US-based engineering periodical Engineering News-Record (ENR) has presented Brazilian construction firm Odebrecht with its 2016 Global Best Projects award for the renovation and expansion of Nacala International Airport in Mozambique, Africa. Odebrecht won the award under ENR’s airport category.
Jorge Maltezinho, engineering manager at Odebrecht, said, “Our very first reaction to this award was a great sense of pride, since it represents recognition of the efforts and dedication of a special team that managed to stay focused on the project’s key goals and to overcome a series of challenges with cohesion, competence and creativity.
“This allowed us to deliver a project with innovative solutions and an excellent balance of quality, safety and performance aspects, while respecting people and society, and still assuring the client’s satisfaction.”
The Nacala International Airport project involved the construction of a new 161,460ft² passenger terminal capable of serving up to 500,000 passengers annually. The airport was the first in Mozambique to obtain the certification for international operations from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in 2015, a year after it was opened.
The judges assessed the project based on the criteria of health and safety, innovation, challenges, and design and construction quality.