Brunel Awards Winners Announced
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BRUNEL AWARDS WINNERS ANNOUNCED
Washington, D.C./ Paris, 10 August 2011 – The Association of American Railroads (AAR) and the International Union of Railways (UIC), the worldwide association of cooperation for railway companies, jointly announced today that 43 projects from 11 nations have been recognized for design excellence in the 2011 Edition of the prestigious Brunel Awards International Railway Design Competition in judging recently completed in Washington, D.C. Over 150 entries were received from railway and government organizations throughout the world that own or operate railway services and/or manage rail infrastructure. Nineteen projects received Brunel Awards, the highest level of recognition, while 24 others received Commendations.
The U.S. and Japan won the most Brunel Awards with five each. Other nations receiving awards are Austria, Germany, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden. The official award ceremony will take place in Washington on Oct. 14, 2011 with representatives of the U.S. Department of Transportation, the AAR, the UIC, and the Watford Group making presentations to the winners.
The Brunel Awards competition recognizes and promotes the best in railway architecture, engineering, landscape and environmental design, product design, locomotive and car design, graphic arts, and corporate branding amongst the world’s railways. Honorary Co-Chairs of the Brunel Awards Committee are the Hon. Joseph Szabo, FRA Administrator and AAR President and CEO Edward R. Hamberger.
"This year‘s submissions from the rail industry are evidence of the tremendous commitment to quality in design and expertise in building and maintaining a true 21st Century rail network. The Brunel Awards competition provides a platform to recognize good design while reinforcing the importance of rail in everyday life," said Ed Hamberger.
UIC Director General, Jean-Pierre Loubinoux said, ”The Brunel Awards competition illustrates the essential role of quality design and innovative architecture in railway systems throughout the world that make them more sustainable and more beneficial to society while at the same time more attractive and more enjoyable for their customers.”
The jury was composed of international leaders from the design and railway fields chaired by Professor Ronald Kemnitzer, FIDSA, of Virginia Polytechnic and State University in Blacksburg, Va. “The quality and creativity of the submissions was very high and posed a real challenge to the Jury to reach consensus in just two days of evaluation,” said Professor Kemnitzer.
Other jurors were: Chase Rynd, CEO of the National Building Museum; Angela Brady, President-elect of the Royal Institute of British Architects; Roy Allen, CEO of the U.S. Transportation Technology Center; Ignacio Barron, Director of the UIC Passenger Department; Niels Diffrient, noted American industrial designer; Pamela Loeffelman, past Vice President of the American Institute of Architects, and Professor Lars Lallerstedt, Swedish designer and educator.
The Brunel Awards are sanctioned by the Watford Group of International Railway Designers, an organization founded in 1963 and composed of railway design professionals from 20 countries in Europe, Asia and the Americas. The Brunel Awards were created in 1985 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of England’s Great Western Railway designed by the renowned British architect and engineer, Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Subsequently, the competition has been held at three-year intervals rotating among the Watford member nations. The last time it was held in the U.S. was 1994.
Additional information is available upon request from the Center for Industrial Design in Transportation, Inc. at brunel2011@c4idt.org. A complete list of winning projects is attached.
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The Association of American Railroads (AAR) is the world's leading railroad policy, research and technology organization. AAR members include the major freight railroads, or Class I railroads, of the U.S., Canada and Mexico, as well as Amtrak. For more information, visit www.aar.org. Follow us on Twitter: AAR_FreightRail or facebook: www.facebook.com/freightrail.
The International Railway Union (UIC) is the worldwide organization for promotion of rail transport and cooperation across the world and comprises 200 members on all 5 continents. UIC, as a technical platform, provides its members with technical know-how and expertise (regulations and specifications in order to enhance technical cooperation) and ensures the coherence of the rail system to help meet the challenges of mobility and sustainable development.
The Center for Industrial Design in Transportation, Inc. (C4IDT) is a non-profit educational corporation whose mission is to promote outstanding visual appearance and design in all modes of transport incorporating both infrastructure and vehicles, and to educate transport owner/operators and transportation officials on the value of applying industrial design as an integrated process from the outset of new projects. As part of its mission, the Center sponsors scholarships and educational outreach to universities via seminars and guest lecturers, and organizes exhibits and design competitions to showcase good design in transportation. The Center has an independent board of directors drawn from the transportation design and supply industry.
BRUNEL AWARDS RESULTS BY COUNTRY
(Asterisk indicates Brunel Award; other projects received Commendations)
Austria
Freudenauer Harbour Bridge* Austrian Railways (OBB)
Vienna Heiligenstadt Station Austrian Railways (OBB)
Salzach Bridge Austrian Railways (OBB)
Public Information Box at Vienna Station* Austrian Railways (OBB)
France
Orleans Multi-modal Transport Hub SNCF Gares & Connexions
Redevelopment of Vichy Station SNCF Gares & Connexions
Bellegarde sur Valserine Station SNCF Gares & Connexions
Facilities at Rungis National Food Market Paris SNCF Semmaris
Germany
Frankfurt Station “Kaffeepunkt” Pavilion* German Railways (DB)
Japan
Izamizawa Station* Japan Rail Hokkaido
Shin Tosu Station* Japan Railway Construction Transport Agency
Kumanmoto Station Passageway Japan Rail Kyushu
Shin Tamana Station Japan Railway Construction Transport Agency
Maglev and Railway Park Museum Central Japan Railway
Hakata City Station Roof Garden & Park Japan Rail Kyushu
Hakata City Station Tile Art Project Japan Rail Kyushu
Kyushu Shinkansen Travel Campaign Japan Rail Kyushu
Series E5 Shinkansen Trainset* East Japan Railway
Narita Express E259 Trainset* East Japan Railway
Series N700 High Speed Trainset* West Japan Railway/Japan Rail Kyushu
HB-300 Hybrid Sightseeing Train East Japan Railway
Netherlands
Hilversum Station* ProRail
Emmen Zuid Station* ProRail
Drontemeer Tunnel Facility Service Bldg.* ProRail
Portugal
Rossio Station Portuguese Rail Infrastructure Manager (REFER)
Sado River Bridge* Portuguese Rail Infrastructure Manager (REFER)
Lisbon Operations Control Center Portuguese Rail Infrastructure Manager (REFER)
Spain
Cuenca High Speed Rail Station Spanish Rail Infrastructure Administrator (ADIF)
New Seating at Laguna Station* Spanish Rail Infrastructure Administrator (ADIF)
Sweden
Malmo Railway Station Extension* Jernhusen AB
Switzerland
Brig Station Swiss Federal Railways (SBB)
Chur Station Swiss Federal Railways (SBB)
Zurich Letten Viaduct Shops Swiss Federal Railways (SBB)
Ee992 Dual Voltage Shunting Loco Swiss Federal Railways (SBB)
United Kingdom
Corporate Offices Branding Program Network Rail
United States
Joseph R. Biden Jr. Wilmington Delaware Station* Amtrak
Ft. Washington/Ambler/North Wales Stations* Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Auth.
Massachusetts Avenue & Columbia Road Bridges Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
Heartland Corridor Project Norfolk Southern Railway
Croton Harmon Loco and Car Shop* Metro North Railroad
Washington Union Station Bike Transit Center.* District of Columbia Dept. of Transportation
Heritage Locomotive Fleet Program* Union Pacific Railroad
Superliner I Coach Overhaul Program Amtrak