Dr Joseph Correnza awarded prestigious John Connell Gold Medal

The gold medal is the highest structural award recognising an eminent engineer’s lifetime achievements and significant national and international contribution to the field of structural engineering.

Australasia Co-Chair Kate West said Joseph exemplifies the positive impact engineers can have on our communities.

“Joseph’s career is underpinned by the quality of his design thinking and his ability to create unique and distinctive solutions. He is a passionate advocate for leaving a positive legacy in our industry while using his expertise to elevate the importance of design,” she said.

“For Engineers Australia to present the John Connell Gold Medal to an engineer like Joseph recognises the importance of using design to make our cities more sustainable, better connected, and ultimately more liveable.”

Joseph has spent 30 years building a diverse portfolio of city-shaping projects that provide communities with more liveable urban environments. His award-winning work includes the Millennium Bridge, National Assembly for Wales, the London Eye, Singapore’s Arts Science Museum, RACV Cape Schanck, Museum of Victoria, North Melbourne Station, Flemington Grandstand, the Southern Star Observation Wheel and industry leading Arup Melbourne Workplace at Melbourne Quarter. 

Having worked closely with Joseph over many years, Peter Bailey, Arup Trustee and previous Arup Chair said, “Joseph is a gifted structural engineer and extraordinary designer with a legacy of projects across the world that not just serve society but signify his talent. He is in the highest echelon of structural and building design engineers Arup has produced globally over the last 30 years.” 

Joseph is honoured to be selected by Engineers Australia as the 2023 recipient of the medal, and joining past recipients, he said “As does all of our profession, I’ve held the recipients of the John Connell Gold Medal in the greatest regard. I’ve been privileged to have worked with many great engineers, architects, and designers, and am grateful for the brilliant teams and mentors who have supported and inspired me to cultivate integrated design outcomes.”

“I will continue to help develop new thinking and approaches to deliver better sustainability outcomes across the industry which are underpinned by great design. Including using new, less carbon intensive materials, enabling positive repurposing of buildings and optimising solutions to minimise waste.”

Joseph is a Principal and Board Director at Arup; Chartered Professional Engineer; Engineers Australia Fellow; Board Member of the Committee for Melbourne, accredited by Australian Institute of Company Directors and sits on a number of University Advisory Boards. His leadership across industry and academia helps highlight how engineers can contribute to quality design outcomes, innovation, and deliver sustainable design. He is recognised as an exemplar industry leader who acts with utmost integrity, working with key industry and government bodies such as Development Victoria, Department of Transport, City of Melbourne, CEDA and Committee for Melbourne to advance long-term city strategies.

This award is named after prolific engineer John Connell, whose outstanding contribution to the practice of structural engineering in Australia has created an enduring legacy. First awarded in 1999 to Professor Bob Warner, the medal is the highest national award from the association which selects only one engineer for this honour each year. Past Arup recipients include the esteemed John Nutt and Peter Bowtell.