March 20, 2009 -
Spotlights
The American Council of Engineering Companies of New York (ACEC New York) will once again honor our 240 member firms at the annual Engineering Excellence Awards gala in the Waldorf-Astoria on April 4. With the state of the state's infrastructure so dire, as reported by the American Society of Civil engineers (ASCE) last month - 35% of New York's major roads were cited to be in poor condition, 38% of bridges were deemed structurally deficient or functionally obsolete, and mass transit was found insufficient in alleviating congestion in major cities - our members have much to be commended for.
The firms will be recognized for their work in replacing and rehabilitating some of the state's aging infrastructure as well as for their pioneering efforts at the forefront of sustainable design. Awards will be given in nine categories including transportation, water resources, environmental engineering, structural systems and building/technology systems.
"Each year, our member firms are involved in major projects throughout New York State and worldwide. This year's award-winning projects once again represent the depth and breadth of skills that the state's private engineering firms provide. With the arrival of federal stimulus money earmarked for New York, we look forward to tackling the infrastructure needs that require immediate attention," said Del Dausman, president of ACEC New York.
Diamond Award Winners
This year, 25 projects and firms received the Diamond Award, the highest honor conferred, including:
* Compressor-Free Geothermal Cooling System, Stone Ridge, N.Y., Dagher Engineering
* The Standard Hotel, New York, N.Y., DeSimone Consulting Engineers
* North River Pollution Control Plant, New York, N.Y., DMJM Harris/AECOM
* Development of Sediment Remediation Goals for the Onondaga Lake, Superfund Site, Syracuse, N.Y., AECOM
* LEED Platinum Certification of Existing Corporate Headquarters, Lancaster, N.Y., Ecology and Environment Engineering, P.C.
* Kodak Footprint Reduction Program, Rochester, N.Y., Erdman Anthony
* New York City Transit Grand Avenue Bus Depot and Central Maintenance Facility, Maspeth, N.Y., Gannett Fleming Engineers and Architects, PC
* Intrepid Pier 86, New York, N.Y., Halcrow
* Reconstruction of Grand Concourse over East 161st St. & Grand Concourse - East 161st - East 166th St., Bronx, N.Y., Hardesty & Hanover, LLP
* Tappan Zee Bridge Partial Superstructure Replacement, Westchester and Rockland Counties, New York, N.Y., Henningson, Durham & Richardson Architecture and Engineering, P.C.
* The High Line Project, New York, N.Y., LiRo/HDR Team
* Wastewater Treatment Plant Reconstruction, Port Jefferson, N.Y., Holzmacher, McLendon, & Murrell, P.C.
* Bank of America Tower at One Bryant Park, New York, N.Y., Jaros, Baum & Bolles
* Pier 17 Redevelopment, New York, N.Y., Langan Engineering & Environmental Services, Inc., P.C.
* Foundations for the New York Law School Expansion, New York, N.Y., Mueser Rutledge Consulting Engineers
* African Burial Ground National Monument, New York, N.Y., Parsons Brinckerhoff
* Big Creek Lake Dam Spillway Rehabilitation, Mobile, A.L., Malcolm Pirnie
* Shanghai World Financial Center, Shanghai, China, Leslie E. Robertson Associates, RLLP
* Greenlink Windsor Transportation Land Use Planning, Windsor, Ontario, Canada, Sam Schwartz Engineering
* Park Center for Business & Sustainable Enterprise, Ithaca, N.Y., Robert Silman Associates
* Interstate 86/US Route 15 Interchange, Painted Post, N.Y., Stantec Consulting Services, Inc.
* The New York City Waterfalls, New York, N.Y., STV Group
* Reconstruction of Beekman Street in Manhattan, New York, N.Y., Tectonic Engineering and Surveying Consultants P.C.
* Maturity Testing for Bridge Deck Rapid Replacement, Brooklyn, N.Y., WSP SELLS
* Citi Field, Flushing Meadows, N.Y., WSP Cantor Seinuk Structural Engineers
New Best in State Award
For the first time, ACEC New York will present the Empire Award, a new award for the highest rated project in New York State among the entries submitted. The criteria for selection are: innovative application of new or existing technologies, complexity, future value to the engineering profession, and meeting and exceeding client needs. This year, Jaros, Baum & Bolles will receive the award for its revolutionary designs of the energy systems and on-site water management of the Bank of America Tower at One Bryant Park. The "Best Panel Award" will go to Ecology and Environmental Engineering for the depiction of its existing corporate headquarters, which achieved LEED Platinum certification.
Complete listings of the winning engineering firms and the Diamond Award-winning panels are posted on the Engineering Excellence section of ACEC New York's website, www.acecny.org. Â
Jay Simson, CAE, is the executive director of ACEC New York.