July 27 2009

In a coup for Laing O’Rourke, the company took out the prestigious Queensland Master Builders Association Major Project of the Year award for the Downs and Western Region at a glittering ceremony on Saturday night (July 25).

The awards were held at Toowoomba’s Cathedral Centre and celebrated the achievements of those at the forefront of building innovation and excellence.

Master Builders Regional Manager Tony Ryder said the calibre of entrants in this year’s awards was outstanding and resulted in only the best entrants winning awards.

The award was in the Health and Education Facilities ($10-$15 million) category and was for the construction of the Miles Hospital, which was completed in November last year.

The construction, for client the Queensland Government, included single storey hospital buildings housing acute, aged care, emergency and primary health sections and the associated demolition of existing buildings.

The project involved significantly upgrading the existing hospital and has greatly improved health services to the area, 340 kilometres west of Brisbane.

Laing O’Rourke’s South West Qld Manager (Building) Stirling McConnel was delighted with the award results.

“This is a fantastic win and I want to say well done to all of our team who worked on the project,” Stirling said. “It is a credit to each and every one of you.

“Due to the remote location, working on the Miles Hospital required good coordination and planning with suppliers and subcontractors. Our highly experienced and capable project team were able to deliver on a job with very tight timeframes and, in the process, win an award for their efforts.”