Manchester City's Etihad Stadium expansion and HCMA Architecture + Design's Canada-based Grandview Heights Aquatic Centre were recognised at The Structural Awards 2016.

The latter – imagined by Populous BuroHappold Engineering – won the award for Sport or Leisure Structures. The project involves the creation of a new South Stand, which will bring the stadium's capacity up to 61,000 – making it the second-largest in the UK.

Engineers were required to modify an existing cable-net roof with complex geometry and load-paths while providing continued rain protection to fans. As many as 85 per cent of materials used for the expansion were locally procured.

The judges said: “A most impressive response to tricky engineering challenges that resulted in a stadium expansion with minimal spectator disruption and a complementary architectural form. A clever and seamless intervention in a geometrically complex cable net structure.”



HCMA Architecture + Design's aquatic centre was awarded for Structural Engineering Excellence. Engineered by Fast + Epp, the Grandview Heights centre was constructed to meet the needs of a diverse population in Surrey, one of Canada’s fastest growing cities.

The undulating roof shape reduces the amount of air to be heated and de-humidified, cutting operational costs, while steel tube columns in the façade serve a double function, resisting wind loads and acting as ventilator ducts.

Judges said: “We were struck by the undulating roof, which elegantly balances structural form with building use and celebrates the expressed materials. The adoption of timber in catenary permitted a structural depth of just 300mm for a 55m span - a design which defies convention and demanded design excellence.”