PROJECTS from Saudi Arabia and UAE secured first-place honours in three categories at the 2026 American Concrete Institute (ACI) Excellence in Concrete Construction Awards, highlighting the region’s expertise in sustainable concrete technology, infrastructure and high-rise construction.

Saudi Arabia’s NovusCrete seawater-concrete initiative won the flatwork category, while the King Salman International Complex for Maritime Industries and Services took first place in the infrastructure sector and Aramco Stadium in Al Khobar topped the mid-rise structures category. The UAE’s Wasl Tower in Dubai won the high-rise structures category.

The awards were announced during ACI’s Fall 2026 Concrete Convention in Atlanta. The programme, now in its 12th year, recognises innovative concrete construction projects and advances in design, engineering, technology and sustainability.

A panel of more than 30 industry experts selected 18 winners across eight categories: bridges, low-rise structures, mid-rise structures, high-rise structures, decorative concrete, flatwork, repair and restoration, and infrastructure.

The overall excellence award went to the Grand Paris Express Line 18 Viaduct in Saclay, France, which also won first place in the bridges category.

Wasl’s signature feature is its towering ceramic façade.

The project was recognised for its use of lower-carbon concrete mixtures, self-consolidating concrete and precast segments to improve durability, construction efficiency and site safety.

In the low-rise structures category, first place went to Smart Innovation Ecosystem Novare in Tokyo, which incorporates low-carbon concrete, 3D-printed concrete structures and hybrid precast concrete-steel systems.

The Aramco Corporate Academy in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, bagged the second place.

The ACI report said the reinforced concrete complex integrates sustainable design with high-performance construction, incorporating green concrete technology and energy-efficient building features to reduce material use and lower CO₂ emissions.

The big accolade for the kingdom came with Saudi Aramco Stadium in Al Khobar which clinched the first place in the mid-rise structures category. The 47,000-seat football venue combines 167,000 cu m of cast-in-place concrete with over 10,900 precast elements.

The second spot was secured by Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple project at Ayodhya in India, which won plaudits from the judges panel for its steel-free foundation designed for a 1,000-year service life.

On the Indian engineering marvel, the jury said it had set a new benchmark in concrete innovation, featuring a steel-free foundation engineered for a 1,000-year design life. 

More than 300,000 cu m of concrete, including a 1.5 m thick, unreinforced, temperature-controlled self-consolidating raft, was optimised with triple-blended binders, up to 70 per cent supplementary cementitious materials, and manufactured sand to maximise durability while reducing embodied carbon, it stated.

In the high-rise structures category, first place went to Wasl Tower in Dubai, a 302-m building distinguished by its twisting form and ceramic facade, while Houston Methodist Hospital’s Brockman Centennial Tower in Texas received second place.

On the Wasl Tower, ACI said rising to an impressive 1,000 ft,  its distinctive twisting form offers some of the most spectacular views of the dynamic city.

Its signature feature is the world’s tallest ceramic façade, covering a surface area of approximately 376,600 sq ft.

In the flatwork section, NovusCrete: Pioneering Seawater Concrete Construction in Saudi Arabia won big for its use of seawater-based concrete in a wastewater project designed for an arid coastal environment. 

In the infrastructure category, first place went to the King Salman International Complex for Maritime Industries and Services in Ras Al Khair, Saudi Arabia. The 1,125-hectare facility supports shipbuilding, ship repair and offshore fabrication, said ACI in its report. 

ACI said the deadline for 2027 entries is April 1, 2027.