ACE Commendation for GHA Livigunn

GHA Livigunn walked away with a Commendation in the small firm’s infrastructure category at this year’s ACE Engineering Excellence Awards for their detailed civil and structural design on the Ashton-under-Lyne Wastewater Treatment Works.  The project, which was undertaken by United Utilities’ Integrated Alliance+ (ia+) as part of their £2.9 billion AMP4 investment programme to increase the capacity of the treatment works and improve the quality of the treated water returned to the adjacent River Tame.

The judge commented: “The commendation in this category goes to a project which the judges said was a genuine feat of engineering which had to shoehorn a great deal into a complex site within a very small footprint”.

Stewart Tennant, GHA Livigunn’s Director, who collected the award at the ceremony said:  “To construct a complete new works adjacent to the existing plant on a narrow strip of non-operational land was indeed challenging.  Construction had to take place in parallel with the design and we had to contend with some significant geotechnical and environmental issues stabilising the Peak Forest Canal embankment and creating a new wetland habitat for the local resident newts and frogs at the same time.”

“We are, therefore, delighted to receive a Commendation from ACE for this project, following on from our success in last year’s ACE awards.  It demonstrates our continuous commitment to provide high quality consultancy design and professionalism in each and every project we undertake; it is an honour to be recognised.”

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 For further information please contact:

Stewart Tennant or Charlotte Johnson on 0161 491 4600  Email: charlotte.johnson@ghalivigunn.com

Notes to Editors:

1.  Photograph

Stewart Tennant, GHA Livigunn’s Director, receives the Commendation from Nicky Campbell (BBC’s Watchdog presenter) at the ACE Excellence Engineering Awards Ceremony 2009

2.  GHA Livigunn is an engineering design consultancy covering chemical, water, power, rail and nuclear industries.

3.  The company currently employs 80 staff in the UK with a group turnover circa £5.3 million.

4.  GHA Livigunn’s reputation for providing efficient, safe and optimum design solutions for the construction industry and key blue-chip clients has grown in strength over the past twenty years.

5.  A developer of 3D visualisations for projects as varied as costal defences, high voltage sub-stations, water treatment works as well as chemical and pharmaceutical plant applications.

6.  In 2008 GHA Livigunn received The Institute of Structural Engineers (IStructE) North West Regional Structural Awards for Small Project and an Engineering Excellence Award from The Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE) in recognition of the design for Top o’ th’ Cow service reservoirs, located outside Bolton.

7.  Website: www.ghalivigunn.com.

8.  The Integrated Alliance+ (ia+) was formed to work alongside United Utilities (UU) in seamless integrated workstreams, covering engineering solutions, design, construction and commissioning work on water and wastewater treatment projects within the Capital Programme division.  The ia+ partners are:KMI Plus – a joint venture between Kier Construction, J Murphy & Sons, Interserve Project Services and Mouchel delivering detail design and construction in the north of UU’s home region.  GCA – a joint venture between Galliford Try, Costain Ltd and Atkins delivering detail design and construction in the south of UU’s home region.  MWH – one of the world’s leading environmental engineering firms acting as solution service provider to the ia+, working in partnership with UU Engineering Group, responsible for identifying and developing engineering solutions for the north and south regions.