CEO of University of Melbourne-supported startup receives Engineers Australia award

Engineers Australia Awards gala image new — Award recipients at the recent Excellence Awards gala, including Daniel Prohasky (third from right). Image courtesy of Engineers Australia.

The CEO of a University of Melbourne-supported startup developing re-useable and adjustable mould frame for casting curved concrete panels in building construction has received a prestigious engineering award.

Curvecrete CEO Daniel Prohasky was awarded the Victorian Professional Engineer of the Year award in the 2023 Engineers Australia Excellence Awards. Daniel’s work was recognised for challenging traditional ideologies and producing innovative solutions such as low-carbon and high-strength curved structures.

“It’s an honour to receive significant recognition on behalf of all of the humans and robots that are helping accelerate our transition to a zero-waste and zero-carbon future,” Daniel said.

Curvecrete was co-founded in 2020 by Daniel Prohasky and Warren Rudd to commercialise a low-carbon, adjustable mould frame for casting concrete panels, that was initially developed by Dr Paul Loh and his research team at the University of Melbourne Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning in a bid to reduce waste while achieving great design.

Curvecrete was supported by the University’s Translating Research at Melbourne (TRAM) research impact accelerator program, and the Melbourne Accelerator Program; providing an expanded support network, mentors and focus on growth and commercialisation.

Engineers Australia’s excellence awards program celebrates engineering practice and recognises the outstanding achievements of individual engineering professionals in Australia. Winners from each state and territory will attend the national awards to be held in Melbourne on Wednesday 29 November 2023.