Malaysia's Excellence In Civil Engineering Gets World Recognition

By Ismail Amsyar Mohd Said LONDON, Oct 10 (Bernama) -- Malaysia, through Jambatan Kedua Sdn Bhd (JKSB), has carved its name on the ‘Civil Engineering Wall of Fame’ after being the first Southeast Asian country and the third country outside the United Kingdom to be honoured with the prestigious Brunel Medal award. JKSB, wholly owned by the Minister of Finance Incorporated and the concessionaire of Jambatan Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah (JSAHMS), was selected by the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), UK, for its excellence in civil engineering in the Second Penang Bridge project, which was completed last year. JKSB Managing Director Datuk Ir. Dr Ismail Mohamed Taib said Malaysia was the third country to receive the award after South Korea and New Zealand since the Brunel Medal was introduced in 1995. "And we are very proud and honoured to receive this award as it recognises both outstanding civil engineering, achievements and contributions to the profession and Institution of Civil Engineers,” he said at the award presentation ceremony at the ICE here on Friday. Ismail also said that the Brunel Medal award was the third international recognition awarded to the concessionaire of the Second Penang Bridge project, which promotes sustainability in its construction and operation with the highest quality. The first international award was the 2013 Green Apple Award in the UK and the second the 2014 International Star Award for Quality in Geneva, he said. ICE President Professor David Balmforth presented the award to JKSB Chairman Datuk Seri Ir. Mohd Noor Yaacob. Also present were JKSB Chief Financial Officer Darwis Abdul Razak and the project’s consultant, Dr Robin Sham of AECOM. The Brunel Medal recognises excellence in civil engineering under the category of ‘Prizes Promoting the Institution and the Civil Engineering Profession.’ Other categories include Prizes for Published Papers, Premium Prizes for Papers, Prizes recognising Services to the Institution, and Prizes and Awards Linked to Achievement and Development. ICE Director of Engineering Knowledge Nathan Baker told reporters that the Brunel Medal is a very prestigious engineering excellence award . "It is an internationally recognised award. You have to meet the highest possible standard to get it. You cannot acquire it. You have to go through a very robust peer review process and to be awarded is unbelievably prestigious. “It is really about understanding the excellence in engineering rather than excellence in a specific field. The award is given to the best in the world,” he tressed. Baker said that the annual award considered a number of projects across the wider sphere of civil engineering, including bridges, dams and railways. “People who review them are international experts, both within the field of the paper or project, or within the wider sphere of civil engineering. Each of those reviewers looks at the submission individually, and the whole process takes seven months and is highly robust,” he explained. Meanwhile, ICE in a statement lauded the Second Penang Bridge, saying that the project is a catalyst for further economic expansion in Malaysia and the seismic resilient and Tsunami resistant bridge will save lives in the future, in a region prone to natural disasters. The bridge, the longest sea crossing in recent history of bridge construction, is an exemplary civil engineering project, overcoming many design and construction challenges, the institution said. With a total length of 24km, the project pioneered the use of a number of innovative methods in design and construction including durability planning, life-cycle costing and carbon footprint minimisation, which robustly underpinned all aspects of the project, it noted. -- BERNAMA