Australia's best construction projects have been unveiled.

Seven projects have been shortlisted as finalists for the 2026 Australian Construction Achievement Awards (ACAA).

The projects will compete to be the overall winner, which will be announced at a black-tie dinner at the Hyatt Sydney in August.

Presented by the Australian Constructors Association (ACA), the awards are supported by Cbus, Engineers Australia, Gallagher, InEight, InfraBuild and Pinsent Masons.

Now in their 29th year, the awards celebrate excellence, innovation and leadership when pushing the industry forward.

ACA CEO Jon Davies said that the field of candidates demonstrates an industry which is pushing forward despite challenging conditions.

“For an industry that often battles poor public perception, these projects are powerful reminders of what’s possible when the sector is set up for success,” Davies said.

“Everyone benefits, from clients, contractors, workers, taxpayers and the communities who rely on this infrastructure.

“We’ve matched last year’s record number of finalists, proving the sector is finding new ways of working and delivering better outcomes against all odds.”

Tanya Cox, chair of the independent judging panel, said that the breath of projects demonstrates the industry’s maturity.

“This year’s finalists range from highly complex city builds to urgent regional recovery works,” Cox said.

“These projects stand out for their technical innovation, sophisticated management, strong collaboration and positive cultural outcomes – all signs of a more progressive industry.”

 

The 7 finalist projects

In no particular order, the seven shortlisted projects are as follows.

 

(1) ECU City Campus by Multiplex

Delivered by Multiplex for Edith Cowan University, the $853 million ECU City Campus has seen Edith Cowan University relocate from its campus in Mount Lawley north of the Perth CBD to a new 11-level super campus in the city’s centre.

The new campus has brought together creative industries, business and emerging technologies under one roof. It will bring more than 10,000 students and staff into the city centre.

Spanning more than 65,000 square metres and integrating the Perth Busport, the new campus is now serving as a hub of education, research, creativity, and technology innovation.

It is home to ECU’s Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA), creative humanities programs from the School of Arts and Humanities, the School of Business and Law, emerging technology and cyber security programs from the School of Science, and Kurongkurl Katitjin – the University’s Centre for Indigenous Australian Education and Research.

Features include:

  • eight WAAPA public performance and rehearsal spaces that will host more than 300 performances every year
  • next-generation technology teaching, research and industry spaces, such as an operational Cyber Security Operations Center (Cyber SOC)
  • radio, television and film production studios
  • visual arts and design studios
  • Moot court
  • public gallery and event venues; and
  • an industry engagement hub.

 

(2) Groote Eylandt Wharf Remediation Project (NT) by McConnell Dowell

This project was undertaken by McConnell Dowell on behalf of resources client South 32.

Following a destructive tropical cyclone, the damaged GEMCO Wharf on Groote Eylandt off the coast of the Northern Territory needed to be urgently restored and rebuilt.

Courtesy of a fast-tracked program of works, operations were restarted after less than twelve months.

The project involved:

  • Mobilisation of a sophisticated marine fleet from across Australia, Singapore, and the UAE. This included two large jack-up barges (Santa Fe and Pauline), two smaller jack-ups (Sealift 2 and Sealift 6), a 250-tonne crane barge, three flattop storage barges and a support fleet of tugs and work punts.
  • Demolition and salvage works. These were undertaken in shark, crocodile, and stingray-populated waters. This required more than 500 commercial dives and a robust safety-first approach. A total of 1,037 tonnes of concrete and 998 tonnes of steel were removed from the seabed.
  • Reconstruction, which involved the installation of 28 new piles and the placement of 13 large prefabricated modular steel units in under two months. Construction continued around the clock through Christmas, public holidays, and the peak of the wet season. The construction team managed three cyclone warnings and entered full lockdown once. The use of modular construction accelerated progress and helped the team overcome the complex site conditions and weather-related disruptions.

All up, more than 317,000 hours were wored on the project.

 

(3) Kimberley Marine Support Base (WA) by TAMS Group

This project was delivered by TAMS Group for client Kimberley Marine Support Base.

It involved the design and construction of a new floating wharf and approach causeway in Broome, which has long served as a stratgic northern gateway for Australia’s resources, defence and tourism industries.

The new wharf was nececessy as the previous aging wharf was built for a different era and was unable to meet the demands of modern trades.

Courtesy of the region’s extreme tidal range – which rise and fall up to ten metres within six hours – the previous wharf’s operations had been restricted to short tidal windows. This drove inefficiency, deterred larger vessels and restricted Broome’s potential as a 24/7 logistic hub. Dredging was not an acceptable option to overcome this on account of the environmental damage which this would cause to the pristine Kimberley coastline.

By contrast, construction of the new floating wharf has enabled all-tide operations without the need for dredging and with minimal seabed disturbance.

Specifically, the project scope included:

  • a 165-metre by 50-metre floating wharf positioned in naturally deep water
  • a 300-metre trestle causeway,
  • a link-span ramp; and
  • integration of essential services such as power, water, firefighting, and navigation systems.

During construction, several strategies were employed for successful delivery.

These included:

  • Construction sequencing that was carefully aligned with Broome’s climate and tidal windows. Seabed surveys and piling were completed using specialist jack-up barges and rigs, ensuring control of safety, quality, and productivity. Offshore modular fabrication of pontoon units allowed parallel progress, with modules transported to site and lifted into position using heavy-lift marine cranes. The pontoons were then connected through hinged systems to form a continuous platform, fitted with fenders, bollards, and mooring facilities.
  • Construction of the trestle causeway and link-span ramp to provide seamless vehicle and cargo access, while roadworks maintained safe community use during construction. Services were extended along the structure, and final commissioning included load testing and trial berthings.

 

(4) Metro Tunnel Project (VIC) by Cross Yarra Partnership & Rail Nework Alliance

The $15.5 billion Melbourne Metro Tunnel Project was delivered by the Cross Yarra Partnership and the Rail Network Alliance.

The biggest transformation of Melbourne’s rail network since the City Loop opened in 1981, the Melbourne Metro Tunnel Project is now upon and includes 9 km of twin tunnels under Melbourne’s CBD with five new underground lines.

The new tunnels create an end-to-end train line from Sunbury in the west to Cranbourne and Pakenham in the southeast and connects the rail network to Parkville and St Kilda Road for the first time.

The Metro Tunnel connects to the wider metro rail network with interchanges, including between Flinders Street Station and the new Town Hall Station and between Melbourne Central Station and the new State Library Station.

As well as creating new turn up and go services on the aforementioned lines, the new tunnel has freed up capacity on the city loop for more trains to run on other lines.

Four tunnel boring machines (TBMs), each weighing more than 1100 tonnes and 120m long, were used to dig the twin 9km tunnels.

The TBMs were fitted with drill-like cutterheads measuring 7.3m across, which could tunnel through rock 6 times harder than concrete.

The TBMs dug up to 40m below ground level, with the deepest point under Swanston Street, at the northern edge of the CBD, where the new tunnels passed under the City Loop tunnels.

The Metro Tunnel includes a new high capacity signaling system that has been installed through the tunnel and on sections of the Cranbourne, Pakenham and Sunbury lines.

The system allows trains to travel closer together.

 

(5) New Footscray Hospital (VIC) by Multiplex

Claimed by the Victorian Government as the state’s largest ever healthcare investment, the $1.5 billion new Footscray Hospital was delivered by Multiplex for client Victorian Health and Human Services.

The new hospital replaces the previous Footscray Hospital and has delivered a critical expansion of healthcare capacity in Melbourne’s western suburbs.

It will reduce pressure on nearby hospitals by allowing up to 17,000 residents from the western suburbs to be treated closer to home rather than needing to go to inner-city hospitals.

Compared with the previous facility, the new hospital will cater for an additional 35,000 patients each year.

This includes an extra 15,000 patients along with an additional 20,000 visitations.

Features of the new hospital include:

  • More than 500 inpatient beds: including same-day, multi-day, critical care, sub-acute, drug and alcohol and mental health services. This represents an additional 200 beds compared with the previous hospital.
  • Acute facilitiesincluding an emergency department and mental health and alcohol and other drugs hub.
  • Specialist facilities including cardiovascular/angiographic, operating theatres, procedural and endoscopy spaces and associated recovery spaces
  • Clinical support spaces including spaces for medical imaging, pharmacy, central sterile services, outpatients, mortuary and pathology.
  • Car parking to cater for patients, visitors, staff and other hospital users.
  • Teaching, training and research spaces.

From an architectural viewpoint, the design offers a supportive and inviting environment for all users.

Rather than a single monolithic structure, five buildings which are placed strategically across the site surround a central village green. The buildings include the 12-storey main inpatient building, a sub-acute building, a Victoria University education and research building, a commercial building on Tiernan Street and a multi-storey carpark on Federal Street.

Inspired by community feedback, the central green space becomes a focal point that invites the community in.

 

(6) New Sydney Fish Market (NSW) by Multiplex

Delivered by Multiplex for Infrastructure NSW, the New Sydney Fish Market is set ot attract more than six million visitors each year and is claimed by the NSW Government as the world’s best fish market.

From an architectural viewpoint, the standout feature is the market’s 200-metre-long floating roof canopy.

This takes on a wave-like form that reflects the motion of Sydney Harbour.

The roof is comprised of more than 400 cassettes, which collectively weigh a staggering 2.500 tonnes.

The project has also delivered a new waterfront promenade, an authentic fish market from catch to plate, a public market hall and delivery of up to 1,100 homes on the site of the old fish market.

 

(7) Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport (WSI) Airside, Civil & Pavement Works and Terminal & Specialty Services (ACP & TSS) (NSW) by Western Sydney Airport Corporation, Bechtel, CPB Contractors, Acciona and Multiplex

Delivered ahead of schedule, these works established the core aviation infrastructure for Australia’s newest international airport which is scheduled to open later this year.

The project includes a 3.7km runway, advanced airfield systems, a 96,000m² terminal and an integrated aviation service.

The Airside Civil and Pavement works packages included delivering the airport’s runway and airside facilities.

This involved transforming the site to build a 3.7km runway, equipped with approximately 3,000 aeronautical ground lights and 248 high intensity approach lights,

As many as 2.7 million hours were worked on this part of the project.

Meanwhiel, the Terminal and Specialty works package involved the new airport terminal, apron and airport facilities.

This has comprised the construction of the terminal building, plaza, and connections to the rail and bus stations, taxi ranks, carparks, roads, footpaths and all ancillary buildings.

The speciality works component includes packages associated with the baggage handling system (procured separately), security systems, information technology architecture and network, aerobridges and fixed links, apron and associated external utilities and lifts and escalators.

 

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