VFT Engineering Surveyors Shine at the
25th Annual EISSI Awards
Infrastructure and Construction Award Winner – VFT Engineering Surveyors for the project Sydney Metro City & Southwest – Central Station Main Works Project
The 2023 surveying industry night of nights did not disappoint with an outstanding list of entries and winners across a broad range of award categories. The 2023 Excellence in Surveying & Spatial Information Awards (EISSI) were held on Saturday night at the Hilton Hotel in Sydney with a gathering of almost 400 industry professionals.
The NSW awards, which are jointly presented by the Association of Consulting Surveyors NSW and the Institution of Surveyors NSW, recognise outstanding achievement in surveying and spatial information.
In attendance were the joint Patrons of the Institution of Surveyors Her Excellency the Hon Margaret Beazley AC KC and her husband Mr Dennis Wilson; as well as the Minister for Regional Transport and Roads the Hon Jenny Aitchison MP. Also joining this important night was the NSW Surveyor General and Executive Director, Spatial Services Narelle Underwood. The evening was emceed by comedian Merrick Watts.
The rapid rate of development in infrastructure and property in NSW over the past twelve months is reflected in the number and quality of entries received this year in the following categories.
• Infrastructure & Construction
• Extra Dimension & Innovation
• Community & Sustainable Environment
• Rural Cadastral Surveying & Land Titling
• Urban Cadastral Surveying & Land Titling
• Surveying Project Management
The Infrastructure and Construction Award is sponsored by AusSearch and recognises those projects that have contributed to planning, designing, developing construction and/or infrastructure.
The winners of the Infrastructure and Construction Award were VFT Engineering Surveyors with Steven Smollett, Seyedvahid Motevalizadeh and Cedric Mashuta being acknowledged for their project Sydney Metro City & Southwest – Central Station Main Works Project (CSM).
The new metro station is an underground station, located approximately 27 metres below ground level within the existing Central Station precinct. The location of the metro platforms at Central Station will support a critical interchange, fully connecting the station with suburban, intercity, and regional rail services, buses, coaches, and light rail.
The work included new underground Sydney Metro platforms at Central Station beneath platforms 13, 14 and 15, escalators directly to suburban platforms 12 to 23 for the first time, and an upgraded northern concourse with transformed pedestrian thoroughfares and feature roof.
Central Walk is a new underground pedestrian concourse at Central Station that will improve connection for passengers to trains, light rail, and the new Sydney Metro underground platforms. It includes a 19-metre-wide tunnel from Chalmers Street linking to new Sydney Metro platforms under Central, new, easy access points to Sydney Trains platforms 16 to 23 and escalators directly to suburban platforms for the first time.
The judges commented that in a “category where all entries were of a very high standard, this project exemplified the importance of surveyors in the successful delivery of a complicated development. The criticality of getting the project right and delivered to the highest possible Australian and International metro standards, whilst constructing within, and underneath Sydney’s oldest and constantly operational train station required VFT Engineering Surveyors to overcome surveying challenges of the highest order”.
The Awards come at an exciting and challenging time for the industry. CEO of Consulting Surveyors NSW, Michelle Blicavs commented, “It has been a busy time for our profession with the number of projects in the pipeline across NSW and the significant shortage of surveyors to do the work. Without surveyors, we wouldn’t have much of the infrastructure and development you see around you today.”
Further challenges come from the need to conduct surveying work without significant disruption to the community. CEO of the Institution of Surveyors NSW, Rachel Greenwood commented, “Cities, towns and roads don’t shut down when surveyors need to work. Surveyors are always looking for ways to use new technologies to ensure limited impact on the general public.”
“Our surveying firms and surveying professionals continue to excel and find solutions to land development challenges faced around the state. As one of the smaller, and perhaps less known, professions, it is a great pleasure to recognise those who are adding such value to the New South Wales economy,” said Mrs Blicavs. Congratulations to VFT Engineering Surveyors on their achievement.
Source: Association of Consulting Surveyors NSW Inc – Media Release ‘NSW Surveyors Shine at the 25th Annual EISSI Awards’ September 2023