Paulus, Sokolowski and Sartor receives two awards for engineering excellence

Paulus, Sokolowski and Sartor (PS&S) recently received Honor Awards for two projects submitted to the 2008 Engineering Excellence Awards competition, sponsored by the American Council of Engineering Companies of New Jersey (ACEC N.J.). The annual competition recognizes engineering firms for projects that demonstrate a high degree of achievement, value and ingenuity. Winners at the state level are then eligible to participate in the ACEC national competition. PS&S Architecture, PC provided architectural, engineering, and environmental services for the First Avenue District School project, which was entered in the Energy Conservation category. It was designed and constructed as a high performance elementary and middle school located in an existing residential neighborhood in Newark, New Jersey. It was designed to United States Green Building Council (USGBC) LEED Standards to reduce operating costs; conserve resources; encourage renewable energy technology; reduce environmental impacts; increase student productivity; improve indoor air quality; and initiate a high performance building envelope. The First Avenue District School, a resounding success, has received strong reviews by the community, students, faculty, the City of Newark and the State of New Jersey. The school is being hailed as the quality and technology benchmark for future schools in the Newark school system. PS&S' second award was in the Land Development category for the Weehawken, N.J. Waterfront Park and Recreation Center project. PS&S provided engineering and environmental services to help transform an 11.5 acre former brownfield site into an active public park. The park, with unobstructed views of the Hudson River and the Manhattan skyline, includes such amenities as baseball, football and soccer fields, a 6-lane running track, tennis courts, an outdoor amphitheater, outdoor exercise stations, fenced enclosed play areas and a kayak/boat launch. Overcoming the complex removal and treatment of contaminated soil and geographic constraints, the transformation of this Brownfield site complies with New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) standards. PS&S and their clients received their awards and were recognized at the ACEC N.J. awards banquet on March 13, at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J.