A string of Birmingham projects took honours at the annual Institution of Civil Engineers West Midlands Awards.

The annual ceremony recognises the top built environment projects and professionals across the West Midlands region.

The communication award went to the Midland Metro Alliance for its campaign relating to the closure of Paradise Circus Queensway as part of the tram extension from New Street station to Centenary Square.

The judges felt the company's engagement team had made excellent use of multimedia channels to deliver messages to the public and were impressed with the regular meetings it held with businesses and residents.

Engineering firm Arup was named winner of the education and inspiration award for its work with local schools, colleges and universities across Birmingham and Solihull.

Collaborative Teaching Laboratory at University of Birmingham
Collaborative Teaching Laboratory at University of Birmingham

The company also worked on a voluntary basis to develop and launch the new Engineering Academy in Chelmsley Wood with judges praising its long-term commitment to the development of the next generation of engineers in the Birmingham area.

University of Birmingham was named a double winner in the studies and research and sustainability categories.

Working with Atkins, RSK and Network Rail on the 'Quantum Technology - Potential for Railway Infrastructure' scheme which looked at market opportunities to detect and assess the condition of assets buried below the railway network.

Its new Collaborative Teaching Laboratory building, developed with Curtins and Sheppard Robson, was "an impressive engineering solution" for the university's need for a sustainable and aesthetically pleasing structure.

For the first time this year, the chair made two further awards for a project and person that they believed deserved special recognition.

Winner of the project award was won by Selly Oak Retail Park and student accommodation, which was presented to the team from Landsec, Birmingham City Council, Interserve and Job Centre Plus.

Selly Oak Retail Park
Selly Oak Retail Park

The special recognition award went to Becky Drew, a graduate ICE member who has shown exceptional commitment to engineering in the region since leaving the University of Birmingham in 2017 and working for Curtins.

The new £10 million railway footbridge bridge at Telford Station won the team achievement and medium project categories before being crowned overall project of the year.

ICE West Midlands regional director Jo Barnett said: "This is an exciting time for civil engineering in the region and you don't have to travel far to see the many and varied infrastructure projects taking shape.

"It is important for us to acknowledge and celebrate the achievements of our civil engineers whose hard work and dedication can often go unnoticed."