence in underground construction.
Structure at Scale celebrates major venues including Beijing’s Workers’ Stadium renovation incorporating seismic isolation technology, Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Stadium with its innovative roof structure and Liverpool’s Everton Stadium featuring advanced precast concrete systems.
Engineered timber projects demonstrate sustainable construction leadership through developments like BEAM Hertford’s innovative CLT structure, Google’s Mass Timber 1 facility in California pioneering large-scale timber construction, and Ontario’s Limberlost Place integrating advanced timber engineering with passive design.
Reuse, retrofit and remediation projects include the critical reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) remediation programme at West Yorkshire’s Airedale General Hospital, addressing infrastructure challenges, and London’s Paradise development, transforming historic structures for contemporary use.
The IStructE, based in London, said all the projects showcase how structural engineers are addressing global challenges through innovative design solutions that minimise environmental impact whilst enhancing community quality of life. The shortlisted projects were evaluated by a judging panel of 23 leading structural engineers, academics and industry experts from around the world, chaired by John Orr, professor of structural engineering at the University of Cambridge.
The expert panel assessed each entry against the four core attributes, with particular emphasis on how projects demonstrate innovation while delivering positive environmental and social impact.
“What strikes me most about this year’s shortlist is the sheer diversity of challenges our profession is tackling,” said Orr. “We’re seeing engineers breathing new life into crumbling hospitals that have issues concerning RAAC [reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete], creating stunning art installations that double as structural masterpieces and pioneering the use of carbon fibre in ways we’ve never seen before. It’s projects like these that remind us why structural engineering is such an exciting field to be in right now.”
The complete shortlist can be viewed by clicking here.
The winners will be announced at the IStructE Structural Awards ceremony on 14 November 2025 in London; book tickets here.
The Institution of Structural Engineers dates back to 1908 and it now has over 30,000 members in 139 countries, making it the world’s largest membership organisation dedicated to the art and science of structural engineering. The core work of the IStructE is to support and protect the profession of structural engineering by upholding professional standards and acting as an international voice on behalf of structural engineers.
Project:Gull Wing Bridge, Lowestoft
Structural designer – Arup
Client – Suffolk County Council
Location – Lowestoft, UK
Architect – Moxon Architects
Principal contractor – Farrans Construction
Key Contractors:
ECI phase 1 consultant – BAM Construction
MEICA (mechanical, electrical, instrumentation, control and automation) – lead, Eadon Consulting
MEICA subcontractor – lead, Oilgear
DCO (Development Consent Order) environmental and planning lead – WSP
Steelwork fabrication – Victor Buyck Steel Construction
MagnaDense mineral supplier – LKAB Minerals
Marine piling – Quinn Piling
Mechanical specialist contractor – De Meyer
Spanning 350m across Lake Lothing in Lowestoft, England, the recently opened Gull Wing Bridge provides a new road and pedestrian link to reconnect communities. At its centre is a 38.5m rolling bascule span – the largest in the world to be raised by hydraulic cylinders – selected for both its engineering efficiency and visual impact. It was delivered through close collaboration in a challenging setting.
The judges commented that it is a landmark crossing which strengthens community connections while making engineering visible and engaging. As the world’s largest hydraulic rolling bascule bridge, it combines structural, mechanical, hydraulic, electrical and control systems engineering in a seamless feat of design and execution. The exposed lifting mechanism celebrates the beauty of movement, while integrated foot and cycle lanes and active community involvement have made the bridge a source of pride for the area.
Project: Victoria Bridge, Brisbane
Structural designer – Arup
Client – Brisbane City Council
Location – Brisbane, Australia
Principal contractor – ACCIONA
Key Contractors:
Specialist contractor – Freyssinet Australia, for methods, prototypes, post-tensioning
Specialist contractor – Confirma, for CFRP (Carbone fiber reinforced polymer strips) and NSM (near-surface mounted) installation
Technical advisor – Nick Stevens Consulting
Work involved strengthening of a 1960s three-span bridge. Externally mounted post-tensioned tendons were used to extend service life and support heavier electric metro vehicles. Ultra-high performance concrete was used to repair blisters at discrete locations without altering the bridge’s original aesthetic. Rigorous structural assessment determined the extent of departures from the AS5100 design standard, supported by parametric modelling to demonstrate the benefits of the solution.
The project, according to the judges, is an exemplary adaptation of 1960s engineering to avoid demolition by upgrading to meet modern transport demands. By challenging code norms and introducing ultra-high performance fibre-reinforced concrete anchorages, the team delivered a safe, efficient strengthening scheme requiring work at only four locations. This innovative approach preserved the existing bridge, minimised disruption and enhanced capacity for metro, road and footpath use – achieving significant material savings and delivering lasting public benefit.
