September marked an important month for ideas* with the two projects entered in the 2009 Victorian Engineering Excellence Awards both receiving awards. The diversity of the projects entered reflects the broad experience base we bring to our client’s projects.The Victorian Engineering Excellence Awards are a prestigious showcase of leading edge, innovative engineering projects and products being developed and delivered by Victorian engineers. To view the 2009 Victorian Engineering Excellence Awards Booklet click hereAlex Fraser Group – Construction Material Recycling PlantThe first of the winning entries was a concrete recycling plant designed by ideas* for Alex Fraser Group. The project received a High Commendation in the category of Industrial Development and Manufacturing.Working collaboratively with the Alex Fraser Group project and production teams, ideas* provided the engineering and detail design for their new state of the art Construction Material Recycling Facility. Located in Laverton, the plant is capable of processing up to 600 tonnes per hour of concrete and other building materials.The facility now leads the world in construction material recycling efficiency, helping Alex Fraser Group achieve their target of recycling 40 million tonnes of waste by 2014 and saving the CO₂ gas equivalent of taking 46,000 cars off the road for one year.To view the Alex Fraser Group case study click hereFuture SparkThe second of the winning entries was Future Spark which received a Chairman’s Recognition Award. The Future Spark project was inspired by an unsuccessful overseas attempt to power a rock concert by human effort alone. ideas* undertook research and development, design and construction of a mobile facility for generating electricity by human effort. The Futurespark trailer was then used to power the 2009 Earth Hour Concert at Federation Square, Melbourne.The scope of work undertaken by ideas* also included the event planning, marketing and public management required to recruit cyclists for the event. The trailer is now used as an interactive educational tool at schools across Melbourne, teaching kids the value of the energy they use on a day to day basis.To view the Future Spark case study click here