A project to renovate an animal welfare centre was crowned the big winner at an annual awards celebrating the best in West Midlands civil engineering.
Animal Studies Centre at Dudley College of Technology took home a trio of categories at the 2025 Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) West Midlands Awards.
Delivered by engineering and design consultancy Cundell, the regeneration of the Animal Studies Centre was named the winner of the carbon and sustainability and medium project categories before being crowned overall project of the year.
The 1950s building, housed on the college's Broadway campus next to Dudley Castle, was initially set to be demolished but the team at Cundell recommended it would be more sustainable to refurbish it instead.
It is now a low-energy, low-CO2 education facility which is being used by the animal care and welfare department for students to learn how to care for pets, working animals, livestock and wildlife.
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The ICE West Midlands Awards were held at a ceremony in Birmingham.
They recognise achievement across a broad range of different categories before choosing an overall winner, celebrating West Midlands projects of all sizes and scopes and also individuals.
ICE Midlands regional director Jo Barnett said: "Our judges had a diverse range of great projects and individuals to consider from all sectors of the industry, drawn from right across the region.
"Many entries this year also highlighted the sustainable benefits civil engineers in the region are bringing to our everyday lives.
"Our annual awards are important in not only demonstrating the importance of civil engineers, whose hard work and dedication can often go unnoticed, but in also celebrating the positive impact that civil engineering has right across the region."
Among the other winners was a restoration project of the upper furnace pool at the globally renowned Ironbridge Gorge in Shropshire (above).
The winner of the heritage category was delivered by WM Longreach and Balfour Beatty Living Places for Telford & Wrekin Council.
Judges were impressed with the safe working environment provided by long-reach excavation to remove silt from the waterways.
The area is a popular location for the local community and school children have visited the site to learn about the engineering process.
The Bromford Walls Renewal Scheme, delivered by Jackson Civil Engineering and Jacobs for the Environment Agency, won the team award.
The project involved the rebuilding of two collapsed walls as part of the Bromford & Castle Vale Flood Risk Management Scheme, north of Birmingham city centre.
It will safeguard more than 1,700 properties from flooding and protect critical infrastructure including transport links in and around Birmingham.
Andrew Kenchington, a director at engineering consultancy Tony Gee and Partners, received the Bob Dunn Award for outstanding achievement.
He has been involved in a wide variety of projects during his 35-year career including the Selly Oak bypass next to the University of Birmingham's campus.
More recently, he has been a member of the Midland Metro Alliance team which is expanding the tram network across Birmingham and the Black Country.
The judges also recognised the support Mr Kenchington provides to younger civil engineers by supporting them with their own personal and professional development.
The other winners at the ICE West Midlands Awards 2025 were:
Large Project
Kepax Footbridge, Worcester
Studies and Research
Real-scale Testing of Geogrid-stabilised Platforms project, collaboration between National Buried Infrastructure Facility at University of Birmingham and Tensar
Innovation and Technical Excellence
The Strongford Net Zero Hub, delivered by JN Bentley and AtkinsRéalis for Severn Trent Water
Education and Inspiration
Mott MacDonald Bentley for its work on STEM initiatives
Rising Star
Ben Merchant-Smith, senior engineer at Tony Gee and Partners
