The Polish Association of Engineers and Construction Technicians has granted FCC its 2009 construction prize for the refurbishment of the Hala Ludowa in Wroclaw, Poland, by FCC's Austrian subsidiary, Alpine.

The Hala Ludowa, a place of great historical significance, was visited by the previous pope, John Paul II, and was refurbished according to the requirements for listing as a World Heritage Site.

Named "Centennial Hall" in the beginning, its name was changed to the "Hala Ludowa" ("People's Hall") at the end of World War II. It was the venue where the World Congress of Intellectuals for Peace was held in August 1948.

With 6,000 seats and standing room for 20,000, the hall is a magnificent piece of work, a trailblazer of 20th-century architecture. The building cleared the way for reinforced concrete to be used to construct major buildings for public use. Its innovative design successfully conveys a sensation of lightness and harmony that emanates from the enormous cupola, which is 65 metres in diameter and 42 metres tall. In 2006 the Hala Ludowa was included on the list of monuments that form part of the UNESCO World Heritage.

The refurbishment work now done makes the Hala Ludowa the first reinforced-concrete building to shine with renewed splendour. Today it is used as a conference centre and movie house, a venue for sporting events and rock concerts, an opera hall and theatre.

FCC received a letter of congratulations from Michael Berg, son of the architect who designed the Centennial Hall, Max Paul Eduard Berg, sharing his satisfaction that "the Hall is not just recovered as a monument, but, since the most modern technologies have been installed, it can be used as a multipurpose hall".