‘Design Masterpiece’: Auckland’s America’s Cup Village Wins Gold Award

The Wynyard Edge Alliance has won Gold at the ACE Awards on Tuesday 22 February for designing and building the America’s Cup Village on Auckland’s waterfront.

Some of New Zealand’s leading planning, design and construction specialists came together to form the high-performance team required to deliver this globally significant project.

The alliance – made up of Beca, Tonkin + Taylor, Auckland Council, McConnell Dowell, Downer and the New Zealand Government – was responsible for designing and building the infrastructure needed to host the 36th America’s Cup in Auckland in 2021. It was tasked with creating a stage for the race, and an attractive, welcoming waterfront destination Kiwis and visitors would love.

The project had multiple conflicting priorities, including a short timeframe, an immoveable deadline and a challenging budget.

The team used agile processes with parallel workstreams and, in some instances, detailed designs were being progressed in tandem with alternative options to enable changes and optimisation as the project progressed.

ACE New Zealand Chief Executive Helen Davidson said judges were impressed that despite the complex challenges, the project was completed on time and under budget.

“There was a high level of political attention and public spending under scrutiny, so the project was high-profile and could not afford to fail. The Wynyard Edge Alliance has delivered a design and construction masterpiece.

“The team have also gone to considerable lengths to share their knowledge within the profession in New Zealand through technical papers, presentations and videos. Their willingness to share their experience leaves a legacy that will benefit the industry for years to come.”

About the ACE Awards

The ACE Awards recognise consulting and engineering that achieves the highest level of innovation and excellence, and results in remarkable outcomes. The judging panel evaluates the submissions, conducts client interviews and tours project sites. This work is then reviewed by a group of peers, which makes the ACE Awards the pinnacle of achievement in the professional services consulting sector.

These awards are the 2021 ACE Awards, originally scheduled to take place at the Cordis Hotel in Auckland in September 2021 but delayed because of COVID-19 restrictions. They took place online on Tuesday 22 February.

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