The ninth annual ACI Excellence in Concrete Construction Awards showcased dozens of innovative concrete projects from around the world.

The “Overall Excellence” award was presented to Quay Quarter Tower, located in Sydney. The winning concrete project also received first place in the repair and restoration structures category at the ACI Excellence in Concrete Construction Awards during the ACI Concrete Convention on Monday, Oct. 30.

Located in the central business district of Sydney, Quay Quarter Tower is the world’s tallest adaptive reuse project. Adaptive reuse refers to a transformation of use from a building’s original purpose while preserving its architectural and cultural heritage. In the case of Quay Quarter Tower, a 45-year-old concrete building was repurposed with partial demolition and the addition of new elements — expanding both the ground width and height of the original structure. The new, upcycled tower is a 709-foot-tall building using a mixture of material solutions that extend service life until 2070. The project overcame unprecedented structural engineering challenges with innovative solutions that have set a new global standard for the effective conservation and lifetime extension of tall concrete buildings. Through a rigorous assessment and verification process, this project is the world’s first example of the adaptive reuse of a concrete skyscraper.

“The project was both innovative and creative, including adaptive reuse of an existing high-rise building,” stated Overall Excellence judge Ronald G. Burg. “The project team of architects, engineers and contractors addressed many unique challenges to deliver a world-class sustainable building.”

The awards were created to honor the visions of the most creative projects in the concrete industry while providing a platform to recognize concrete innovation, technology and excellence across the globe. To be eligible for participation in the ACI Excellence in Concrete Construction Awards, projects need to be nominated by an ACI Chapter or International Partner or be selected through self-nomination.

In addition to the highest honor, the “Overall Excellence” award, additional projects recognized during the ACI Excellence in Concrete Construction Awards include:

• Repair & Restoration
  • First Place: Quay Quarter Tower in New South Wales, Australia.
  • Second Place: University of British Columbia’s MacLeod Engineering Building Renewal on its Vancouver Campus in Vancouver, British Columbia.
• Decorative Concrete
  • First Place: North Bend Torguson Skatepark in North Bend, Washington.
  • Second Place: Block G-1 in Tampa, Florida.
• Low-Rise Structures
  • First Place: Bou You Rou Sakai-shi in Fukui, Japan.
  • Second Place: Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad’s Biomedical Engineering, Biotechnology and Management Building in Hyderabad, Telangana, India.
• Mid-Rise Structures
  • First Place: Centro Cívico Universitario – Bloque Rgd (University Civic Center) in Cundinamarca, Bogotá, Colombia.
  • Second Place: University of California San Francisco’s Nancy Friend Pritzker Psychiatry Building in San Francisco.
• High-Rise Structures
  • First Place: Salesforce Tower Chicago in Chicago.
  • Second Place: The Reed at Southbank in Chicago.
• Infrastructure
  • First Place: I-74 Mississippi River Bridge in Bettendorf, Iowa.
  • Second Place: Sixth Street Viaduct Replacement Project in Los Angeles.
• Flatwork
  • First Place: Mountain Pass Lodge and Sliding Sports Facility in Lake Placid, New York.
  • Second Place: 11601 Wilshire in Los Angeles.
  • Honorable Mention: Bi-State Development Concrete Overlays in St. Louis.

The winning project details can be found at ACIExcellence.org. Entries for the 2024 ACI Excellence in Concrete Construction Awards are being accepted now through April 29, 2024.

You can also vote for the 2023 People’s Choice Award – an audience-driven award for the ACI Excellence in Concrete Construction Awards. Beginning Oct. 30 and ending Nov. 30, participants can judge and vote for their favorite concrete project entered in this year’s ACI Excellence in Concrete Construction Awards. Following the completion of the voting period on Nov. 30, the American Concrete Institute will announce the winning project of the People’s Choice Award on ACI’s official social media pages.