The Valencia Oceanographic Park built by FCC Construcción for the Generalitat Valenciana has won the Construmat award for the best Civil Engineering work given out by the International Construction Trade Fair (Construmat 2005), which is being held this week in Barcelona at the Montjuïc fairgrounds. The award was presented yesterday, 14 April, at the Pedralbes Palace.

It is one of the most prestigious construction awards in Spain. Its objective is to stimulate technological innovation and is so doing it aided by the collaboration of the Department of Territorial Policy and Public Works of the Generalitat de Cataluña and the Secretary of the Cataluña Construction Technology Institute.

According to the panel of judges, the award was given to this work for "the excellent conjugation of technical, environment and functional solutions, with a high level of creativity and innovation in a variety of techniques; diverse structural types; the installations and operations needed to achieve the environmental variability of the numerous biological ambiences reproduced and a very positive and dignified approach to the access and visitors' areas".

Of the 11 projects selected as finalists for the award, six were built by FCC Construcción, including the Monserrat Cog Railway, the Delicias Station in Zaragoza, the Daoiz y Velarde Sports Complex in Madrid, the Cataluña National Museum of Art (MNAC) in Barcelona and the Landscape Restoration of the La Vall d'en Joan controlled depot at the Garraf Nature Park in Barcelona.

The Oceanographic Park is an authentic marine park which reproduces the planet's principal seas and oceans. It is Europe's largest oceanarium, with more than 45,000 animals belonging to 500 different species and habitats.