The Bridgwater Tidal Barrier Scheme has made history with its design partner AtkinsRéalis scooping the Digital Excellence award at the prestigious Flood & Coast Excellence Awards 2026. This groundbreaking achievement acknowledges the innovative digital design work carried out during the scheme's development phase, setting a new benchmark for flood and coastal erosion risk management.
Representatives from AtkinsRéalis were beaming with pride as they collected their award at the Flood & Coast Awards Dinner in Liverpool – one of the UK's leading conferences on the sector. The Digital Excellence category specifically celebrates projects that seamlessly integrate digital innovation to enhance delivery, foster collaboration and improve sustainability and resilience outcomes across the flood and coastal sectors.
Led by the Environment Agency in partnership with Somerset Council, the Bridgwater Tidal Barrier Scheme is a critical infrastructure project safeguarding over 11,300 homes and 1,500 businesses in Bridgwater and its surrounding areas. This monumental scheme aims to provide robust protection against tidal flooding for the next 100 years – an enormous task that will bring long-term security to local communities and economies.
AtkinsRéalis was commended for its pioneering application of advanced digital tools and integrated design methodologies, which played a pivotal role in streamlining the scheme's development. This collaboration across over 35 technical disciplines significantly reduced carbon emissions, programme risks and overall construction costs. The company utilised an integrated 3D federated design model to prevent construction clashes, a bespoke Building Information Modelling (BIM) Analytics Carbon tool for real-time carbon analysis and WebGIS platforms providing live geospatial and environmental data.
Rachel Burden, Project Sponsor for the Environment Agency, expressed her admiration for AtkinsRéalis, stating that the award was thoroughly deserved. Alison McKerrow, Climate Resilience Team Lead at AtkinsRéalis, highlighted the critical role digital capabilities played in achieving a more cohesive approach and making data-driven decisions early on. Both emphasised that the lessons learned from Bridgwater would be instrumental in informing future infrastructure projects across the UK as challenges in the water sector continue to grow.
The Flood & Coast conference serves as a vital platform for government bodies, industry experts, consultants, academics and communities to share best practices and innovations in flood and coastal resilience. The 2026 conference focused on accelerating resilience through comprehensive system-wide and localised approaches – translating climate adaptation ambitions into practical delivery across rivers, catchments and coasts.